Ok, first of all I tryed running a few searches but I couldn't quite narrow it down to what I was looking for. I couldn't quite find the rule book to look for a few things either, so sorry if I'm a nuisance. I hope this is the right place to be posting this....

Anyways, I'm 16 right now (turning 17 next month) and I'd really like to get into road racing. I started getting into cars when I was about 11 or 12 and it's just kind of grown and grown. I first thought autocross but then thought road racing would be more exciting and fun. Anyways the dilemna that comes up is that I don't have a car to race (working on that), don't have any track experience, and am not 100% sure on what I need to get racing. I want to take the right approach as I don't want to go out and make one mistake and be labeled as the 17 year old kid who just played too much Need for Speed.

The reason I came to the IT forums is because I've heard it's a good competitive series and relatively (Keyword: Relatively) cheap to get into. As far as cars go I've looked at anything from Rabbit's, GTi's, 944's, CRX's, Civic's, Talon's, Corolla's, Miata's, etc, etc. There really isn't a shortage of cars to use that I know of. The thing I'm not sure about is how the cars are grouped. I know that there would be classes like autocross, where the cars are split up according to the regulations and the modifications done to them, correct? Anyone help me out with this? Also, what's a good ballpark estimate of the bare essentials I would need to get going. I figured anywheres from $5,000-$10,000 depending on car and equipment. Am I dreaming or is this about right?

Next up, is that I want to make sure I have some experience before I get out on the track. I'm trying to go to the Bondurant Racing School down in AZ, but it's a little hard to convince my parents to shell out $4500 for a 3-day vacation. I live in Washington right now, can anyone suggest some cheaper alternatives? You need to participate in some sort of instructional school to be qualified for road racing, correct? I know the basic fundamentals of car control, but that doesn't mean I'm a pro. I obviously need to get practice. Reading about controlling a car at track speeds is 10x different from actually doing it. I figure a few autocrosses here and there wouldn't hurt either, just to get me familiar with the whole thing.

I guess the last question I can think of right now is can I even get into some sort of road racing? I looked at a club that races at Pacific Raceways but it looked like I needed to be 18 to get in. Maybe I need to keep dreaming for another year? Anyways, if anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it. I'm just looking for a little guidance as to go about this whole thing.


-Ryan