Opinion: Encouraging Young Drivers to Go Racing
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
As a passionate motoring enthusiast, the future of our community is something that plays on my mind regularly.
My interest is vested across my own personal needs first and foremost, but it’s also amplified when I think of future generations. As a father of two young daughters who demonstrate interest in the scene be it in racing, cruising or off-road touring, protecting their future rights is just as important.
I’ve written about ways that the community can come together to help itself and am happy to say I’ve had many reach out wanting to help. Like all good things, it takes time and effort.
Last Friday night I was at Sydney Dragway racing Hyundai’s awesome i30N at a Friday Night Lights event. I was thankful to have gotten there, as the Wednesday night event got rained out. With the weather looking good, camera gear mounted and a prepped track, I was like a pig in the proverbial.
As I made the rounds to collect a timeslip after a pass, I noticed a few young blokes in a couple of late model VW Golf’s. P plates proudly displayed, the group were happily chatting in the carpark amongst a sea of transporters and teams readying to hit the strip.
I thought nothing of it until a little later, when a gentleman came over and asked about the i30N. After a short chat, he asked if I’d mind if his son lined up with me to race; to which I obliged.
Soon after, a familiar dark blue Golf GTI parked up in the lane next to me, with the driver enthusiastically jumping out to have a chat.
It turns out that he had both bought the Golf and acquired his license only a few months back. Pretty lucky for a young chap was my initial sentiment, but what really struck me was that he was here at Sydney Dragway, learning about his car and the craft of drag racing.
Whilst I was beaming on the outside offering praise to the young bloke and his old man, I couldn’t help but reminisce on my early years driving. My late father loved cars, but I reckon he hid it because he didn’t want me blowing all my cash.
My first few years behind the wheel were a a real shit show and that’s putting it mildly.
It started with smashing the family car a week into my P’s, then two of my own. Countless speeding tickets followed, along with license cancellations and plenty of attention from the local constabulary. On reflection I was a real ratbag, and I certainly learnt the hard way.
It wasn’t until the age of about 20 that I attended my very first track day at what was called Wakefield Park Raceway at the time. Speeding on the street was a rarity from that point onwards.
But I digress…
The young man went on to ask questions like how I approached the staging area and when I engaged launch control. He was truly keen to learn and take it all in, and bitterly disappointed with a mid-14 pass.
He frustratedly cited that he should be able to get into the 13’s, then rattled off a range of mods that he has planned for the German hot hatch. I had to remind him that he only had 2 passes under his belt – ever!
Watching this father and son got me thinking. Clearly the dad was a car guy. The fact that he supported his son on the outing means he understood the importance of doing things the right way. But there will be plenty out there that don’t.
Young inexperienced blokes behind the wheel are a recipe for disaster, especially where there is motoring in the blood. Losing a license should be the least of anyones concerns, because there is a huge over-representation of road deaths in this cohort.
Under 25-year-old drivers make up 14% of the total licensed driver pool but represent 25% of the overall death toll. A staggering 80% of those who die in this age group are male, with speed the biggest contributing factor to incidents.
So, here’s an idea that’s based on my lived experience.
If I had have been introduced to off-street racing at the same time as the young man I met last week, it’s likely I would’ve kept my stupidity off the street. Whilst I was lucky and never injured myself or anyone else, there was every single chance that I could have.
So how about this for a government initiative?
Provide each young driver with a voucher to attend a drag strip or a racetrack, encouraging the right behaviour, at the right venue.
The idea is to get young drivers to learn about the car and understand that they can in fact go as hard as they want, if they do it the right way.
Provision of said vouchers is also a great economic stimulus, investing in and bolstering businesses that support the motoring lifestyle along the way. I can’t imagine any that wouldn’t be up for offering a discounted rate to get more people through the doors.
The way we teach young drivers is antiquated and inadequate. This is even more relevant today given the capability available in new vehicles, regardless of the safety features.
A head check doesn’t mean a single thing when you’ve lost the rear-end coming too hot into a corner, with no idea how to correct it. Ironically that was one of the ways I damaged a car as a youngster.
It helps with the road toll for our most vulnerable cohort, provides financial support and economic stimulus through Aussie businesses, and will be seen to be giving a shit about motoring enthusiasts.
Sounds good doesn’t it – but I won’t hold my breath.
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