How hard is it to make a living racing cars?
Discussion
It's a bit late for me, but I'd love to have been able to make a living being a racing driver. I've often wondered though if there are thousands trying to do this and only a few that make it work, even to the point of being able to make the average UK wage (£25k?) racing cars.
Lots of people want to be actors or financial traders, and I know that in the former very few even make minimum wage when averaged out over the years, but if you get a trading job you can usually make out very well relative to the rest of the country.
Just curious.
Lots of people want to be actors or financial traders, and I know that in the former very few even make minimum wage when averaged out over the years, but if you get a trading job you can usually make out very well relative to the rest of the country.
Just curious.
As the old adage goes; "the best way to make a small fortune in motor-racing is to start with a large one".
I'm no expert on this, but after reading Andy Priaulx's autobiography (which btw is interesting if very badly written) it opened my eyes to the costs involved in motor-racing. Priaulx is always harping on about being from a poor family and not having the personal funding or contacts, despite his family sounding pretty well-off to me (he was given his first hill-climb car at 17, a proper V8 race-car IIRC!). But the point is that's relative. Even when he was winning races and championships (before WTCC) he was paying for drives (and had to work extremely hard to raise funding) and usually didn't get to keep prize money, so even if you are one of the best you won't necessarily get paid, until you hit the top-end of the upper echelons of motorsport.
ETA: sample costs of a season of Formula Ford, up to £150k!
I'm no expert on this, but after reading Andy Priaulx's autobiography (which btw is interesting if very badly written) it opened my eyes to the costs involved in motor-racing. Priaulx is always harping on about being from a poor family and not having the personal funding or contacts, despite his family sounding pretty well-off to me (he was given his first hill-climb car at 17, a proper V8 race-car IIRC!). But the point is that's relative. Even when he was winning races and championships (before WTCC) he was paying for drives (and had to work extremely hard to raise funding) and usually didn't get to keep prize money, so even if you are one of the best you won't necessarily get paid, until you hit the top-end of the upper echelons of motorsport.
ETA: sample costs of a season of Formula Ford, up to £150k!
Edited by tim-b on Wednesday 18th April 09:59
There was an article in Autosport about this a few years back. They reckoned that globally there were probably about 30 British drivers who earned a living from actually racing cars. The rest will cobble together what they can from instruction. I think the other point worthy of mention is just how good you have to be to make the jump from very good club racer to proper pro. Finding that last couple of seconds, and maintaining them lap-after-lap is what separates the good from the great.
davepoth said:
In F1, the pinnacle of global motorsport, something like a quarter of the drivers (including at least one who finished in the top 10 in China) are paying to drive. So the answer is very, very hard.
That's not strictly accurate. There might be one or two who don't get a wage, but most of them do even if they're in pay-drive seats. Just because they're paying for the seat, they'll still mostly be earning well in to six figure salaries pre-bonuses.As someone else said, it's basically impossible to make a living racing cars, most drivers make their actual living out of instruction.
tim-b said:
As the old adage goes; "the best way to make a small fortune in motor-racing is to start with a large one".
I'm no expert on this, but after reading Andy Priaulx's autobiography (which btw is interesting if very badly written) it opened my eyes to the costs involved in motor-racing. Priaulx is always harping on about being from a poor family and not having the personal funding or contacts, despite his family sounding pretty well-off to me (he was given his first hill-climb car at 17, a proper V8 race-car IIRC!). But the point is that's relative. Even when he was winning races and championships (before WTCC) he was paying for drives (and had to work extremely hard to raise funding) and usually didn't get to keep prize money, so even if you are one of the best you won't necessarily get paid, until you hit the top-end of the upper echelons of motorsport.
ETA: sample costs of a season of Formula Ford, up to £150k!
I read the priualx book too....bloody awful. Also I think he overworked the 'didnt have a pot to pi$$ in' routine once to often. Reading coultards at the moment which is betterI'm no expert on this, but after reading Andy Priaulx's autobiography (which btw is interesting if very badly written) it opened my eyes to the costs involved in motor-racing. Priaulx is always harping on about being from a poor family and not having the personal funding or contacts, despite his family sounding pretty well-off to me (he was given his first hill-climb car at 17, a proper V8 race-car IIRC!). But the point is that's relative. Even when he was winning races and championships (before WTCC) he was paying for drives (and had to work extremely hard to raise funding) and usually didn't get to keep prize money, so even if you are one of the best you won't necessarily get paid, until you hit the top-end of the upper echelons of motorsport.
ETA: sample costs of a season of Formula Ford, up to £150k!
Edited by tim-b on Wednesday 18th April 09:59
In Europe, it's very difficult but less so elsewhere.
I interviewed a former F1 driver (Richard Robarts) from the 70s for a radio show a few weeks back and talked on this very subject. A lot of kids see F1 as the be all and end all - which to a degree it is, but in the US for example, you can earn half decent money in a plethora of series and some of their feeder series particularly in NASCAR do pay drivers all the way down the grid. For European drivers, many see the US as a retrograde step and worried that they'd fall off the radar, opt to stay struggling at home.
