Racing, I was once told by a very wealthy man, is a rich man's sport. And indeed it must be, as he's probably pissed more money chasing checkered flags than I've earned in my two decades of chasing paychecks. So what's a regular guy to do when the racing bug bites? Well, you can always sit in the bleachers and watch the rich guys have all the fun, but that's a poor substitute for being part of the action. Luckily there are several alternatives to "real" racing that should satisfy your need for speed on a more limited budget. We'll look at the cheapest options — the ones that don't require you to go out and buy a dedicated machine to get your jones on.

Before you strap on the helmet and driving gloves, you need to channel your inner Ricky Bobby and ask him a few questions: Is your goal to impress anyone with your mad skills, or simply enjoy the thrill of driving near the edge? Because most entry-level motorsport events won't be seen on TV, written about in the local paper, or even attended by your loved ones — you have to be in it for yourself. How far are you willing to push the car that you'll probably need to get to work on Monday? All motorsports come with a certain degree of risk, but some are far treacherous than others. Finally, how much time are you willing to devote to this? While some events are simple arrive-and-drive affairs, others may require you to volunteer your time in order to play.

Drag Racing

Drag racing is perhaps the purest form of low-budget amateur racing, and certainly one of the oldest. All you really need is short section of road and a competitor to have yourself a little race. Street racing is frowned upon for obvious reasons, but the popularity of the sport means there are plenty of drag strips with proper timing and safety equipment, both of which make for a more enjoyable experience in the end. Really, whose heart doesn't pound and palms sweat in anticipation of the lights on the tree dropping down to green?

Most drag strips survive on weeknight "test and tune," where any Johnny Brownbag can show up after work and, for a modest fee, make as many quarter-mile runs as time allows. The requirements to compete are minimal — usually you need only pass a basic trackside safety inspection and wear long pants. Until you're breaking the 13-second barrier, you won't even need a helmet.

So long as your ride is more or less roadworthy, you can run just about anything, whether it's an '86 Chevette or a Z06 Corvette. Instead of classifying you by car, as some other events do, you can simply pull up to the lights and make your runs; you'll only be running against yourself unless you decide to get serious and venture into bracket racing, where you'll be running against other cars in a handicap system. The starting lights will compensate for any advantage, giving the slower car a fair lead.

As far as wailing on your equipment, the transmission, clutch (if you have one), and tires will take the most abuse. You'll want to be sure the motor and transmission mounts are in good shape, unless you like discovering failures the hard way. The same goes for your brakes — you'll probably be scrubbing off anywhere from 80 to 120 mph worth of speed without the benefit of a nifty parachute like the big boys. There's pea gravel at the end if you cook what's left of your Pep Boys' organic pads, but you'll be the laughing stock if you have to be pulled out, especially after a 16-second run.

Living your life a quarter-mile at a time can be a lot of fun, especially on a modest budget. Since drag strips are usually professional (more or less) operations and not run by clubs, you can pretty much show up at an open drag night, do your thing and then head home when you've had enough — no strings attached. The cost varies by track, but typically twenty to thirty dollars gets you an evening of high-speed joy, and you won't have to be a club member to participate.

Autocross (Solo II)

If going straight doesn't sound like much fun, perhaps you'd like to try carving some cones. Autocross, gymkhana or Solo II are all names for essentially the same sport — navigating your way through a temporary obstacle course in the shortest amount of time you can manage.

The appeal of autocrossing lies in the use of all the major inputs — gas, brakes, clutch and steering — near the limits in a very concentrated setting. Because the maneuvers are kept tight, speeds are generally fairly low, requiring only second and perhaps third gear in most cases. Consequently, maximum speeds are also low, commonly below 70 mph for most cars. And because you won't be running wheel-to-wheel (hence the "solo" designation) there is a much greater chance you'll actually be driving home in the car you showed up in.

