How early did you start in motorsport?

OK, so how did you all get your start in motorsport? I apparently attended my fist meeting at about a week old. My father was competing in a Hillclimb at Prescott in April 1969, my mother normally raced as well, but I guess she was only a spectator this time for some reason?? My parents were late getting to the event so dad hadn't walked up the course as he normally did, so once through scrutinering they walked up the course in the spectator area while other classes were practicing. Part way up one of the straps on my carrier broke and I dropped onto the grass and rolled down the embankment under the fence to the edge of the track! I was not too impressed by this so I've been told! Luckily there were no cars coming at that time so the marshals stopped proceedings while I was rescued and then things continued. Here are some pics of other events that summer, apparently taken at a Sprint meeting as it's flat, definitely not Prescott.

This one doesn't look like it was at the event, but it's me on dads lap looking cute!

very early. There are pics somewhere of me in the hot pits at Willow Springs for the first year of the Ferrari 348 Challenge (1993) with a Ferrari of Beverly Hill crew shirt on at the tender age of 8 or so... Will have to go home and get some pics out and scan them in...

Late start for me. After breaking my second foot riding motocross at age 25 I decided 4 wheels and a structure around me was better. First auto-x in 94, haven't looked back.

Dirt bikes are cheaper...unless you factor in health care. Emergency rooms, specialists, and surgeons cost a lot more then a set of slicks.

I would say 19ish. I started doing drag racing in high school, but I don't count that.

I started racing when I received my driver's license, so 16 years old (auto-x, rally-x, drag racing, and navigational rallies). I had been going to drag racing events since I was 14 (along with racing nitro powered R/C cars). And I started stage rally when I was 18 (hurray for dropping out of engineering)! I don't think I've ever NOT been at an automotive racing event of some sort any longer than a month in the past 5 years.

outside of a random open dragstrip night here or there i started doing anything beyind just liking and driving cars, i.e. autocrossing, hpde, or actively building/working on cars only 7/8 years ago i think, around 23yo.

the seed had been planted very long ago as my dad raced scca back in the 60s, but he passed when i was 14 so i needed perhaps a kickstart of sorts to get my ass in gear. wish i'd started way sooner, but i guess i'm trying to make up for lost time, and the challenge is a phenomenal outlet for that

This is funny, I didn't really mean to start a thread about when people started racing, it was more of an excuse to post some pictures I found of my parents racing when I was a baby!

My real start came just before my 25th Birthday which was a personal goal. I did my first Hillclimb in an Opel Manta GTE at Harewood sometime in late MArch or early April 1994.

Let's see...

I can't remember a time when I didn't have an AFX or Tyco slot car track.

I got into my father's old slot car stuff (both H.O. and 1/24th...or whatever mophed into 1/24th) as well as his old cox control line airplane and Baja Bug when I was probably 9 or 10 (maybe a bit older, I don't remember). This is about when I started taking stuff apart. Slot cars, cox .049s, toasters, vacuums, the old hifi turntable, the dead mower, etc.

12 or 13, we found a 1/24 slot car track in town. I never did any racing...but had fun practicing.

At probably 13 or 14 I got into real RC cars (kits, that is) and actually did some racing. That was also about the time my dad brough home an old honda dirtbike.

When I got my license, I was mostly excited that I could drive myself to go RC racing.

Then I found autocross. I had begged my father to get me into kart racing...but he wouldn't go for it citing safety as the reason. He said he'd rather I go autocrossing where I had a roof over my head (and he didn't say anything, but I know the fact that there were no other cars on the track made it easier to swallow as well).

I continued autocrossing in HS and College as a hobby and with the FSAE team.

In my last year of college, I put together a hobby stock car on the cheap. I'd say on a "shoestring" budget, but that's not true...I stole the shoestrings for the window net (yes, really).

When I graduated college in Dec. '98, I started work for an SCCA TransAm team that, miraculously was located in my town. I quickly learned that a good way to go racing is to have someone else paying YOU to work on the car.

Also, thoughout college and now, 10+ years later we've been doing the "Back 40 Racing" thing...just informal field racing with 4-8 cars at any given time.

Now I'm gearing up to go dirt circle track racing again in two or three years.

Clem

Dad was a car guy and took me to watch different kinds of races. When I was in 4th grade I spotted this for sale, saved my lawn mowing money to buy it and been hooked since.

Earliest memory is trying to see over the steering wheel while standing in the seat of my Dads Austin Healey 100-6. Went to a demolition derby at the age of about 6 or 7, and the Indy 500 at the age of 11.

After that, the first autocross was at 16 or 17, and I started to get serious about it last year, age 19. It is really hard with only one parking spot and no money.

Started riding minibikes at age 5, learned how to drive 4 wheels on a Ford 8N tractor. My dad then bought a King Midget (may's the time I wish we still had that!) and turned my brother and I loose.

We had ~40 acres way out in the boonies, my brother and I busted the frame on that thing many times, each of us trying to drive faster than the other.

Organized motorsport: ~10 years old riding a Honda Mini Trail 50 at a MX. At age 12, I got a Honda SL70 with paper route and lawn mowing money and started racing a good bit more. Won't bore you with the rest of it.

I started at the Challenge!

Sort of- VERY late start for me- my then 12 yo son wanted to get into cars. I was 41.

