Great breakdown, and couldn't agree more on the renal karting stuff. I'm sure it varies from track to track, but I met everyone from SCCA drivers to sim racing champions through K1, and it's literally the whole reason I was able to make the transition to cars (both skills-wise and from networking). And awesome to see you went to Bertil Roos! I got my certification from there back in 2015 thanks to JT and Dennis.
You can start sim racing for far less money. I would never recommend someone starting out to blow 5K on sim gear... get a cheap logitec or thrustmaster for far less and if after 6 months you are still doing it, then maybe upgrade.
Agreed, $5k is a lot to get started in sim racing. Definitely start with entry level stuff and see where you go, its easy to sell a Logitech G29 if you want to upgrade. A rig is a significant expense and something any sim racer wants, but its not a necessity. I've been using a good folding wheel stand (GT Omega Apex), Fanatec load cell pedals, and a Moza R9 wheelbase for over two years and in iRacing have done 24 hour team enduros, 2 hour solo enduros, endurance league races, oval racing, and more. The setup cost me around $1500 CAD, and I know people better than me that have done more with less. The most important thing for a sim racing setup imo is finding a comfortable, stable seating position so you can focus on driving, especially for races longer than 15 minutes. A rig is the best way to achieve this, but I can say from experience an office chair solidly locked into place is good enough. A desk is fine if you have a G29, but if you're getting a DD base a wheel stand is a necessity since even entry level ones will rattle most office desks like crazy. A stand also provides a solid mounting solution for pedals.
$5,000 is the magic number though for a really really nice kit that shouldn’t have you thinking about upgrading anything and be happy with it for a long time though. If you have $5k for a sim rig then do it and you won’t regret it. If you have $500 for a sim rig that is also entirely possible and you can also have fun with it. But when things get serious $5k is where it’s at.
Hey man, love the channel. You make some good content and I enjoyed the couple videos I've seen so far. I've been competing in competitive time attack for over a decade and I'm based in NH. Maybe I'll see you at a track sometime
I am thankful for this content. I have had cars, motorcycles, and sim racing , but never focused a path. Thank you for the inspiration, hard work, and bringing us along
The part you missed was getting into these brackets of money 😂 im kidding but seriously i think thats the hardest part :/ thank you for shedding a realistic light on the barrier for entry in racing
True, I certainly didn’t have that when I was younger. Figured $83/month is a realistic budget for someone who is really trying to get into racing but doesn’t have a ton of cash yet.
Only thing you missed is vintage racing. I would put it at around $10k/year. Get a small bore car like an MGB or Austin Healey Sprite and start doing races with VSCDA, SVRA, RMVR, CVAR or any of the other VMC clubs. The cars are simple, parts are still available and cheap, and you can get a "race ready" car for a few grand. Depending on where you race, you can get some really big fields. We had almost 80 cars in our run group at Road America last weekend for the Vintage Festival.
You don’t really need a coach tbh. But it’s not that if you do your worst. Join small simracing teams doing endurance events or a league on Iracing, learn the ins and outs of working with a team on the setup, analyzing telemetry (telemetry will make you so much quicker) and get used to working with a team.
I think the bottom line is you need to be around other people who can show you the ropes. I've learned you just can't do this sport alone, and a coach or a team are great ways to get ahead.
One of the best things you could do is start working at a track! I know people who have a commercial drivers license and drive race car haulers to the track, they don’t necessarily have a dream of driving but they are still quick on the sim and are at the race track quite a bit, maybe throw some money at junior formulas and after you’ve got some experience start coaching for beginners and corporate events. And maybe try to make a name in Iracing series. You never know when a driver won’t be able to drive and the team knows a coach who’s quick and works with the team.
I would like to share how my father got started rallying. He often watched rally races and became friends with people and eventually they helped him start rallying. The car completely modified and customized is about 10k so it is not too bad for rally either even though that is the cheapest rally class
Good video. Nice break down. You ever been to VIR? I’ll be heading there next weekend. I go to Apex racing lab to watch F1 races on Sunday and one of the owners has a dodge Viper ACR race car and told me he is racing there next weekend and I should go.
Great video! Just wished i didnt live in a country with not even a kart track and being chronically ill... Oh well, i'll get there when i can leave the country!
My local k1 speed is so incredibly bad, I’m in the teen challenge league and karts CONSISTENTLY break down mid race, employees are useless, and penalties aren’t given to racers who deserve them.
Yea, as bad as K1 can be, it’s still better than nothing in terms of getting closer to the sport on a budget. But I fully agree they need to step up their game.
I’m not familiar with the racing scene in Switzerland but I would think similar advice applies in terms of going to where the racing is, and arrive and drive karting if possible!
@@gabeorlowitzracing The thing with Karting is I did and (will probably keep doing it cause I love it) but we don't have anything national or international here... which is annoying cause there's no "eyes" on us
I don't think sim racing counts towards real racing experience. No forces acting on your own body. Autocross should be on this video. Go take your daily driver, toss it around and up your skills. Endurance racing series like 24hrs of lemons or champ car. I started 24hrs of lemons 6 years ago, started at 700$ for safety, and 500-800 per event with camping and food and registration
Definitely out there, just gotta mix and match brands. I built mine all in for $8k but I bought really high quality stuff, most of which had alternatives for $500-1k cheaper on each item.
