Dear Tom and Ray:

I am an 11 year old who wants to be a chief mechanic for Indy cars. Exactly how do you become one? Jason

Tom: Well, there are three steps, Jason. First, you have to become a mechanic. And you can do that by working as an apprentice at a garage, or, better still, by going to a specialized school to learn the trade.

Ray: Then you've got to get involved with racing. One way to do that is by working as a mechanic at one of the big racing schools, like the Skip Barber Racing School (whose headquarters are in Caanan, Connecticut). They often need mechanics to maintain the cars they use for their instructional classes.

Tom: Once you've learned your mechanical skills and developed specific knowledge of race cars, then you're ready to be in charge. So the next thing you have to do is develop your repertoire of excuses...because it's always going to be up to the CHIEF mechanic to explain to the driver why the engine--which took 23 months to build--blew up after only eight laps. Good luck, Jason.

It's NEVER cheaper in the long run to buy a new car. Want proof? Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1994 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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