This might be something to look into as well.

 

theres another forum i was in on TR when i had my trans am, i went to some of their showings, snoop around TR... But i will warn u, there are not too many "Domestics" on here(if u jump in with the TR autoX crowd) that autoX, more imports than anything.

 

right i was looking at the sticky threads in the drift forum and its was recomended to start in auto x first to get a better feel for the car and race and limitations. now yeah i am not that bad of a beginner but if i want to have perfection then why not do it right. also starting in auto x does not mean i cant still have fun learning and bettering my skills with drifting.

 

i autox my focus for two years before it's demise. it was fun but i think i broke something every time out. i was planning on doing some races in the NASA Spec Focus Series. NASA Spec Focus Series :: Official Website

 

I would think you have that backwards. You should go into drifting in preparation for SCCA road racing. That way, when you get on the track with some SCCA guys, you'll already know what it feels like when you're taking a corner wrong. The only trouble with SCCA is that it's expensive. Your car MUST be right, you have to have a license and go to a driving school. Then you have to be a noob in the races for a while and basically do parade laps for a while until they will actually let you race. At any time in a road race, you're totally dependent on the skill of other drivers, both faster ones and slower ones, to keep from destroying you car. Well, maybe not totally. You do have to keep yourself out of trouble on your own too. I've seen way more destruction in SCCA races than I have at the dragstrip. And then, the events are few and far between compared to say racing at Sunshine, Lakeland and BMP.

But...to each his own.

 

1st off scca auto x events do require you to register with the scca. once registered you can bring whatever you like out there to auto x as long as its safe. as for auto x and road racing being mostly for imports that can be further from the truth. there are usually a good amount of car both domestic and import. when i lived in jax there was this older guy that was paralyzed from the waist down and he was racing a specially made c5 vette. heck he would even change his road tires to slicks when he got out there all by himself.

i would strongly suggest starting with learning your basic car control with autocrossing before moving on to road racing. as for drifting, yea i guess its kinda cool to see but i think you end up spending more money drifting than autocrossing or road racing. that and you get alot more time out of your tires.

as for any aspirations of becoming a professional driver, good luck. most of them start racing before they have a license.

 

I used to have an SCCA regional competition license, my home track was Sebring. The SCCA is a great organization and most of those people there are a great help. But some of their officials are elitist jerks. You will have to have an SCCA tech compliant car that will run dependably for two weekend schools. Depending on how you do there, you’ll get your license. Then you run a couple of events on “probation” then you’re in. You will have to enter several events per year to keep the license current. Overall, a very good experience.
There is also NASA which seems to be catching up to the SCCA, mostly because their rules are simpler.
You can run with a very limited car and budget in SCCA “A” sedan (relatively stock)
You can run NASA Camaro-Mustang challenge on about the same budget (relatively stock)
You can run NASA American Iron with the same budget (some more mods)
You can run NASA American Iron Extreme with a lot bigger budget (fat tires, big wings lot’s of motor)
You just have to do the research
As far as auto crossing goes these guys have the simple-ist rules and are the most laid back, with the minimal BS: www.wedrivefast.com


http://www.nasaforums.com/index.php?sid=8dc533fb2e2a8e5742ede28bcd6c594c

these are AIX cars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxXE_tHuGsc&feature=related

Keep in mind going fast “looks” cool, until you start paying the bills, so find a class that you can afford...and what ^ says is right on, you should've been driving karts since you were 8 years old if you want to make a living from this, but you can still have fun with it.

Let your wallet be your guide

 

im not saying that i am going to make i living off of it. i want the knowledge, skills, edjucation, and so on out of it. i want to become a better skilled driver and racer. but if someone does pick me up hell that would be really cool. or even if it is just a petty spounsership to help me with nuts and bolts, thats still more then what i have now.