What does it cost you to race? (Cost of racing)

[rice_classic]

(Caution: LONG POST)

When thinking about how much it costs to race it is generally wise to well... not think about it.

But...

Eventually we have to.

So for those of you who race (actual licensed competition) please share how you budget yourself and how you estimate the average cost per race or weekend. (W2W, Drifter, TTers)

Mine brakes down (pun) like this: Average Race weekends per year is 7 (usually do 10-14 races in those 7 weekends).

Tow Vehicle and Trailer:

• Insurance, storage, maintenance = ~2200/year or $315/weekend

Car wear items

• Engine build and tuning: $3500 once every 4 years: $875/year or $125/weekend
• Transmission refresh: $1000 every 4 years: $250/year or $36/weekend
• Axles: twice a year: $200/year or $29/weekend
• Hub/Bearings/Studs: Every 2 years: $600 or $300/year or $43/weekend
• Belts/window net every 5 years: $400 or $80/year or $11/weekend
• Tires/mount/balance: $800 6-8 races: ~$95/weekend or
• Brake pads: $220 3 weekends $73/weekend
• Brake Rotors: $65 2 weekends $33/weekend
• Damper rebuild: $700 every 3-4 years or $25/weekend

Damage/Other: Not amortized on a per weekend inclusion

• Cage upgrading and improvement: $650
• Corner balancing: $100
• Rear quarter dent removal and paint work: $1500

Travel/Fuel/Entry expenses:

• Hotel: $80/night average 2 nights so $160/weekend
• 92 octane for race car: 15 gallons @ $4/gallon: $60/weekend
• 87 octane for the Van: 30 gallons @ $3.75/gallon: $113/weekend
• Race Entry: $270-$475/weekend - Average ~$370/weekend

Items I do not account for:

• Driver gear
• Food
• Racing/club license and membership fees.

Per weekend items = $1488. If I do not account for the Tow Vehicle and Trailer (which I use for other things outside of racing) I can get my per weekend budget down to: $1173

The Tow Vehicle, Trailer, gear and license fees are a "fixed cost" in their estimations and come out to roughly $2200/year. The things like body damage, or premature engine failure, or a "money shift" are variable cost and are difficult to account for but this year I did have to account for what was listed.

Annual Operating Total: $13,311 for a CRX!

For those of you playing along at home, this does not account for the purchase price of the car or the parts. It also doesn't take into account fancy trick parts that were purchased in the past like final drives, LSD's, bushings etc. This is simply the "Operating Budget" of my ITA prepped Honda CRX.

God help me if I ever decide to race anything that needs race gas, E85 or has a turbo on it!


How does your budget break down?

[CSG Mike]

I'm not licenced (although I can get myself licensed in a single weekend, or get vouched into HPDE4/TT with no issue).

I will refrain from posting.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I will refrain from posting.

Contradiction lol

[GTHachiRoku]

I would really like to race my car, but sometimes I wonder what profession can afford you with:

a. the seemingly endless amount of money needed for this hobby
b. the free time to participate in the races, maintain car, travel etc

I would think those who have the money wouldn't typically have the free time.

[AlanLGuy]

I would also like to be involved in wheel to wheel racing at some point in my life (definitely not with an FR-S though!) but the cost involved is definitely a no-go for me at this point in my life. I know when my dad raced with the SCCA pretty regularly he kept costs down by purchasing an old full size van with a sleeper cabin up top so he spent the weekends camping at the track usually, saved him the cost of the hotel room.

He would also pretty frequently buy tires that were 1-2 races away from cording from others at a much reduced price, by doing this he was pretty much assuring he wasn't a front runner but he was there for the enjoyment of it, not so much the competition.

I think it also depends heavily on the car your racing, some cars require more or less maintenance than others and it depends on how competitive you want to be. In a class like spec miata you have guys who are willing to drop tens of thousands a year to have a rebuilt engine that dynos at 115+HP and who rebuild shocks every year or two and then you have other guys who are fine with a cheapo engine that makes 90HP and who baby the transmission when able.

Racing definitely requires a major financial commitment and the time commitment is pretty steep too. There's a reason why so many of the local road racers in our region are guys who are 40-60 years old. They tend to have more stable finances than your average 20-30 year old.

[Dave-ROR]

Running Chump.. 2-4 races a year.. it varies but ~5k/year more or less with an Integra. That's just event fees, hotels, supplies/parts/etc for the car. Tow vehicle one of our drivers owns anyways, trailer we borrow and help with maint on.

For the time you get racing NASA/SCCA I wouldn't bother. Too expensive for the seat time.

[7thgear]

I’ve been following a few acquaintancesget their feet wet in higher levels of racing.



One thing they allhave in common is that they’ve applied for some sort of sponsorship. One ofwhom took a whole seminar on obtaining sponsorships. So while the cost to raceis high, if you sell yourself right you can ease the burden, I suppose… but it’shard work and you’ve got to show results J

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I'm not licenced (although I can get myself licensed in a single weekend, or get vouched into HPDE4/TT with no issue).

