My introduction and question

Hi guys, I'm Charlie, a 22 year old accountant who really wants to work in the motorsport support industry and eventually own my own race car shop (building cages, engines, suspension set ups, working as a pit crew member, etc.) My reason for joining GRM is to find some advice and guidance as to how I can achieve this goal. I am willing to do just about whatever it takes to work in this industry, I'm just not too sure what path to take. Should I leave accounting and finance and look for work as a mechanic? Get certified as a welder? What would you guys advise? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Cool. Welcome to the group.

A wise man once said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. So while you work on your opportunity--networking, getting involved in the scene, helping teams, etc.--I'd also work on those skills.

Welcome!

I had the same career aspirations you have. I came close to getting it, but didn't quite get there.

My mentor when I was in my teens had a few chances to crew for IMSA teams back then, and he tried it once and hated it. He was an amazing mechanic and was self taught. He built his own race car, raced it in club SCCA events and became part of that scene. Others around him started to notice his talents and eventually the opportunity presented itself.

So I guess I'd recommend you start building and then go race. Also volunteer to work some pro events- maybe as a scrutineer- and go rub shoulders with the big guys. That will give you a chance to meet and talk to the people doing the work now.

Good luck and keep us up to date on your journey!

cstreicher wrote: Hi guys, I'm Charlie, a 22 year old accountant who really wants to work in the motorsport support industry and eventually own my own race car shop (building cages, engines, suspension set ups, working as a pit crew member, etc.) My reason for joining GRM is to find some advice and guidance as to how I can achieve this goal. I am willing to do just about whatever it takes to work in this industry, I'm just not too sure what path to take. Should I leave accounting and finance and look for work as a mechanic? Get certified as a welder? What would you guys advise? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Best thing to get started is to find a crew you can work on. Pick a series that you want to run in and find a local team and just volunteer. It will give you a chance to learn and also meet people. You may start as a floor sweeper or parts runner but you will learn. From there, you can really decide if you really want to do it and live that lifestyle.

If you like it after a couple years, Then really get going and get your welding certs and start looking for a long term position on a team. You will need some good experience before people are going to pay you to do that stuff.

keep your day job. Above advice Is good, but working with a race crew might give you limited knowledge into what you want to do. It will take time and energy to gain the skills and knowledge for what you want to do. general courses at the local community college would be a big help.

working at a local race or other shop will give you general knowledge.

also, are you mechanically inclined ?

Thanks for all the advice guys! I really appreciate it, and I'm going to start trying to volunteer right away. Is there a forum or a place on here where teams post looking for volunteers?

iceracer - Yes I'm mechanically inclined. When I was in high school I became very ambitious and restored a 1968 Mustang as a favor for a friend, and I've done some engine swaps and overall tinkering throughout the years to give me a good base. I suppose my two biggest weaknesses are electrics and diagnostics. I will definitely look into taking courses at my local community college.

I started by just going to the races and talking to the racers. The privateers always need more help.

Is there a type of racing you are interested in? Some of your middle tier series like grand am or world challenge are still very much grassroots. If you are looking to specialize in a make like ferrari or porsche then there is the ferrari challenge and the GT3 cup racing. Where are you at??

I'm in Chicago right now but I'm moving to Los Angeles, CA in July. I'm really interested in any road course racing involving production bodies. I would love to work in Grand Am and World Challenge.

Seems like rally privateers are always on the lookout for volunteers. If you are near where any of the rally america events take place, you could probably find someone in need.

Being in Chicago you have Black Hawk Farms just north of you- you can keep an eye on their calendar. In fact I was supposed to crew for a vintage racer there this weekend but ended up not being able to.

SCCA is a big national group you could look into. I know they have active online forums. There is a good sized miata club in Chi town too, can't think of the name tho...

You could buy a copy of GRM magazine too- it's full of good info...

cstreicher wrote: Thanks for all the advice guys! I really appreciate it, and I'm going to start trying to volunteer right away. Is there a forum or a place on here where teams post looking for volunteers? iceracer - Yes I'm mechanically inclined. When I was in high school I became very ambitious and restored a 1968 Mustang as a favor for a friend, and I've done some engine swaps and overall tinkering throughout the years to give me a good base. I suppose my two biggest weaknesses are electrics and diagnostics. I will definitely look into taking courses at my local community college.

I'd think your accounting skills could be useful to a team as well, so don't ignore/discount them when talking to the teams.

I have/had a dream similar to yours but I come from the other side of the fence. I was a diesel mechanic then I had a fortunate turn of events and had an opportunity to get into machining. After about 4.5 years in a job shop I feel confident in calling myself a machinist. Guys like me who want to get into motorsports are a dime a dozen...

I'd definitely recommend that you stick with accounting and build your fab skills in your spare time. I think your accounting knowledge and experience would set you apart from the masses and possibly give you an advantage.

Now, how about some pics of that Mustang?

petegossett wrote: I'd think your accounting skills could be useful to a team as well, so don't ignore/discount them when talking to the teams.

Or to yourself if you decide to go out on your own. I've seen way too many shops fail not because of the mechanical aptitude but because of the lack of a rudimentary business aptitude.

cstreicher wrote: I'm in Chicago right now but I'm moving to Los Angeles, CA in July. I'm really interested in any road course racing involving production bodies. I would love to work in Grand Am and World Challenge.

Hey Charlie,

Welcome to California (soon). Keep studying accounting, business and financial knowledge will let you bring something to the table more than just another guy who can turn a wrench. My advice to you when you get here is to get in touch with 949 racing. They run many enduro events and have one their class in the 25hrs of Thunderhill. They will have an enduro practice soon which includes meeting and training new people as crew. They are a solid bunch and will help connect you to people all over California. Next I would suggest if your avatar is correct you get in with the local BMWCCA chapter as there are a lot of club racers in so-cal who have made their way up into other series

You are going to have a much better shot at achieving your dreams by having a successful proven income method like accounting which will let you afford your own race car to work on than trying to make the money happen as a tuner/shop owner

I would be willing to be the accountant for a racing team. I just don't want to be an accountant for any other purpose as a career. I will gladly work as an accountant until I can make something else profitable, but I desperately want to start a business serving the motorsport industry. I guess what I am asking is how can I gather the necessary experience so that when time comes to open my own shop that I will have the knowledge and expertise to provide the top level of service to the racing community all while still working as an accountant to pay my bills and save?

Welcome! A lot of motorsports companies need accounting, just like any other business. I'd recommend starting out knocking on the doors of every motorsports business around and asking if they need an accountant. Then, once you're in, you can start picking up the rest of the industry.

I volunteered on an IMSA GTO class car for several years. No pay, had to pay most of my own expenses. I had no real ambition to do it on a professional, full time basis, but the opportunity did arise more than once. Networking is the key. Get out there, volunteer. EVERY team needs free help. You will meet people. That is the key. Even if you are a good pit cook, (I was), you will be appreciated. DO NOT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB! But the more you get exposed to the real players, the better your chances are to land a real job. Your accounting background will be a real plus. I met some heavy hitters, like Penske, Allison, and Paul Newman. Just get out there and do it. I really miss the action.