How to get into racing as an adult comes down to five steps: drive a track day, get coaching, drive more circuits, earn a licence, then enter amateur races.
In short: Start with coached track days; no licence beyond your road licence is needed. In the UK, a race licence starts with a Motorsport UK Go Racing pack and an ARDS test. In the US, the SCCA licence route is a drivers school, then evaluated races.
Why do CEOs race cars?
Because a circuit is one of the few places where a phone cannot reach you. At speed, all your attention is on the next corner, and the data tells you exactly how you did.
Racing rewards the habits that build companies: preparation, honest review of the data, small gains repeated, calm under pressure. For a few hours, there is only the next braking zone.
How to get into racing: the five steps
- Drive a track day. Learn a circuit in a fast road car with a coach. No licence beyond your driver's licence.
- Get coaching. Data and video review from a professional is the fastest way to improve.
- Drive more circuits. Each one teaches something different.
- Get a racing licence. Your national motorsport body issues one after a course and test.
- Enter amateur racing. Club series, then endurance events.
Step 1: drive a track day
A track day is non-competitive driving on a circuit, with strict overtaking rules. It is where you learn how a car behaves at speed and how to read flags. In the US the equivalent is HPDE, high performance driver education, run by clubs such as the SCCA. Track day for beginners
Public track day or Stratos
| Public track day | Stratos | |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic | Participant and on-track limits depend on the organiser and format | Up to 15 drivers, and the circuit is yours |
| Track time | Scheduled sessions or open pit lane, depending on the organiser | Two track days with unlimited kilometers; sessions, breaks and car sharing apply |
| Who's there | Entry requirements and experience groups depend on the organiser | A group by invitation, founders and tech leaders under 45 |
| Cars | Your own road car, or a rental if one is allowed | Porsche GT3 and GT3 RS, Ferrari or Lamborghini, prepared and run by our team |
| Coaching | Availability varies; some organisers offer personal coaching | Private coaching from professional instructors, in your car |
| Data | Personal recording or organiser services, depending on the event | Onboard video and lap data, reviewed with your coach after each session |
| Accommodation | You find and book your own | Three nights at a hand-picked hotel near the circuit, with transfers included |
| Food | Catering arrangements depend on the event | Catered lunches at the circuit and dinners at the region's best restaurants |
Step 2: get coaching
Every racing driver has a coach or engineer. Have one from day one. A coach in the passenger seat fixes in one session what can take a season alone, before bad habits set in.
Step 3: drive more circuits
A short lap teaches braking. A twisty one teaches rhythm. Blind crests teach commitment. Drivers who know several circuits adapt faster in their first races. Compare circuits
Step 4: get a racing licence
In the UK. Buy a Motorsport UK Go Racing starter pack, which includes a competition licence form and instructional material. Then complete a Novice Driver Training Course, known as the ARDS test, run by members of the Association of Racing Driver Schools. Drivers aged 14 to 59 need a vision test; from 60, a medical report. You also join the motor club that runs your championship. Goodwood reported in June 2023 that the ARDS test runs at one of ten UK venues. The theory test has 28 questions, including the 14 flag signals.
In the US. The SCCA route is: join the SCCA, complete its online drivers school modules, submit a medical declaration and buy a novice permit. Then attend an SCCA drivers school or an accredited school, and complete a set number of regional races under evaluation before a full competition licence is issued.
Elsewhere in Europe. Each country's national motorsport body issues licences, with its own course and test.
Step 5: enter amateur racing
Choose the championship first and the car second, because each series has its own technical rules. Many series offer arrive-and-drive options, where a team prepares and runs the car for you. Club racing is the usual start. Endurance racing, where two or more drivers share a car over several hours, is a popular next step.
Other ways to build skill: karting and sim racing
Karting. Almost every professional started in karts. For adults, rental and arrive-and-drive kart leagues are a simple way to learn starts, overtaking and close racing. The skills transfer to cars.
Sim racing. A simulator with a wheel and pedals teaches layouts, braking points and the racing line at home. It cannot teach the feel of a car moving under you, but it makes your first real laps count.
Neither replaces a real circuit. Both fit around a busy week.
Amateur and pro-am racing
Amateur racing means club series for drivers who pay to race. Pro-am pairs an amateur with a professional in the same car, often in GT endurance racing.
How to become a race car driver later in life
Few people start a professional career after 30. Many race as amateurs for decades. The route is the same at any age: track days, coaching, licence, club racing. For most adults the goal is the craft itself, not a professional seat.
What you need to race
Once you race, you need safety kit: a helmet, a frontal head restraint, fireproof overalls, boots and gloves to Motorsport UK rules.
How to get into racing if you are busy
Plan the year: a few coached events, not many short days. Two full days on one circuit teach more than four single days at different venues. Sim practice keeps skills fresh between events. When you race, an arrive-and-drive team prepares the car.
Questions to ask a racing school or team
- Which licence does the course lead to, and is the test included?
- What car will I drive, and who prepares it?
- How much time on track do I get, and how many drivers share it?
- Is the instructor in the car with me, or watching from the pit wall?
- Who is responsible if the car is damaged?
- Which series do your drivers move on to?
Common mistakes
- Buying a race car first. Choose the series, then the car.
- Skipping coaching. You learn slower and risk more damage.
- Racing too soon. Confidence on track days comes before wheel-to-wheel racing.
- Driving only one circuit. Variety makes you adaptable.
Where Stratos fits
Stratos is step one, two and three: a Grand Prix circuit in Europe hired for up to 15 drivers, a car supplied and a coach in it with you. It is not a racing licence course, and no experience is needed. See upcoming events
FAQ
How do I get into racing with no experience?
Start with a coached track day. Then more circuits, then a licence course when you are ready.
Do I need a racing licence for a track day?
No. Only for competitive racing.
How do I get a racing licence in the UK?
Buy the Motorsport UK Go Racing pack, then pass the ARDS test, as explained by Goodwood.
How long does it take to get a racing licence?
In the UK, the ARDS test is a single day once you have the starter pack. In the US, the SCCA route needs a school and several evaluated races, so it usually takes a season.
Can I get into racing without buying a car?
Yes. Arrive-and-drive teams rent seats in many series, and track day organisers such as Stratos supply the car for the first steps.
Am I too old to start racing?
No. Amateur racing has drivers of every age. Motorsport UK asks drivers aged 60 and above for a medical report.
What is the simplest way into racing?
Track days and coaching first, then a club series. Motorsport UK lists the licence and kit steps.