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Automobileism is not cheap. To obtain a trip at the higher level in Formula one, it must have talent, but also the bank balance. There are notable exceptions: Lewis Hamilton had a relatively humble background. However, more and more, much of the network was born in wealth. The billionaire father of Lance Stroll, Lawrence, is co -owner of Aston Martin, while Lando Norris’s father, Adam, is one of the richest men in Britain. The estimated cost of participating in a F2 season, the feeder category to F1, is around £ 2 million.
Ninety -nine points, nine percent of us never succeeded. But that does not mean that being a competitive racing pilot should be out of reach forever. Founded in 1958, Ginetta It has become the entrance door for many, of all ages, into the world of motoring. In his factory in Leeds, owned by Lawrence Tomlinson, he builds sports cars and career cars. The brand’s flagship product is its Junior racing championship, for children from 14 to 17 years old, which is a platform to turn the Juniors into champions. It encourages young drivers who have graduated from Karting, and acts as a stop on the way to the careers of a single square. The notable names to pass through it include the champion of the BL Jamie Chadwick and the four -time winner of the F1 Grand Prix, Lango Norris, who was the 2014 rookie champion. A season with the Ginetta internal racing team It will cost from £ 60,000- £ 140,000 depending on the required level of support, and £ 59,000 plus VAT for the car.
The next age level is the Ginetta GT Academy. Ginetta describes him as a “championship that serves as the last indulgence for life”, and it is exactly that. Open to rookie and experienced drivers for adults, it is a series of seven round cars and is carried out in the best racing tracks in the United Kingdom, from Brands Hatch to Donington Park (a car will cost £ 85,000 plus VAT and the season from £ 66,000 plus VAT). Those who enter come from a variety of professions, from business owners and bankers to lawyers and managing directors. The most recent GT Academy winner was a 54 -year -old Julian Winking from Shenfield in Essex, who previously worked in Finance in London. It only started the racing engine with Ginetta five years ago. The next step would be the Ginetta GT championship, and success could lead to the highest levels of GT Racing and the Le Mans series.
The car used in the GT Academy series is the GTA Ginetta G56 two -seater. A complete racing car has a six -speed gearbox and a Ford V6 engine, which produces 270 hp, which exceeds 140 mph. At first, climbing in it is intimidating, with the interior stripped of the back, the corbeau cube seat that embraces the figure and the racing harness, leaving doubts about what they are there. And leaving the old Silverstone wells is intimidating. In my first attempt, I drag me from the clutch with enough revolutions to avoid stagnation, then camute along with the transmission complaining. But when I get to accelerate in the Wellington, the car comes alive, the V6 roars and the gear light indicator flashes red to alert myself to break through the gears. In a few laps, I am taking Copse Corner in fourth march and pushing all the way at the exit. It is a unique sensation that even new supercar cannot approach.
My instructor in the passenger seat is McKenzie Douglass, 17, a Ginetta GT champion who tells me exactly when to stop and when to leave my foot. He has been Karting since he was four years old, and graduated through the Ginetta Junior program. “If you can drive one of these cars quickly, you can drive any car quickly,” he tells me when we return to the wells. “It is a world class level.”
Six more ways of entering the races
Club100
In this Karting series based in the United Kingdom, the participants “arrive and drive”, paying a unique registration rate of £ 55 and then £ 200 for the days of the Academy and £ 285 for the races, including Kart and Race Wear Hire. One of the cheapest and simplest entry points is considered widely in the car of the United Kingdom, and is an excellent way of perfecting its career ship. racing@club100.co.uk
750 Motor Club
The club began in 1939, with previous members, including the founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman, and F1 designer Gordon Murray. Today it organizes a series of series, from Formula Vee Single Seter with 1300cc VW engines that cost from £ 6,000 to the popular MX-5 Cup, with Mazda Mazda Mazda Mazda prepared for the race that can be collected for the same amount. . The input rates for “double heading” races usually cost between £ 360 and £ 430. 750mc.co.uk
Radical Cup Series
The Radical Cup series can be found worldwide, from the United Kingdom and the United States to Australia and South Korea. Following a format of “Specifications”, in which each car admitted is identical, each series aims to keep the field as fair as possible, putting the focus on the driver instead of the car. The CUP UK series is open only to the best -selling radical model, SR3, and is now open to driver equipment, so it can divide the time and costs of the seat with a friend. The cost of a full season, including hiring a car and equipment support, ranges between £ 100,000 and £ 120,000 plus VAT. RadicalMotorsport.com
Caterham Academy
The Caterham Academy is specifically designed for newbies, so participants may be sure that everyone else on the network has never had a race license. The package agreement costs from £ 38,990, which includes a full -season career input, technical support, a race license and a legal career of seven academies. After the season ends, you can choose to update the car, which allows you to progress towards the 270R and 310R championships. Caterhamcars.com
Autocross
Sports Car Club of America offers one of the cheapest ways to compete in the form of autocross. Taking place in parking and empty airplanes fields in the United States, the “circuits” are created by using traffic cones, which makes short, twisted and technical designs that are generally safe and competitive. Whenever you have a driver’s license, a helmet and a vehicle that works, you can enter a respective class. Events generally cost between $ 25 and $ 60. Scca.com
Funny Cup
Run throughout France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, the FUN Cup is a single specification cars that VW Beetles uses. A full season of six to seven races, including the car, costs about € 100,000, divided by four drivers. The circuits include spa-Francorchamps approved by F1, Zandvoort and Le Mans, but the approach aims to be democratic. Competing in a one -hour race costs € 1,300; Or you can pay € 500 to be a passenger. Kronosfuncup.com