I will refrain from posting.

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

I’ve been following a few acquaintancesget their feet wet in higher levels of racing.
One thing they allhave in common is that they’ve applied for some sort of sponsorship.

Does not apply to grassroots unfortunately. There's simply no ROI for the sponsor. If you're a dyno tuner, engine builder or body shop and you sponsor a whole event or a whole class then you might get enough business from said racers to make it worth it but on an individual basis, most of the stickers on the cars are either places that gave them a discount or companies that the driver owns or works for.

80% of the drivers in these higher levels are paying to be there in one form or another. I used to think that professional drivers were paid handsomely.. It turns out it's the other way around... They are paying handsomely either with their own money (arrive and drive) or they are bringing lots of money via sponsorship to the table. Patrick Dempsey shed a lot of light on this subject as he made it clear that he was racing an LMP2 car and nobody was getting paid, they were trying to find drivers that could pay to be there.


If you want to race a car like this for 1 weekend you simply have to have the credentials and be able to cut a check for $11k.

[7thgear]

well, from what i understand, some companies have budgets for random things, like donations

theoretically if you whore enough you could essentially beg companies to allocate some of those funds to you.

100 bucks here, 100 bucks there... all conjecture though, i've never begged for a cent in my life




maybe i should start....

[smbstyle]

SCCA Regional Comp License driver here (wheel to wheel):

Raced about 5 races in the 2012 season in Super Touring Lite with a 1990 Miata w/ a 99 engine swap, and did DE's between then, so I'd say at least 10 events easily last year.

You're spending too much money, or taking racing too seriously. Yeah, I'm sure it would be cool to win national championships and such in your respective class, but for what, a trophy or the title, and at what kind of expense? My goal when I got into W2W racing was spend just enough money to have a reliable car that was mid-pack and to have fun racing. I wasn't going to spend thousands of dollars to blueprint every moving part of my car, have a $5,000 engine build every year, etc., like some of the national front runners. I found out that with my setup, it was just enough to be competitive with the majority of cars in my class. Yeah, there was a guy who would show up with a $30k built Miata in his toterhome with a 50' long trailer, and would win almost every STL race he entered, but I'd still be able to hang with him long enough to annoy him that my $5k garage build was anywhere near his pro built car.

Here is my breakdown:

Trailer:
Insurance, storage, maintenance = $15 case of beer (yes, I borrow the trailer from a friend in exchange for a case of beer)

Car wear items
Engine: $25/weekend - $500 good condition used motor, whenever it gives out (at least 2 years)
Fluid changes (oil, diff, trans): $25/weekend - $100 (change every 4 weekends)
Transmission: $12/weekend - $250 good condition used trans (every 2 years)
Hub/Bearings/Studs: $10/weekend - $200 (every 2 years)
Belts/window net every 5 years: $8/weekend ($400 every 5 years)
Tires/mount/balance: $60/weekend - $600 a year (15" NT-01s)
Brake pads: $30/weekend - $300 a year
Brake Rotors: $10/weekend - $100 a year (probably would last longer)
Shocks: $10/weekend - $500 every 4 to 5 years


Cage upgrades aren't done on a yearly basis; cage was certified in 2009 and has been re-inspected/teched/approved each year (SCCA), no cornerbalancing as I have a fixed koni shock/strut combo, paintwork/dings are done with a hammer and rattlecan.

Travel/Fuel/Entry expenses:
Hotel: $80/night average 2 nights so $160/weekend
93 octane for race car: 15 gallons @ $4/gallon: $60/weekend
87 octane for the truck: 30 gallons @ $3.75/gallon: $113/weekend
Race Entry: $200-$250/weekend


I'd say under $800 total for the weekend. Of course I'm also not accounting for random little parts that need to be replaced here and there every once in a while, nor am I accounting for the initial cost of putting the car together.

Car was no slouch either; several podium finishes in my class throughout the season, and even battled with higher classed cars.

Other way's I've saved money - spent about $120 on my own "DIY" cool-suit setup, where my wife even stitched together the piping in a shirt, and worked awesome, painted my own cage, did all the maintenance stuff myself.

http://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/h...18242000_n.jpg

http://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/h...72136210_n.jpg

http://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/h...81956188_n.jpg

http://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/h...73809542_n.jpg

http://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/h...23174096_n.jpg


Video from one of my races at Daytona with the car:


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guMCGtRgSc8"]Daytona SCCA Race 6 - 9/30/12 - Group 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

For the time you get racing NASA/SCCA I wouldn't bother. Too expensive for the seat time.

But it's not seat time. It's race time. They are different.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

But it's not seat time. It's race time. They are different.

I race the entire 4-6 hours I drive in each race

[GTHachiRoku]

I'd say under $800 total for the weekend.

While that's better than the figure above, I still think I'd be in trouble if I spent that much on a weekend, let alone 4-5 weekends a year.