Autosport Plus

What racing drivers will do for money

Raising a budget to compete in motorsport is often a challenging task. Some wannabe stars came up with novel - not to mention dubious - solutions on their way through the ranks

Gary Watkins Jan 8, 2020, 2:23 PM

Motor racing is an expensive business.

One of the great hinderances to participation in the sport is that one can't just go outside and take part. It requires a great deal of planning, purchasing and effort to get going - even if the results are usually pretty exciting.

Here we present the cases of some drivers who went to extreme lengths to get on the grid.

Justin Keen's short-lived exploits in Formula 3000 in the early '00s were funded by a small group of private backers intent on living what the Brit calls "the James Hunt motor racing lifestyle". That's how he ended shooting a movie that - his words again - "bordered on soft porn" in New York.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.