Newbie to motorsport looking for advice
Discussion
Hi There,
Seems like there are a lot of knowledgable motorsport people here so here goes...
I have done a fair share of track driving and experiences like Palmersport, single seaters, Porsche half-day, Ginettas etc etc and now I want to take driving further by starting motorsport. Living in London I am constantly frustrated by speed cameras, traffic, speed bumps and more traffic and the motorways are getting busier and busier to take you anywhere far in any short space of time. I sold my V12 Vantage S because the money spent on upkeep was not worth the fun I got from the occasional empty road and I have no interest in driving at 2mph through Knightsbridge to be 'seen' and rev my engine.
Long story short, I am 25 (so well past karting), with some decent track experience looking to one day in maybe 10 years be on a GT3 grid in a 24hr race. Whether or not I get there is a different story... :S
I have an ok budget to spend but it's not unlimited!
The problem newbies have is there is so much choice out there with many companies ready to take your cash. I don't mind spending a little more... BUT I want to maximise driving time, tuition, learning and ideally drive amongst similar calibre drivers in a well run and supported event.
So... Do I pay for an all inclusive package like Ginetta GRDC, Caterham Academy or Radical SR1? Or do I go at it alone and enter something like the Mini Challenge or even Amateur classes of GT4 categories and organise coaching and training along the way? Why not go for the top, attack the steeper learning curve and save money that would have otherwise been spent on 'lower leagues'? As a Novice I cannot answer that!
Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts and experiences!
Cheers
Seems like there are a lot of knowledgable motorsport people here so here goes...
I have done a fair share of track driving and experiences like Palmersport, single seaters, Porsche half-day, Ginettas etc etc and now I want to take driving further by starting motorsport. Living in London I am constantly frustrated by speed cameras, traffic, speed bumps and more traffic and the motorways are getting busier and busier to take you anywhere far in any short space of time. I sold my V12 Vantage S because the money spent on upkeep was not worth the fun I got from the occasional empty road and I have no interest in driving at 2mph through Knightsbridge to be 'seen' and rev my engine.
Long story short, I am 25 (so well past karting), with some decent track experience looking to one day in maybe 10 years be on a GT3 grid in a 24hr race. Whether or not I get there is a different story... :S
I have an ok budget to spend but it's not unlimited!
The problem newbies have is there is so much choice out there with many companies ready to take your cash. I don't mind spending a little more... BUT I want to maximise driving time, tuition, learning and ideally drive amongst similar calibre drivers in a well run and supported event.
So... Do I pay for an all inclusive package like Ginetta GRDC, Caterham Academy or Radical SR1? Or do I go at it alone and enter something like the Mini Challenge or even Amateur classes of GT4 categories and organise coaching and training along the way? Why not go for the top, attack the steeper learning curve and save money that would have otherwise been spent on 'lower leagues'? As a Novice I cannot answer that!
Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts and experiences!
Cheers
Thanks everyone for your advice - all extremely helpful.
I think after careful deliberation - the Ginetta path seems most suitable. Having driven the G40 car a number of times this year it really does give you that miniture GT Car feeling and offers a pretty good ladder providing your budget allows. Also at a novice level you are already running support races at British GT weekends so I guess the sense of occasion is there which will help with sponsors as you go up the series. A couple of 1000 here and there will at least pay for some tyres amd brakes - every little helps.
With GRDC for the money I would prefer to be out on track a little more, but that means I have more time for track day after track day to practice... Helps that the G40 is a perfect track day toy!
I think after careful deliberation - the Ginetta path seems most suitable. Having driven the G40 car a number of times this year it really does give you that miniture GT Car feeling and offers a pretty good ladder providing your budget allows. Also at a novice level you are already running support races at British GT weekends so I guess the sense of occasion is there which will help with sponsors as you go up the series. A couple of 1000 here and there will at least pay for some tyres amd brakes - every little helps.
With GRDC for the money I would prefer to be out on track a little more, but that means I have more time for track day after track day to practice... Helps that the G40 is a perfect track day toy!
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