How does one start getting involved in racing?

Hey guys, I've just recently started becoming interested in cars, and to a lesser extent, racing —

[blah blah blah... I canoed y'all by copying a reddit post... and coming back 3 days later to add canoeing links]

Welcome to the addiction. I got started "officially" by running autoX events which are a good venue to learn and practice car control. I got lucky and was invited to join a car/autoX club that had some very good drivers. Went to Solo1/time trials from there and then to side by side SCCA racing. I also crewed and worked corners when I could to pick up knowledge. 

Amateur endurance racing is fun.  I know the Champcar Endurance Series has races at Calabogie and Mosport next summer. I think both those tracks are in Ontario.

Going to a race as a crew member  for an existing team is a great way to learn how things work.

I would look for a car club local to you that either does autocross or HPDE (assuming that it's called the same North of the border). The latter would be driving your own car on a race track under instruction and eventually, solo.

I'd try to get into either of those first before trying to figure out if you want to spring for a race license - it'll be pretty obvious if the addiction bites the first time you get on the track .

I would strongly recommend starting with autocross (aka auotox).  It is one car at a time through cones in a parking lot. It's cheap, safe, and you can use your car with no modifications. It's a very easy way to get started in racing. just do a Google search for the local autocross in your area.

However, I must warn you.  autocross might be your gateway drug. Once you start, you can't stop racing. I started with autocross, and now fly up and down the east coast to do races wheel-to-wheel racing on race tracks with 120 cars.  I'm a hardcore addict, and also a hardcore broke old man. 

Actually, the better question is:

"How does one stop being involved in racing once you get addicted?" 

In reply to jadenfrancis :

The better question is what sort of budget would you like to remain in?   I started with a cheap old junked car that still ran. Removed all the glass and interior installed a roll bar and went racing. 
 

Things broke, I learned how to fix them.  My budget was what I earned after school.  On that budget I learned to deal with the frustration of not knowing how and doing things wrong as I slowly learned.

One  of the real truths in racing is you always want to go faster and speed costs money.  

If you can do the work yourself you will learn a lot and be ahead of those who have to have others do that work. 
 

The payoff isn't just in going faster, you will gain confidence in your own ability to fix things. That will carry on to your home, your transportation car, etc.  

Even if you're later in a position to afford to have things done by others, you'll have a sense of when you're being treated fairly and when you are being taken advantage of. 

First, welcome to the club.

Second, just for you, some (light) reading.

Questions? Ask away. 

First off what's your budget? Autocross is a cheap fun way to get some driving experience. Track days are a step up and of course include more speed but they cost more and more will break. 
 

I'd recommend doing some track days or a school before really diving into wheel tk wheel racing to see if it's something you really want to do. Even the cheap racing isn't cheap to normal people. Lol

Start attending racing events and/ or volunteer to crew for teams. Auto-x, road racing, circle track dirt/ asphalt etc. See it/ learn it from the inside out. 

Look for events in your area, be they autocross, track days, beater racing or road racing. Go to said event and check things out. You'll find people to be very friendly.

After you attend some events then you can figure out what you might want to do. Decide if your goal is just to have some fun and don't care where you finish or if you really want to be competitive.  Deciding on which way you want to go will dictate what car you buy.

To the op if your poison is "sports cars" you probably would like to explore this site https://www.casc.on.ca The governance if the situation is the same as BC would make CASC  ON a club of clubs so would join an affiliated club and become part of CASC.

David S. Wallens said:

First, welcome to the club.

Second, just for you, some (light) reading.

Questions? Ask away. 

This GRM article sums it up well 

amg_rx7 said:

David S. Wallens said:

First, welcome to the club.

Second, just for you, some (light) reading.

Questions? Ask away. 

This GRM article sums it up well 

Thank you. 

I jumped head first into racing a slow, cheap and reliable car in LeMons. I manage 2-3 races per year, 2-3 hours of driving per race and 3-5$ per minute in track. 

I'd probably be into autocross but I live in BFE.

I kept reading on GRM about how much fun rallycross is so I thought why not, let's give it a try. Bone stock GTI on all season tires. 

1 year later and I now own a rally car. 

WillG80 said:

I kept reading on GRM about how much fun rallycross is so I thought why not, let's give it a try. Bone stock GTI on all season tires. 

1 year later and I now own a rally car. 

Rad.

What part of Ontario are you from?

I'd start by joining the Motorsports Club of Ottawa (MCO) and the local chapter of the the BMW Club of Canada: Trillium Chapter (based in Toronto) or Ottawa Chapter. They have monthly meetings. Stop by a meeting and get to know the guys. (You don't need to own a BMW to join, BTW).

All those guys are crazy about racing, high-performance driving schools, autocross, ice racing, etc. They run fantastic events at world-class facilities, like Mosport, Tremblant, Watkins Glen, and (now) Calabogie.

As a newcomer, it's a lot less intimidating to show up at a diner and meet folks over a burger and beer. Ask all your questions and figure out the best way to proceed.

^^^ I should add that I got my start with the BMW Club of Quebec about 20 years ago in just this way

I had been interested in cars for years but had no "mentors" so to speak. I joined the BMW Club of Quebec when I moved to Montreal for my residency. Showed up at a monthly meeting at an Italian restaurant, where I was warmly welcomed by everyone. Registered for the next driving school at a track called Sanair in Ste-Hyacinthe. Completely fell in love. Tremblant was next ... been obsessed ever since.

The best part is: I'm still very close friends with a bunch of those folks. I'll do at least one event per summer with the BMW Ottawa and Quebec crowd. 

Start with small bills, like ones and fives.

Well you can race go karts to get started.  Or even r/c racing, then you can keep burning just ones and fives, and not $100's and $500's.

See what is nearby and go visit

In reply to BoxheadTim :

I think they call it HPDEh?

Ice racing is fun and a good place to lean car control.

In AMEC, you can drive your dd to the lake, race and drive home.   They have faster classes that are still cheap.

Then we have the all out modifieds.

AAZCD said:

Start with small bills, like ones and fives.

How to make a small fortune racing cars.

Start with a large fortune!

Klayfish said:

Actually, the better question is:

"How does one stop being involved in racing once you get addicted?" 

Its easy to stop participating in it.  Its difficult to stop thinking about it.