Driving an autocross is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Most courses are laid out in parking lots with nothing more than traffic cones to identify the boundaries of the lanes. The object is to make your way through the prescribed course in the shortest amount of time without knocking down cones. Your raw time (the actual clock time) may be penalized two seconds for every cone you knock down or out of its defined location, and if you fail to read the course properly, your time won't matter at all.

In addition to just finding the course, which most newcomers find to be the biggest obstacle, there can be other challenges. For instance, it's not uncommon for slaloms to have optional entries, meaning you can start on either side; you can almost always count on the wrong choice to throw you off significantly. Some clubs are more benevolent, using different colored cones to mark the left and right side of the lane, but where' the fun in that?

You should know going into it that you'll spend more time on your feet or sitting around than you will behind the wheel, so wear a comfortable pair of shoes or — better yet — bring an extra pair). Most clubs also require every driver to work the course in some fashion. As a beginner that means you'll be chasing and resetting the cones that get knocked over, but working the corners is a great way to study the better drivers. If you stick with it long enough you may eventually earn the privilege of working in the grid or timing tent; remember, this is a club sport, and that always means politics.

Getting started in autocross typically requires a membership in a club, though most clubs also have a non-member rate for events that aren't filled up. The typical cost for a day's autocross is $20 to $40, but be aware that you may only get four to eight laps (at somewhere in the neighborhood of a minute a piece), spread out over the course of several hours.

As far as running your own car, probably 80% of the field at any autocross will be made up of daily drivers, and unless you've modded your car to death, you should slot into a competitive class. You'll need to empty your car of any loose items like floor mats, baby seats, empty beer bottles, and thongs hanging from your rearview mirror. Finally, you'll need to pass a relatively thorough tech inspection before being granted the OK to compete.

You will absolutely need to have a helmet to participate in any autocross event. Most clubs have a limited supply of loaner helmets on hand, but it only takes one event before you realize the benefits of having your own, especially if you plan to do this or any other high-performance event in the foreseeable future. A decent beginner's helmet can be had for a few hundred dollars, but make sure you know the club's requirements (some allow motorcycle helmets, others don't) and how long the Snell rating will be valid.

Wear on the car is primarily concentrated on the clutch and tires, though motor mounts will eventually take a beating as well. Street tires are acceptable, but don't make the novice mistake of showing up with deep treads; the closer to the wear bars, the better off you'll be. Tall treads tend to squirm more and chunk off under high loads.

A recent extension of autocrossing is rallycrossing. Essentially an off-road autocross, the rallycross course is set up in an open field instead of a parking lot. Many of the same factors apply, except that wear can be a bit harder, especially as the day wears on and the surface becomes rutted.

It's easy to fall into the autocross trap. Despite limited seat time, the adrenaline rush can be enormous. While some drivers settle in to autocross as their final destination in the motorsports arena, most generally regard it as a stepping stone to something bigger and faster. But until your budget allows that, it's not a bad place to hang out.

Time Trials (Solo I)

Halfway between autocross and road racing lies time trials, or Solo I according to the SCCA. Drivers still compete against the clock rather than going wheel-to-wheel, but instead of navigating a sea of orange cones, the venue is typically a permanent road course. The speeds are consequently much higher, frequently approaching 100 mph, though slaloms or other devices may be placed on straights to keep speeds down for safety.

Unlike autocross, where you run one lap from a dead stop, you'll actually get almost three full laps on the course for each run. For the first lap you'll roll out of the grid and get your tires and brakes warmed up. You'll start your second lap at full speed, and that's when the clock starts running and you'll drive to the limits of your and your car's abilities. After one full "hot" lap you'll circle back on a cool-down lap before returning to the grid.

Depending on the event, you may see four to eight runs in a day at the track. The upside is there are usually professional track workers for these events, so you can spend your off time making adjustments to your car, making friends with seasoned veterans, or just studying the lines of other drivers from points around the track.