Eddie Irvine, one of the sharpest and most savvy drivers ever to have sat in an F1 car, arrived in F1 having made a fair few quid racing in Japan for a couple of years.
In some countries (Italy springs to mind), drivers can even earn quite tidy sums in karting at certain levels which causes problems of its own as kids that should progress upwards get used to a nice wedge and stay put!
I interviewed a former F1 driver (Richard Robarts) from the 70s for a radio show a few weeks back and talked on this very subject. A lot of kids see F1 as the be all and end all - which to a degree it is, but in the US for example, you can earn half decent money in a plethora of series and some of their feeder series particularly in NASCAR do pay drivers all the way down the grid. For European drivers, many see the US as a retrograde step and worried that they'd fall off the radar, opt to stay struggling at home.
Eddie Irvine, one of the sharpest and most savvy drivers ever to have sat in an F1 car, arrived in F1 having made a fair few quid racing in Japan for a couple of years.
In some countries (Italy springs to mind), drivers can even earn quite tidy sums in karting at certain levels which causes problems of its own as kids that should progress upwards get used to a nice wedge and stay put!
nsa said:
Why the difference between Europe and the rest of the world?
You need to look back at the roots of motorsport. In Europe, it was for the gentry and they just used daddy's money. As a result the whole architecture grew up to be a rich man's hobby. Over in the USA it was for people who bootlegged whiskey, they didn't have any money to start with so every driver needed the support of prize money. That meant that anybody with a barn somewhere in North Carolina could make a living in NASCAR.
Over in Japan they get extensive factory involvement right from the start, bearing in mind they didn't race much before WW2.
So whats the wage of say Plato/Neal compaired with a GTE driver for Aston then?
Im guessing its not a bad wage!
Also perhaps the idea of earning a wage from racing is thinking about it from only one viewpoint, dont alot of racers end up as test drivers for marques and other jobs such as driver trainers?
Im guessing its not a bad wage!
Also perhaps the idea of earning a wage from racing is thinking about it from only one viewpoint, dont alot of racers end up as test drivers for marques and other jobs such as driver trainers?
I know a few guys that make a living racing cars, but their the guys you dont here about much. jobbing gt drivers, race anything for a day rate. plus instruction, testing road cars desler days tc.
there is another tranch of guys who dont pay to race, even the likes of plato, neal and sheddon all have other jobs to stay afloat.
tv,marketing manager, circuit commercial manager etc etc..
most of the btcc grid are paying to be there, over half the bgt grid are paying to race but there are a few hot shoes being paid.
Huffy makes a living out of wtc...
some driver that get paid also have to. bring in the same or more in sponsorship as well.
there is another tranch of guys who dont pay to race, even the likes of plato, neal and sheddon all have other jobs to stay afloat.
tv,marketing manager, circuit commercial manager etc etc..
most of the btcc grid are paying to be there, over half the bgt grid are paying to race but there are a few hot shoes being paid.
Huffy makes a living out of wtc...
some driver that get paid also have to. bring in the same or more in sponsorship as well.
I think if you have a decent record you can earn money driving in GT / GrandAm. Rich guys that own cars (or rent off a team) need quick guys to keep them somewhere in the race and then they can have their go.
As far as I see quite a few racing drivers earn their money by working at driving instruction schools or offer one to one instruction privately.
As far as I see quite a few racing drivers earn their money by working at driving instruction schools or offer one to one instruction privately.
It can be done. But it is hard work.
A good role model is Jason Plato. He works hard to create an image for himself. He works hard to get sponsors, and delivers value for them.
So, theoretically, if he gets £400K a year from a range of sponsors and spends £300K of it on buying those sponsors space on a car from Triple Eight, then he is a paid racing driver.
But it is not like being a salaried driver. That rarely happens now. But if more drivers adopted the Plato model, rather than moaning about the lack of sponsors, they'd be better off.
A lot of up and coming single seater drivers go down the GT-AM or LMP2 route as the business model of a car shared between a wealthy amateur and a fast star does offer paid driving opportunities.
A good role model is Jason Plato. He works hard to create an image for himself. He works hard to get sponsors, and delivers value for them.
So, theoretically, if he gets £400K a year from a range of sponsors and spends £300K of it on buying those sponsors space on a car from Triple Eight, then he is a paid racing driver.
But it is not like being a salaried driver. That rarely happens now. But if more drivers adopted the Plato model, rather than moaning about the lack of sponsors, they'd be better off.
A lot of up and coming single seater drivers go down the GT-AM or LMP2 route as the business model of a car shared between a wealthy amateur and a fast star does offer paid driving opportunities.
Edited by Redlake27 on Thursday 19th April 07:40
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff