It is likely that we will be leaving the conventional school system. This is an INCREDIBLE upheaval of life. I am lucky that what I do for a living allows me to be as flexible as I need to be. But yes, this will be a 100% family effort. My wife and I have based our lives around our kids so it is no sacrifice. The money part is daunting. Despite what some may think, the thought of spending 6+ figures a year racing is not an easy one. And then if he has success, the next level is 250k/year. But one will NEVER know unless you do it. It wont be easy, but I am committed to at least making an honest effort at it.

I have already thought about selling my McLaren. Probably going to happen in spring. I cant turn to sponsors and say help me put my kid on the track when I am driving a 300k car. I am willing to sacrifice anything I have to at least give this a shot. It nothing becomes of it I will have no regrets. I have learned long ago in life, anything that means something to you is worth doing 100%. No point in half a$$ing stuff. Just jump in and give it your all!



I dont see the analogy here. I am not a race car driver. I know very little about true motorsports and it is TOTALLY out of my wheel house. My son and I started tracking cars at the same time. He was 14 and I 48. This has been a journey of fun and getting to spend great time together and make some awesome memories.

He did indeed 'earn' this. People around me all started noticing my son's abilities in the car. Granted, we were going out for fun. He has never had any coaching, he just drives on his instinct. Those people (some professionals in motorsport) told me that he has true potential. Again, this is not me that wanted to set out to get him into racing. This summer, I was approached by a F4 team owner who asked if he could test my son in a F4 car. I was kind of blown away. We showed up at the track and vice pres of Ligier US was there with another pro driver, a coach who was given to my son and one other female driver they were testing. The female had 5+ years of semi-pro racing experience under her. My son....0, just track days with dad and had never been in a true 'downforce' car. He did 8 sessions in the F4 and with the coaching, every session grew exponentially. For their last 2 sessions they put on brand new 'sticker' tires and told them to go out and run qualifying laps. My son beat the pro driver by 3/10. The vice pres of Ligier told me I need to get him into racing. The coach said his times in the car would be upper 1/3 of the competitive pack in current F4. HIS FIRST TIME EVER STEPPING IN A CAR that will pull 2+g's in corners.

We then spent 2 days at a track in Georgia. It was a fun private event with only 15 cars. There was 3 pro drivers there driving Super Trofeo Lamborghini GT3 and Ginetta GT4 cars. Those cars do 170+ on the straight, but my son was keeping up with them through the back section of the track. BOTH pro's came up to me and were excited to talk about my son. One of the pros is a Rolex 24 winner and 3x Super Trefeo champion, the other drives pro for BMW in europe. They talked to me at length about giving him a chance in motorsports. Neither could believe he had never had any formal coaching and we were just 'fun' drivers.

So I started figuring out how to begin. He had to EARN a full competition licensee. They dont just give them out. It is the highest SCCA licensee you can get. It allows you to compete in national level events. Yes, almost anyone can 'buy' a license to compete with a 'novice permit' Pay for a race school, pass, and come out with a permit to compete in regional events. The get a full comp license it NORMALLY requires you to go that route and takes about a year. You then have to compete in 3 races and then go to an accredited "advanced' school and get a sign off to be eligible for the full comp level. I sent his data from F4 test and some of his other driving to the top schools and the two largest schools both said he can go straight to advanced and if he does well enough, they will consider signing him off for a full comp.

He was 1 of 2 fastest people (there were grown adults at the Lucas oil school, about a 50/50 mix of kids 14/18 and grown men and a few women). My son and a 22 yo were the two fastest drivers. The 22yo had been in karts since he was 8 and ran an entire year of spec miata and then 2 full years of formula racing. During the data sessions, again, my son never having been in the car, the feedback was he was 'technically perfect' braking the car. There were a few areas my son even found more speed than the instructor at the school (a pro himself).


This is plot of my son vs their benchmark pro driver. My son is in blue. If you look in the middle that is the braking curves. You can see my sons shape is almost identical to the instructor, just he is braking a little earlier (new car and did not yet have 100% confidence to brake at the last possible moment). Their only feedback for him after the two days of schooling and data was just a few areas. He came out with a sign off and earned a full comp license.


You are missing a HUGE part of this. My son is taking the .0001% path into motorsports. EVERY driver these days starts in karts when they are 6-12 years old. My son has been in a kart 3 times. He just got in a car at 14 and started driving for fun. IF, IF we have some level of success I can guarantee he will be the only kid in a field of 90+ that has gone this route. This entire journey is one of fun. It was 100% organic and just has happened. No one set out to do it, there were no "goals". Just me and my son making great memories. As a dad, it just became evident that he has a true gift. One I know nothing about and it is my job as a dad to give him the opportunity to be the best he can if he wants to put the work in.

Not sure how many here have ever driven at a competitive level. It is not easy. NO ONE would go this route unless they love it. It takes a special person and it is really awesome to just watch it happen right in front of me. So we are going to give it a shot. Worst case...we have some great memories. I was a very competitive athlete when younger. Almost good enough to play pro, but not quite. Came very close to making Olympic team. But those are all in the past for me. I have no regrets that I did not make it to the highest levels of sport and that did not take away all that I gained from getting to experience the highs and lows of trying to be your best. I am going to give my son the same opportunity. As a parent that is my job.

I would say that at 14, the kid is late in the game, Lewis Hamilton started competing at 5, his father worked 4 jobs at a time to be able to afford him to participate. Most everyone else just has uber wealthy parents.

I don't follow this logic. I agree, you shouldn't just throw money and high end designer goods at kids, but do you not desire for your kids lives to be better than yours?

Every body drinks from the well that somebody else dug, and by your logic, it would disqualify every young persons opportunities.

@tugofpeace,

In case you missed it, this car just got delivered to my house. It is a friends car that blew the motor on track. My son is going to put a new motor in it (new motor in the background on stand that my son already prepped).

The car's owner is going to pay my son for the job and it is going towards offsetting some of the costs of his racing.


In the many conversations I have had with my son before we went down this path (because it is such a huge commitment of money and time), I wanted to make sure this is what he really wanted to do. He told me that he wants this more than anything he has ever wanted in his life. BUT, he said he feels guilty and knows how expensive it is.

My son is probably the only kid at his school still using an iphone 10. Probably the only kid wearing a pair of sneakers that are under $100. His values are in the right place. I let him drive our 720 all the time. He does not post a single picture of himself driving a 1000hp Mclaren on his social media. ZERO. He does it because he loves it and does not do it to impress others.

If you don't use your resources to give your kids a better future and let them live the lives they want to live, what is the point in having those resources?

You don't want them to be entitled little asshats, but you also don't want them to have one hand tied behind their backs just because you had one hand tied behind your back growing up.

Ha...ok, then I will respond with as quote that might be fitting considering the source

This better?

Cars are really not my thing but I always really like to hear people experiencing new things and always growing and moving forward in life. Based on what you've posted here, you're definitely a good example of this, OP. Best of luck to you and your boy in this new endeavour. You reap what you sow and your hard work in life is evidently paying you back dividends

I look forward to watching your son in his first F1 race in the future brah. Don't forget about us when he/you make it to the big time SRS


Sounds like he isn't a typical rich kid with his head stuffed up his ass thus you should be very proud of that (dfs)

Do like that one contest where cameljockey's face was on the car lmfao

Dude was and is an absolute legend.

To be clear, I dont think F1 or open wheel will be the eventual goal. It would be awesome, but almost impossible.

The world of racing branches off into two paths. (outside things like NASCAR)

Open and closed wheel. For open, there are 2 avenues, F1 and Indy. For Indy, the path is usually Formula Ford, then F2000. For F1 it is karting, F3, F2, F1. F4 is not really a part of the path, but they try to promote it as such. Just a great place to waste 250k/ year and crash a bunch of cars.

I am not sure what our eventual path will be, but the world of closed wheel has MANY MANY more options. The pro drivers I have met all switched over to road racing cars. A few started out, went through F1600 and then made the switch and went "Pro" down that direction.

It is still kind of early to even consider the options, but this is a sport where you HAVE to start putting all the pieces in place from day 1. Marketing is HUGE. Because sponsorship is so important you have to have something to 'sell'. I hate to say this, but even if your kid is incredible in a car, if they lack that 'presence' it is hard for them to ever make success. Much like in life, but even more important in racing. I did not know any of this, but I am learning quickly.

My son is probably the most laid back kid. For a kid that is 16, I have my grown adult men tell me how 'cool' he is. He is just very genuine and always wears a smile from the day he was born. Being the type of person that gives off that energy is important in life. Even more important in this business.

I cant guarantee anything. My only hope is that he finds what he wants in life and has to work his a$$ off to get it. When you work hard and achieve success, there is no better feeling.

Thanks guys for all the positive vibes. But, yes I know this absolutely an insane thing to do. But I have also learned that how do you question the path that life lays out for us sometimes. One can either greet the world and the opportunities it presents with open arms, knowing you may fall flat on your face. Or, you can live in a safe little bubble and never risk anything.

Theodore Roosevelt once gave a speech that many here in the Misc would do well to read and understand. It talks about living life and not being afraid to fail, and there will be endless critics who do nothing will their lives that will always be happy to try to knock you down. This is very cool and I read it often. It moves me every time I read it and inspires me to meet each day and the possibilities it holds. For BOTH success and failures! That is LIVING!

Dare GREATLY!

Theodore Roosevelt 1910:

shake and bake

Literally everyone who turns up at a track with a fast car is told the same thing. ‘You should race’. Reason, its dead money for you. Every series struggles for entrants and they have clocked you for what you are, a weekend millionaire.

Ho lee fuk

Maybe you're right. But it sure sounds like cope.

OMG, I laughed out loud on this one! We have been brain storming since we have to create a corp structure to race under. Only thing my accountant is waiting on is a name. Last night in a family brain storming session "shake and bake" came up which prompted me into streaming the movie to the TV and us all laughing.


It is funny how you like to pick apart everything. The huge point you are missing, is all the people telling me to give my son a shot, have nothing to gain from it. There are indeed people in this world who will tell you what you want to hear if you are going to spend money with them. I am smart enough to get advice from those I trust. Friends of friends. People with nothing to gain out of it. I have accomplished a few things in life, and one is because I know how to read people and how to get GOOD answers to questions.

But on the other side, not even sure if you have kids or not. But I can see you just dont 'get' it. Thats ok man. Just live life. I hope you find happiness in something. I hope you have family and friends to share in the possibilities of each day. My only advice is if you are always looking for the negative in things, you will miss all the incredible things happening around you. Much health to you and yours in 2024!Ha...as a parent I am saying the same thing!

Lmao, so much this. The lack of self awareness here is wild for someone who's smart enough to get this wealthy.

Yeah I have a teen daughter but I'm now going through the empty nest syndrome. It's REALLY tough, especially as she's my only child. I really miss having long talks with her when she was visiting the cats downstairs. I remember you made a thread about how tough it is when they leave.

They are hardly going to tell a handicapped kid anything else are they..