Starting racing...Alone?

Hi,  First post.  

Long story short my wife bought me a performance driving class a few months ago and after I was hooked and want to start to get into racing.  I know the path I'm thinking about taking (autox, HPDE, etc) but none of my friends race or have any interest in racing so I would be going out alone.  I'm sure over time I'll meet people but do a lot of people race alone?

You won't be alone for long. 

When I showed up at my first autocross I didn't know anyone, didn't even know really where I was supposed to go or do. I barely had time to wander around before someone else in a similar car came up, introduced themselves, and started showing me around. 

There will always be groups of people who takes things beyond to seriously, but from my experience and the experiences of others, there are plenty of people who want to help you out and show you why they love the hobby so much. 

Might be worth hopping on faceplace to find your local region and get some conversations started early.

Sometimes you can also be surprised by who shows up at a random event. I didn't know that someone whom I'd hung out with for years had a father who headed the local PCA club until I showed up at one of their events. 

I started alone and still go alone most times.  

In reply to njd :

It’s fun to have friends and family with but yes I’ve raced all by myself. The trick is to arrive with the car completely ready to race and then start your checklist way early so in the event you do discover an issue you have sufficient time to deal with it without getting flustered. 

I know this sounds crazy but even if I was done an hour before it was time to go out on track I’d strap myself in and just sit, relaxing maybe mentally planning each corner and how I would conduct the race.  (I like to attack on the start,  gain whatever positions I can  and then take a lap or two to settle in see who may be coming up and who I may overtake) it also allows the pressure of those first corners braking etc to cool off so I still have tires and brakes left at the end of the session)  with experience I’d sometimes actually fall asleep. 

if it’s a qualifying session cool it the first laps. Let the guys go ahead and rubber down the corners, bring your tires up to temp slowly. The last two laps will likely be your fastest. 

My actual competition has all been autocross so far, but I pretty much do it alone. Folks are friendly enough, but I'm uneven in attendance and hop sanctioning groups, so I haven't managed to get much beyond the occasional fairly familiar face.

I suspect it's harder but doable when you get to road racing and the logistics are bigger. I also suspect if you attend stuff more regularly, you'll get to know folks and won't really be alone.

In reply to njd :

One suggestion that people often overlooked. It's not necessary to start this Hobby only as a driver. Even before you take your first step out consider attending an event and volunteering 2 work the event. Timing and scoring, Corner working, Etc. Explain to organizers your ultimate goal is to participate as a driver. Also consider putting feelers out to volunteer to crew. You will learn a lot working behind the scenes.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Exactly.

I do 95% of my racing and wrenching alone. It's great when I have help, but everyone  has their own life to live. Besides, unless they have their own car to complete along with, I can see how it would be pretty boring for someone to hang out.

I started the same way about 20 years ago now. I started by joining the local chapter of a major car club (in my case, it was the BMW CCA) and signing up for a high-performance driving school. I was a little intimidated: I had no idea what was going on and I didn’t know anyone.

I just let everyone know it was my first time and a bunch of people came out of the woodwork to show me the ropes. I’m still friends with a bunch of those guys.

I started alone but it's all been drag racing and bracket at that so don't really need much if any help. After my first year and the addition of nitrous I made a deal with a friend for use of a trailer if needed. I always drove the car the 2 hours each way. 

In my experience going to the race track and autox for almost 20 years you won't be strangers or alone for long. I'll second the thought of offering to work or help out a few weekends that opens alot of doors and builds fast friends.

NJD, if you post where you are there is probably someone here who is nearby and can help. 

Most of us start out that way. Toyman went to an event....  and now I'm running them. I look for the new people to welcome them and introduce them around. We try to make sure we catch the newcomers and make sure they know if they hang around and clean up with us that we all go to dinner afterwards. From that point on, you're not alone. Then we'll work on including your wife and who knows.... she might end up running things too!

Seriously, though... where are you and we can probably introduce you to someone?

What the others have said, for sure. I've been by myself the few times I've done HPDE. No problem meeting people and talking at all. Guys, cars, gas, oil....

Im gonna probably be in the same boat, my first experience may be the challenge next year if im as busy as i have been.

Its ok though, im more about building a cool budget car than racing....at least so far

That's gonna change :)

All of the crapcan type race series will welcome you with open arms.  There are probably several teams around you that are interested in giving their knowledge to a noob. 

You won't be alone for long. I got started with the local Brit car club even though my car isn't British. Met a guy at work in the club. They are mainly into just cruising and shows. The local racing club was having hillclimb and hit up all the local clubs for workers. Showed up at an autocross to learn corner work and they took me in and showed me the ropes, even gave me a ride. Looked around and saw that a lot of the cars were Miata's and I was driving a Miata as a gas-saver from my gas-guzzling truck and thought I could do this. Started attending and met folks that are now friends. That was several years ago. Involved in the club now. A lot of clubs have a beginner/novice program and a very friendly atmosphere. Part of the reason is to bring people in. Also helps with finding places to work on your cars, the stuff you can't do. Other gearheads know the places to go to and where to stay away from. Some are willing to assist when needed. Still do most of my car work alone. I haven't done track stuff yet, other things have gotten in the way but plan on it in the near future. Most clubs are always looking for volunteers to help, get involved when you can. You may drive there alone but you won't be alone once you get there.

