The world of motorsport is exciting and thrilling. But the journey to becoming a professional race car driver is no walk in the park.
Preparation off track and the team you build around yourself is just as important as what cars you choose to drive if you want to climb the ranks and become a professional driver.
Here at Focus Driver Performance, we’ve helped many young drivers establish themselves in motorsport and we’ve got a few tips to help you on the path of becoming a professional race car driver in Australia.
Motorsport is fiercely competitive, which is part ofthe appeal of the sport, but making it in this field tough.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to training to level up your skills. So, if you are looking to pursue the sport as more than just a hobby, you will need a lot of commitment and must not waver when challenges come your way.
Serious racers must seek opportunities to gain as much driving experience as possible. You also need to consistently train your mind and body to maximise your performance on track.
Besides committing a lot of time to the sport, you must also factor in the cost commitment of becoming a race car driver. It’s an unfortunate fact that money (be it sponsorship or personal spending) is a large part of the sport, much of which you will need to raise yourself as you work your way through the ranks.
In our experience, once you’ve decided to pursue motorsport more seriously, you will really need participate in an intensive simulator development program.
We have found that it usually takes 10 hours on the simulator (five two-hour sessions) to reach a point where a driver is ready to step into a real race car.
Our simulator preparation program will help you master the basics of telemetry, race craft, driving techniques, and car characteristics as well as learning the circuit. This will prepare you for the road ahead and help you race your way to the top, literally!
Besides simulator preparation, you must also ensure you are both physically and mentally ready for the gruelling world of motorsport.Focusing on your physical fitness and cognitive development will help you become race-ready to perform at the highest levels of the sport.
The physical load on your body in a race car is much great than what you will experience in a road car, putting a high level of strain on your body. In order to withstand those forces, you must extensively prepare by working on your strength and endurance.
If you’ve only done a few track days, you may not be accustomed to cars within close proximity. On the racetrack, you must be able to think clearly and respond quickly to avoid incidents and win races.
This is where working on your cognitive development comes into play. Working on this will ensure that you are utilising your peripheral vision, decision-making, and coordination to maximum effect.
Rigorous training will challenge your physical and mental skills and abilities. It will help you get in shape, speed up your reaction times, and establish and enhance your focus and coordination.
It’s also worth noting that these improvements don’t happen overnight, it usually takes a couple of months to work on your physical and mental fitness to ensure you are fully prepared for the track.
Partaking in a Focus Driver Performance assessment will help you understand your capabilities and limits better - and help outline areas that we can work with you to improve.
As much as we’d all love to walk into a Supercars drive, it just doesn’t happen that way. It takes years of working your way through the junior ranks to establish yourself as a professional race car driver.
No matter if you started with karting, or if you’ve been bitten by the motorsport bug through a few local track days. Understanding the fundamentals of driving are just the first step to a successful career in motorsport.
Race craft is developed over time and as you work your way through the lower tiers of the sport you’ll learn important skills. Participating in as many races as possible across different cars will broaden your skill set and push your driving even further.
If you wish to become a professional racer in Australia, you must get ready for a long journey of commitment and hard work. There are thousands of racers who are also pursuing the same dream as you. So, you need to put in all your effort, dedication, and talent to make your dream come true and get to the top.
Here at Focus Driver, we will help you learn all the aspects you need to succeed in motorsport. We offer the best race preparation and coaching services available in Australia at our Sydney Motorsport Park location and will guide you through every step of the journey.
Our tailored training programs will fully prepare you to race and help you gain an edge over the competition.