[raul]

Originally Posted by smbstyle

So I just want to chime in here, not to get off topic, but to respond. I'm Scott, I am an event manager with Chin Motorsports. We met at the track earlier this year, and I'm sorry to hear that you're not coming back out with us.

In regards to pricing overall, this is not a cheap hobby. For those who frequent the track, the track fee usually isn't even the most expensive part of the weekend, when you add up the cost of fuel, consumables, meals, hotels, travel, etc. For clubs and organizations, the cost of renting the track is extremely high, and with many tracks you also pay extra for emergency services, each corner worker, concessions, etc. It adds up quickly for a full track weekend with all of the services needed.

In regards to Chin specific pricing, yes, there is an annual membership fee, like any other track club. We also have partnerships with specific vendors and providers that get you an insane discount. Before I worked for Chin, I was using my membership discount to buy brake pads, and saved $300 in one year with my Chin discount with Cobalt Friction. And yes, there is an instructor fee, that the student pays, to subsidize the track time for the instructors, as we do NOT charge instructors for track time.

And finally, the actual track fee itself. Have you taken a look at the amount of time that you get with Chin vs. other clubs? We have done track time per dollar breakdowns against other clubs that run at the tracks, and for example, one club offers a $250 fee, compared to our $325 for Sebring, however they offer 2.08 hours of track time total per day where we are offering 3.5 hours of track time. That's $92.8 per hour on track for us vs. $120 per hour on track for the other club we compared. For many people who invest a lot of money just getting to the track for the weekend, they want to get the most out of their time at the track, and will pay more knowing they are getting more track time AND a better value.

So sure, we can water down our run groups to 20 minute sessions, add another run group, which would drop down the pricing, but we prefer to give the drivers as much time as possible on track and stick to our 3 run groups at 30 minutes each.

Also, we recognize qualifications from other clubs. If you get experience with NASA, PCA, HOD, etc. and want to come with us, we won't stick you in the Novice category just because you haven't run with us before.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! I do believe that on a value perspective, as a more advanced driver looking for seat time, Chin is a fantastic alternative. I was focusing more on the initial cost of entry for a novice. A novice doesn't always need, and is likely leave after 2 hours of track time or so. I've seen it happen many times where people simply get burnt out and leave early. Regarding membership fees, you might want to check again. PCA, HOD, PDG, and now TheHPDE do not require memberships to sign up for their track days. Some charge for instructors, some don't, like HOD. If a novice came to me about getting into track driving, I would most likely recommend HOD. Less time on track also means reduced costs in consumables, which is more novice-friendly. It's just a different business model. Chin caters to long-standing hobbyists simply looking for cheaper seat time, while other groups like HOD focus on lowering cost of entry to get new people behind the wheel. You also have to think about the likelihood of not driving for the entire event for any reason. You have many folks who don't understand the stress a track day puts on a car and they end up forfeiting 1 or 2 sessions because something broke or their car is overheating, or they boiled their brake fluid. Many of those are problems novices run into, and you stand to lose a lot more with Chin than with any other group when those things happen.

Now, to clarify, I'm NOT bashing Chin Motorsports, just pointing out pros and cons that I personally see in both business models. In the future, there's a strong possibility I will join Chin again, as I've been investing a lot more time and money into the hobby and it pays off in the long run.