After a few false starts, our first big project was a Challenge car when he was 15, 8 years ago.

I was 24 when I attended my first autocross, I'm getting better ;)

Actually, I have ~A Web Page~ full of my early motorsports stuff.

My first car was an Austin A40 (below), bought for $20 when I was 15 ('65). As a kid, I organized "woods car races" with my pals in the South Jersey Pine Barrens. My A40 was narrow so it was better at snaking through the narrow dirt trails than big American tanks. One of my friends had an Anglia that was pretty even with me. Later, I had a $10 Dauphine that was much slower. You get what you pay for, I guess.

My first street car was a '56 MGA, bought in '66. I ran a road rally in it in '68: my first "official" event.

These days, I own a '69 MGB and '58 Austin A35, so I guess I haven't changed much.

I was born in the the UK and spent my early years in Ireland. Dad thinks he took me to motorcycle races soemwhere as a kid, but we don't have any snaps. Dad remembers the TT races at Ards too.

Driving in the yard in my dad's lap, to "racing" our riding lawn mower, to BMX, to Formula SAE, to SpecMiata, and then Skip Barber MX-5s. I'm looking for more :)

Excellent photos, Adrian. I love looking at old pictures.

aeronca65t wrote: My first car was an Austin A40 (below), bought for $20 when I was 15 ('65). As a kid, I organized "woods car races" with my pals

We used to do this out near a friend's rural property, when I was about 12. "Bush bashing" through fire-breaks in an old Mitsubishi Galant and Mazda 323.

Apart from a bit of hill-climb stuff, I've yet to partake seriously in "organised" motorsports...Something about being at University/lack of funds .

Got a pretty late start (unless you count GT4 on the Playstation). I was 36 when I hit my first autocross. My family situation limits me to the occasional local club weekend for now. Once the kids are gone, I'd like to either race a spec series or do some time trialing. Great question BTW.

I went to my first autocross before I was born - my Mom competed while pregnant. It probably explains some of my personality quirks! I spent part of my youth going to the track with my dad (mostly SCCA E production, later vintage racing). I didn't get a turn at the wheel until I was 15, though.

My official start in motorsports came when was 37. I got a PM from a crazy guy on this board named Andy and he filled my head with talk of a 2004 Challenge car and I couldnt resist! I always wanted to Autocross, but seemd to find reasons not to do it. We built that car and when we got to the Challenge Andy let me drive it in the autocross. (ok, made me is more correct.... lol) From that first time I was hooked and have been autocrossing ever since! Thanks Andy!!!

I was born into a gearhead family.

I was helping dad with the 56 Chevy and later the 63 Comet. Playing with points and carbs, doing oil changes was all dad and I seemed to do on weekends. Saturday morning was dad and I go work on the car time. My earliest memories are dad and I working on his cars. I even have a very early memory of My Grandfather, Dad and I doing a tuneup on Grandpas Buick. I remember them having me hold the throttle wide open while they pored some sort of concoction down the carb and soon there after my Mom and Grandma came out yelling that we were smoking out the neighborhood. The three of us just busted a gut as soon as we heard the screen door slam shut.

My dad would mix story time with him reading the cars shop manual on what every he was tinkering with at the time.

"How to rebuild a Rochester" or "Difs for Kids" were some of my favorite "stories"

I got some really strange looks from teachers when they asked what my bed time soties were.

It was quality time with dad that extended well into my teens. We both still share the love of cars. Dad is getting up there (close to 80 now) and before he goes I am going to get him a 1963 Mercury Comet, restore it to a driver so he and I can just take a drive.

It is completely my dads fault that I am a car nut. But because of it I have all those memories.

Thanks Dad!!!!

When I was 11, neighbors behind us had a TR-3. Their kids and I used to play in it, and sometimes get taken for rides. Zoom forward to age 14, 'The Red Car' set me onto sports cars. Later Galt's 'Dirt Track Summer' and the like hooked me on racing. Age 18, too young for an SCCA license, a friend and I first raced a Spitfire with Miami's ACALAM club at Hollywood Speedway. AT 21, got my SCCA regional license. And on from there at Hollywood, Lakeland, Daytona, ....

You people with families that understand motorsports are lucky. My dad taught me to wash a car with dishwashing liquid. (it's ok, I still love you dad)

Maybe I should pass that one on to all those kids who want to add some "patina" to their hoods.

I was that kid in high school that would never shut up about cars, at least among my friends. I learned then what glazed over eyes looked like. I can't imagine how annoying and misdirected I may have been (or am now for that matter).

I finally started autocrossing in college 8-9 years ago and it was a done deal after that, I was hooked. Since then I've attended races mostly at Road Atlanta, but also got the chance to go to Hockenheim for a touring car weekend and a little drive around the Nurburgring a few years back.

In my dad's defense, he did love taking his 500cc bike offroad and had a few fun cars in his past, including a 66 mustang and 240z. I don't think I'll ever stop giving him a hard time though.

I was 9 years old running go-karts in Dousman, WI!

Started autocross when I was 19, and been doing it ever since. Despite my incessant begging for any form of motorized stimulation since before I could walk, my parents were not interested, and probably figured it was some phase that I would would grow out of. Now I am over compensating and becoming an automotive engineer. I really just want to drive stage rally, but baby steps...