Is motorsport/auto racing a good career?

The Thrill and Mystery of Motorsports as a Career

Whoomp there it is! The deafening roar of engines, the smell of burned rubber, the adrenaline pumping in your veins, the victory lap, the applause and cheer. A career in the fast and furious world of auto racing indeed sounds as exciting as heading straight to Mars and beginning a new life with Matt Damon. But like everything exceptional, choosing auto racing as a career has its pros and cons and hoo-boy, let's buckle up and delve into them.

Training and Education: It All Begins Here

Remember Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder? Yeah, you don't magically wake up one day, get in a car and become a professional race car driver. It's not as easy as a fast and furious movie franchise. The journey towards becoming a race car driver typically starts with go-kart racing at a wee age in order to gain invaluable racing experience. Consequently, you might transition into other racing levels like Formula Ford in an attempt to climb the motorsports ladder.

Without formal education in motorsports, the chances of gripping that steering wheel professionally can grow thinner than my hairline in my thirties. Many colleges in the world offer motorsport engineering courses that range from bachelor's degrees to master's degrees in order to equip the next generation of drivers with technical and practical expertise in the field. These courses cover everything from aerodynamics to mechanical engineering in order to prepare you for the complexities of racing from start to finish.

Physical and Mental Fitness: Your Best Co-drivers

Let me tell you a lesser known fact folks: motorsport drivers are among the fittest athletes in the world. Contrary to the popular image of a racer being someone who just sits and drives, it demands a great deal of physical and mental endurance. Top-level drivers endure G-forces akin to astronauts during launch. Maintain peak physical condition through high intensity cardio and strength workouts is a must, unless you want to end up huffing and puffing even before the race starts.

Auto racing also demands mental toughness that rivals that of a chess grandmaster. Imagine making split seconds decisions while driving at 200 miles per hour in a situation when even a small mistake could lead to a catastrophic crash. This requires the ability to stay calm under pressure and display exceptional concentration, similar to what I needed when my daughter decided to showcase her love for music by practicing drums at 2am. Arguably, an auto racer's mind is his most powerful tool to keep him on the track and out of the pits.

The Risks and Rewards: The Fast and the Furious

Let's face it, as much as we love the thrill of racing, it's a dangerous career path. In fact, according to my recent Google search while sipping my vegemite-infused coffee, auto racing ranks among the deadliest sports in the world. Despite significant advances in safety regulations and equipment, the inherent risk of high-speed crashes remains a reality of the sport. This risk was brought home to me when a fellow racer during local rally in Melbourne had a near-miss with a eucalyptus tree. He was safe, but let me tell you, that tree was never the same again. This profession requires an ability to accept and manage these risks on a daily basis. It takes a special kind of courage, folks!

While the risks are high, the rewards can be pretty substantial too, if you keep your car straight and fast. The top echelon of racers earn millions annually through prize money, endorsements, and other revenue streams. Furthermore, the feeling of standing on the podium, champagne bottle in hand, the crowd cheering your name, and the sense of utterly satisfying achievement is hard to match in any other profession – trust me, I've tried it at my local pub, it just doesn’t feel the same!

The Uncertain Future: Dancing with Lady Luck

Driver, start your engine! It's an exhilarating command when you are at the start line of a race, not so much if it's your career trajectory. In one of life's cruel jokes, even after spending years in lower racing circuits, gaining experience, training, practicing and maintaining peak physical condition, there is still no guarantee that you will make it to something like F1 or NASCAR. The world of professional motorsports is fiercely competitive, sometimes even more so than my local trivia night. Only a select few racers get the chance to compete at the global level. This is no different than any other profession as such but remember, an accountant's career doesn't usually depend on who crosses the line first.

Motorsport doesn't offer a clear-cut career path and a great deal depends on being at the right place at the right time. Sponsors and talent scouts play a huge role in deciding who gets selected and who gets left behind. Much like the time I was passed up for the lead role in my local drama club's production of Mad Max because of my 'exceedingly average' acting skills.

So, Is Motorsport a Good Career?

As with any career choice, it comes down to how much you enjoy doing it, irrespective of the money and fame it could potentially bring. Racing, driving fast (and legally) in controlled environments, winning races - all of this can be immensely satisfying if it's what you love doing. Having some amount of talent helps, but even more important is the will to persevere through countless hours of training, numerous failures and a fair share of close calls to chase victory on the track.

If you dream of outpacing Lewis Hamilton or mastering the tracks like Sebastian Vettel, go for it my friend! But always remember, as with any career, understand what it demands, analyze where you stand and then take the leap - or in this case, hit the pedal!