I guess I'll be the outcast.

Everything said above is true - IF you have a car like others have. If not, your car - and you - won't really fit in because you're different. My brother has an LS-powered Locost and I have a mid-engine "Seven." At trackday events we pretty much keep each other company because the BMW, Miata, Mustang, Corvette, and Camaro people all hang out with their own kind, and I get that.

It didn't used to be this way though. Several decades ago, no one tracked new cars, and everyone worked on their own car. Now, it's surprisingly common to see very newish BMWs, Miatas, Mustangs, Corvettes, Camaros, Mitsubishis, and Subarus showing up, with the owners having little understanding about how to work on them; it's neither good nor bad, it simply is. So, show up in a popular car and you'll be popular. Buy or build an oddball and unless its coolness overrides people's reluctance to approach, be prepared to do your own thing. (FWIW, we did go around and talk to people and while they're happy to talk about their stuff, they seemed little interested in ours. There were a few notable exceptions of course, but this is what we've found "in general".)

I think you'll find like all things it varies.

In 1989 I was road racing motorcycles, at a city council meeting on the status of the local track I met some SCCA people who invited me to autocross. Every one was very welcoming, I autocorssed my mini pick up that I was using to transport my race bike. I'm coming up on my 30th year with SCCA. I've autocorssed, club raced and rallycrossed with SCCA We've made loads of friends.

I've been instructing at Porsche Club events since 2003, I'm an SCCA guy and I drive a Datsun.   They've always been very welcoming and people like my car. I'm routinely passing Porsches so you think it would upset folks but quite the contrary. People respect someone in a 100whp car turning respectable lap times. 

In 2010 I started racing with a vintage group; my Datsun isn't very pretty it looks good from 10ft away but up close its a bit scruffy. By contrast most of the other Datsuns are immaculate, I've never once had anyone treat me any differently. The people I pit near are very often not Datsun owners, they are simply people I met at my first vintage race.

As to the original question on doing this alone. From day one I've been the mechanic,  pit crew, gopher, tow vehicle drive etc. The big key to being a one person team is you need to have a car that doesn't need constant wrenching. My Datsun is set up so all I do is check tire pressures and add fuel as needed.

My current autocross car is a singe seat formula car, it has no charging system so it slowly drains the battery as you run it. I have a jumper battery that I plug in between runs. It's bit of a hassle to belt myself in and drag the stuff it needs out to the grid by myself but it's totally doable.

My recommendation is go to an autocross and have some fun. If you like that try a track day, at track days you'll probably meet some racers who would very likely welcome so extra hands and or company. Once you go to an actual club race weekend, you can see if actual wheel to wheel racing is something you want to do. Whatever you choose to there is no issue with doing it by yourself. 

Including motorcycle racing I'm on my 32nd season as a one man show. 

Like all the others said, you won't be alone for long, unless that's what you really want.

I started autox alone.  Within one race, I already had a mentor and quickly found a group of people I liked and raced with. 

I now run LeMons and got hooked up with my team through the GRM board.  Ironically, my autox mentor I mentioned above also runs LeMons now.  I started autox 18 years ago and stopped at least 10 years ago, and hadn't seen him in many years...I had no idea he was in LeMons until I started there.

I go "alone" except now a large number of my friends are people that I see exclusively at the track. We say hi and catch up l, talk about new cars, some I even know well enough to talk about family. Having done the cool car thing with the V wagon and now doing the lame car thing with the Accord, I find that almost everyone wants to talk about their car no matter what you drive. I just spent the weekend at a Porsche Club track weekend which should have been the snobbiest of the groups that I run with, but wasn't at all and I was treated well by everyone. 

Thanks all for your responses.  I am coming from competitive shooting and found it to be very similar.  My first matches I showed up alone but met a good group after continuing to go to matches and talking to people online that group grew.

I've been shopping for a new car and having gone through the results for the local races I have settled on either a 944 or a Miata.

I'm located in central Ohio just north of Columbus if there are any locals here.  

In reply to njd :

As many have said, you won't be "alone" for long. Just don't be shy. I've met a ton of people through autocross.

I would say you'll only be alone if you want to be.  Whenever I've gone to vintage races, I've noticed owners of same make/class cars often pit near each other.  If someone needs help, everyone pitches in.  This was definitely true of the F500 group I saw at Pocono some years ago. 

When I raced downhill mtn bikes more than a decade ago, I started out with a group of local friends but as they stopped racing, I found others to hang out with.  Some of those guys/gals have become very good friends I still ride and hang out with today.