Unlike autocrossing or drag racing, where a competitive time is reliant on a perfect hard launch, your lap time is calculated while you're already under way. For your car, that means less abuse on the clutch and drivetrain mounts. However, the higher speeds are more demanding of both brakes and tires. It's best to invest in a set of new brake pads and fresh fluid before you venture out for your first time trial event. It's not uncommon to witness a first-timer returning to grid with cheap pads literally ablaze. The same precaution about autocrossing on new street tires applies here as well; deep treads will certainly "feather" at the edges and will likely chunk as well, making for a lousy ride home. An extra set of tires may be a worthwhile investment, especially if you can pick up a lightly used set of performance rubber from one of the more competitive guys who often use a new set of tires for each event.

As you can see, the cost of doing high-speed time trials can be significantly higher than drag racing or autocrossing. Indeed, the events themselves are more expensive, running from $100 to $200 or more. These are still typically club-run events, so the cost to run will be higher for non-members — although the cost of an annual membership to most clubs will quickly pay for itself in cheaper event fees.

It goes without saying that you'll need a helmet for these events. Again, there may be loaners on hand, but you'll constantly be swapping that same sweaty bucket with several other drivers. If you plan to do any form of performance driving on a semi-regular basis (a couple times a year, let's say), you will be happy you've invested in your own helmet.

Time trials are a natural progression from autocross. In fact, a lot of the autocross "lifers" show up at these events as well. There is still the safety net of being the only one on the track (well, a section of the track anyway) that means you'll probably not have to worry about towing your car home, but the higher speeds deliver a thrill that can't be matched in a parking lot.

High-Performance Driving Events (HPDE)

So you've grown tired of doing just a couple quick laps and then sitting for the next hour or so. The next logical step is to start turning continuous laps on a closed course. In the last few years, high-performance driving events, or track days as they are commonly called, have become exceptionally popular. Car clubs, private companies and even track owners themselves have realized that a lot of us would like to get out on the track for extended sessions, but don't really have the desire to go racing. For these drivers, a track day is the perfect solution.

The purpose of most track day sessions is not to record lap times or even award a winner in any fashion, but rather to let the drivers explore their abilities and push their cars to limits not allowed on public roads. Not that most participants don't have someone eyeing the stopwatch for them. These events, by their very nature, appeal to owners of high-performance cars, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and run your bone-stock Solara if you just want to brush up on your skills.

The risk factor is considerably higher than other amateur driving events. First, you will be sharing the track with other drivers, perhaps as many as 15 or 20 in a run session. While most events prohibit fender-to-fender running, passing is usually allowed on long straights; you'll need to be much more aware of what's happening all around you. Also, because you'll be out for maybe 15 to 20 minutes at a time without returning to the grid, you'll be carrying speed on every lap. The opportunity to reach triple-digit speeds is very real depending on your car and track, greatly increasing the chance for damage if you make a mistake. Repeated hot laps also take a toll on the car — brake pads, brake fluid and tires will all be abused in the process, and the engine will be worked in a way that no street driving can match. Be prepared to budget some funds for pre-and post-event maintenance on your car, and seriously consider a set of dedicated track tires.

It goes without saying that track days are more expensive than other forms of performance driving. A typical track day can run from $150 to $300 or more, depending on the venue and the organization that's putting it on. Most marque-specific sports car clubs, such as those for BMW, Porsche, Viper and Corvette owners, will put on their own events for members only. Yet other events are staged by companies that specialize in providing high-performance drivers an outlet for their passion.

An alternative that some tracks offer is an evening test-and-tune session, where you pay a modest fee to run until dark after the track's normal operating hours are over. You may not get as many laps, but you might be surprised how much just a single 20-minute session takes out of you.

You should really have your own helmet by the time you've worked your way up to track days. While there may be loaners on hand, you will want a helmet that fits your head and your preferences exactly since you'll be wearing it for a much longer stint. Besides, there's nothing worse than having to sit out a session because all the loaners were snatched up.

There is a big gap in both the time and financial commitment between driving a fast road car and actually going road racing. For drivers who wish to improve their driving skills or simply test the results of performance modifications, high-performance driving events are the perfect outlet.