Whilst I appreciate this is a “how long is a piece of…” question can / will anyone shed any light on their “revenue” costs associated with going racing. By revenue I guess I mean consumables and labour as opposed to new engines and “capital” stuff!
Any input much appreciated
Jimbers
are you a bleedin accountant ? LOL…
Jimbers
I was talking to Russ about this and he reckons about �2k per weekend for the mid engined challenge !!!
They say “if you ask, you can�t afford”.
On the other hand, if you don�t ask, there might be a moment that you�ll realise that you can�t afford!
Yes, I know, it sounds confusing!
Anyway, racing is expensive, but for some people the biggest issue is how much time racing requires in order to do it right and enjoy.
I hear the time thing as well George…and I’m coming at this from the point of view of budgeting for stuff…but I tend to agree…if you have to ask…!
Rox…fortunately NO…but I do have to deal with them alot and it rubs off…my trousers are also too short and I have a plaster around my glasses in true geek fashion!
EVOSAL thanks…I was thinking around that number before accidents.
thanks guys
LOL
I budget �1,000 for the race weekend itself. Roughly split down that includes:
Race Fees MESC (sprint and endurance race + garage if available) �480
Test Day (usually the day before) �180
Diesel for the van �60
Fuel for the test and race �80
Overnight stay for me and my two trusty mechanic mates �100
Food and drinks and bits and bobs over the weekend �100
Obviously that doesn�t include any repair work to the car or spares, but if you are used to doing track days then you know what these costs are. I do all of my own work on the car with the help of my guys if time is short.
If I roughly brake down the spares etc costs for the year so far, they are something like:
2 sets of AO48�s �1,000
1 set wets �500
2 sets brake pads �400
1 set of brake disks �300
2 gearbox rebuilds including various cogs and selectors �1,000
1 engine (potential resale cost if it had made it to the end of the year) �1,000
3 alternators � Free from my sponsor � lol
Various fluids and filters �300
Plus probably �500 on little bits and bobs
The wiring damage from the fire has cost me about �10 in connectors and stuff as I had loads of wire already, plus a day or so�s work.
The big thing about racing is being able to mentally and financially walk away from the car if you smash it to bits. If you are scared of scratching the paint, don�t bother going racing!!
Yeah time, Jesus Christ if I added up the hours I have put in from when I started to rebuild the car and throughout the year it would be huge. But I enjoy every minute of it and thats what its all about i guess!!
big up Sean
sean thanks…fantastic post as ever, covers all the bases and gives excellent perspective. ta
work out what you think its going to cost you and then multiply it by 5!! you won’t be far out!
Its way more expensive than I ever anticipated, especially if you are not doing the Labour / mechanicing yourself.
I’m totally in agreement with Sean on this one as I do all the work on my car too. I have never spent over �1000 for a weekend and if I ever do something must have gone very wrong.
I have been fortunate enough to have never had a mechanical failure in 3 years of racing and wear and tear is very low (as it should be - it only has to last 2x15 minutes in the MESC).
I think the bottom line is that it is possible to do it for between �500-�1000 per event but if you set your mind to it you can also spend ten times that.
We ran in 16 meetings a year, and spent about �1000 per meeting, so if your series runs lots of meetings its more expensive pro rata.
Clubman prizemoney…errrrr…F*CK ALL…even if you win. Nice.
Go short track racing and they pay you to turn up, not sting for a 100-200 quid entry fee like at most events.
Rich mans game…Doesn’t matter how talented you are, unless you’ve got a backer or are minted, you’re not gonna win. Just like Jackie Stewart said…rich mans game.
Just look at how many sons of previous F1 drivers are coming through. Are they genetically all as talented as their fathers, or do their fathers have all the money and know all the right people. People say the best drivers in the world are in F1. Crap. Some are great drivers who have been lavished with money and equipment are in F1, but there will be better drivers than some of them on your local council estate who can only afford a 1.1 Vauxhall Nova, never mind the insurance for it.
Feel the bitterness.
Rant over.
What about accident damage on track, say for example you ran in the back of someone
Is it just every man for himself ???
What about accident damage on track, say for example you ran in the back of someone
Is it just every man for himself ???
Yep!!
Watch out then
what is it they say…“rubbins racin!”
Sean…I know you’re used to that driving on the Birmingham New Road let alone a racetrack!