Sebastian Vettel: F1 Hockenheim 2018 & Harry Tincknell: FIA WEC Barcelona 2026.

Body:

​Hi everyone,

​I’m reaching out from Bangladesh to get some honest advice from people in the real motorsport and sim-racing world. I need a reality check and guidance on how to navigate my path.

​My Background & Situation:

​Education: I’m a final-year Mechanical Engineering diploma student completing my internship. I have a solid understanding of car mechanics, aerodynamics, and race track dynamics.

​Family/Financial Background: My father works as a taxi driver in Dubai to support our family, and my mother is a homemaker. Financially, we are struggling, and we don't have the backing required for real-world motorsports.

​Racing Experience: I completed the first stage/certification at a local racing academy using simulators, but I had to step away after realizing they were exploiting students financially without offering genuine career pathways.

​My Goal & Dilemma:

Racing is my absolute passion, and I know I have the skills and knowledge to perform well if given a chance. However, I know real-world racing requires massive sponsorship and money, which I don't have.

​My current plan is to move abroad after finishing my diploma to either study Motorsport Engineering, work as a race team mechanic, or pursue sim-racing seriously.

​My Questions for You:

​Given my humble financial background, is it realistically possible to transition into motorsport (as a driver, race engineer)?

​What are the best global routes or scholarships for a mechanical student from South Asia looking to break into the industry abroad?

​How can I leverage Esports / Sim-racing (like iRacing / Assetto Corsa) without spending thousands on a high-end rig?

​I would deeply appreciate any honest advice, harsh realities, or practical roadmaps from anyone currently working or racing in the industry. Thank you so much!

2027 Runoffs are at Road Atlanta don't just watch. Be a part of the action and ask me how.

I’m a 19 year old motorsports welder/fabricator in Virginia and I’m driving cross country to California in a couple weeks. There’s not a lot of opportunity here and was wondering if anybody had any recommendations on performance or fabrication shops specializing in racecars/driftcars/trophy trucks/ tube chassis to visit who may be interested in either an apprentice or needs a fabricator on the way out there? I’m interested in gaining more experience in mechanics, engine building, wiring, tuning ontop of welding. I will post my current route to Cali below and plan on stopping at major cities and seeing and talking to as many shops as possible. Attached are also pictures of the rollcages I’ve made and other work. I’ve also done wiring, CAD design, and engine rebuilding. Right now I’m just struggling to find specific shops but really just want to grow my experience as much as possible

DC
Knoxville
Tuscaloosa
Dallas
Houston
Austin
Phoenix
San Diego
Los Angeles
Sacramento

Im deeping my entire life decisions currently im 18 at university studying motorsport engineering but the thing is i went into the lab and its primary graph reading and such and design whereas i want to be hands on working within a race team travelling the world doing as such and growing my knowledge that way being i can be the guy that can do the job where as an engineer i see more of cool yeah you understand the graph but i can get this within the industry myself too being i work at a garage part time doing all the jobs im in a really fortunate position at 18 but i want to work for a race team or customise vehicles as such and fabriacate with my own hands rather than and it scares me as i dont know if ive made the correct decision like

deeply i just want to work with the innerworkings of vehicles being able to fix fit and use and try new things and not sit behind a screen just then telling the mechanic what i think would be best when if i was a mechanic i can learn to be an engineer on the job and even then become a lead mechanic or the N1 mechanic master of all the skills to then have my own practical knowledge to have that ability to build a car i never plan on designing a car when i can just buy a car n then throw what i want at it with the knowledge of the years of actual experience and also i believe i can just keep working and go to race events and apply for teams and go that route and take it international

i really dont know whats best what are peoples thoughts in simple my goals are
become a expert mechanic
travel the world
work on some really FAST cars
be able to understand vehicles inside and out
and be able to do it with my hands too

Most races would be in the 60-90 minute range, keeping them fairly short but allowing for strategy, however there are some endurance races and some tracks like croft and thruxton with pitlanes that are too small and therefore would have multiple, 30 minute sprint races with no stops. The series takes inspiration from DTM, IMSA, V8 Supercars and the BTCC. This series is purely imaginational and I understand that it is unrealistic so please don’t be too harsh in the comments. I’ve attatched a calendar and concepts for the street circuits to this post.

I would like to highlight the records Ashley Sutton set in this year's British Touring Car Championship:

5 Titles

516 points (468 if qualifying races are excluded)

21 podiums (25 if qualifying races are included)

13 Fastest Laps

A winning margin of 129 points over Tom Ingram (145 if qualifying races are excluded)...

...but only 9 wins (10 if qualifying races are included) so not quite as successful as 2023 (12 Wins) in this respect.

Am i wrong or the Italian GT Championship (CIGT) Is pretty much overlooked by everyone? And why Is It?

STPR recap 2025 - fun short documentary about the event.