A motor sportsperson races a motorised vehicle in competitions or time trials. Motosport refers specifically to motorcycle racing. There are several areas of motor sport: autocross, autotest, circuit racing, cross country, drag racing, endurance road rally, hill climb, karting, rallycross, rallying, sprint, time attack and trials.

The Work

Whatever vehicle you race, you could be:

• training regularly – all week if this is your full time career
• visiting the place where the event is to take place to study the layout and plan your tactics
• in kart or circuit racing, driving a special racing kart or car round an oval track, competing against other drivers
• in sprint or hillclimb races, driving your vehicle over a closed track while judges time your speed and compare it with your competitors’
• working closely with mechanics and helping maintain and tune your car or bike
• perhaps working closely with motorsport engineers, testing and developing new models, tyres or engines
• working in a team made up of manager, drivers, mechanics and commercial sponsors.

Pay

Your income will be irregular and variable because it depends on sponsorship, appearance fees and prize money. If you do really well you can earn a very high income. However, only a few top drivers have an income they can live on – and even then only for a few years. You may well have to do a regular job as well.

Conditions

• You would race mostly at weekends but you would train all week.
• You would travel to races and spend time away from home, perhaps abroad.
• Races can be long, demanding, tiring and stressful.
• You would wear a crash helmet and depending on the race, you might wear fireproof overalls.
• You should be aware that there is a risk of serious injury or death.

Getting In

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is the motor sport industry's governing body. To get started in any form of professional car driving or racing:

• You must get the relevant Competition Licence from the MSA.
• To apply for this you must be at least 16 (8 years for karting) and have regular experience and success in karting, amateur races and rallies. You must also buy the MSA's 'Go Racing', 'Go Rallying' or 'Go Karting' starter pack and complete a half-day MSA course for novice drivers, run by member of the Association of Racing Kart Schools (ARKS).
• Provided your parents agree, you can start racing in karts when you are eight. You can navigate in road rallies at 12. You can drive in Production Car autotests from 14. You can drive in trials from 15. You can race cars off the road (after at least 1 year in karts) from 16. To drive in a road rally you must be 17 and hold a full driving licence.
• If you are over 18 years of age, you would require a medical certificate from your GP.
• You can train and gain experience at karting, circuit racing or rally driving schools. In Scotland there is a school at Knockhill in Fife which runs racing and rallying courses. There is also a karting school based in Cambuslang which is registered with the MSA.

The governing body for motorcycle sport is the Scottish Autocycle Union (SACU).

• To compete as a professional motor cyclist you must apply to the SACU for a Novice Licence. To obtain this you must pass compulsory Novice Training and have an eye test.
• Provided your parents agree, you can start grass-track or motocross racing when you are six. You can take part in road racing, on low-powered machines from 11.

For both types of driving, you must be physically fit. As a motorsports person, you may not be able to have a regular job, but would have to get funding from sponsorship and possibly temporary employment.

What Does it Take?

You need to be:

• confident and resilient
• competitive
• brave
• quick to react to dangerous situations
• physically fit with good stamina
• able to concentrate while racing
• good at working in a team for rallying.

You need to have excellent co-ordination skills.

Training

• You would have to practise regularly and get used to different kinds of racing courses.
• You could train at a school of racing (approved schools are listed on the MSA and SACU websites).
• Karting is usually the starting point for racing drivers.

Getting On

• The MSA Academy has a clear development pathway that can take competitors from the entry point, as young as 8 years of age, up to national and possibly international stardom.
• If you become professional you will have a manager to negotiate races for you.
• You will have a relatively short working life as a motor sportsperson and will move on to other work as you get older – sports journalism, commentating or promotion of motor sports might be possibilities.

More Information

The MSA issues 5,000 permits for motor racing events across the UK every year. About 30,000 people now hold MSA Competition Licences. An increasing number of women are now taking part – there is a British Women Racing Drivers’ Club.

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.