Want to race for real??

[s1ngletracker]

The cost thing... is a hard question to answer. It depends greatly on what car you decide to run, what needs done to it, how thorough you are, how many upgrades you do... etc.

I'd say as a general rule, expect to spend $5k to get a car, and fully prep it for the first season of racing. During the season, expect to have to put a decent amount of money into it to maintain it, replace broken parts, etc.

Some parts you'll need:

Car itself
cage (I can't recommend enough how much more worthwhile it is to have someone weld in a cage - bolt in cages are a pain and not as safe)
seat/bracket/belts
motor 'freshening'
replacing worn/tired suspension, driveline and steering components
brake calipers/rotors/pads - get pads that will hold up to some decent heat and track racing
Wheels
tires (dunlop Star specs if you want to be competitive)
Personal safety gear - sky is the limit but Helmet, suit, underwear, gloves, socks, shoes, and I recommend a HANS type device.
Tools and spares to bring to the track - as luck dictates the more you bring the less problems you have :)
Tow vehicle and trailer to bring the car to the track
Parts vehicle?


also, the 2012 schedule will be out in a month or so.

[scheides]

Hrm, so team four, that's $5000/4 ~~$1300 / 12 months ~~$125/month.

How crazy do people go for spare parts? Seems like you'd want to have spare axles, brakes, alternators...fuck, a whole spare engine/trans?

Wonder how much renting a race trailer and filling it with car/spares would end up costing. Does anyone just drive the car to the track and then drink beer and AAA it home when it breaks?

I have a spot on the side of my garage that I parked my bro's DSM in for a while...no room to work on it back there though. I suppose it's 'in the theme' to just buy a POS, race it, and then park it outside the rest of the year though, eh?

[Halon]

I've been wanting to do this ever since I went and watched my buddies team at BIR. Unfortunately I have no time, money, or space to do it at this time :( Wish I did, looks like a total blast.

[Speedfreak]

It's a lot more money than people think. Between setting up the car and getting it track worthy. Getting everyone on the team race suits/helmets/gear etc. Then arranging or buying a trailer, tow vehicle, gas to/from, new tires every race, gas for the race car, spare parts, broken parts/wearables, etc.. it keeps adding up.

So figure 5k on the car up front, then at least 1-2k per race?

Oh, btw, we are building a car for next year as well.

[awd-drifter]

Like Shane said, I think it's a lot cheaper if there's more people in your team. I'm sure someone should have enough time to drive if there is another 24-hour race event. I spoke of this Chump Car idea to my cousins and brothers and I think we'll do it in the near future once we're "settled" down in life. I think driving a civic would be very fun...that or a 240sx(they're gettin' cheaper and cheaper every year.

[s1ngletracker]

It's a lot more money than people think. Between setting up the car and getting it track worthy. Getting everyone on the team race suits/helmets/gear etc. Then arranging or buying a trailer, tow vehicle, gas to/from, new tires every race, gas for the race car, spare parts, broken parts/wearables, etc.. it keeps adding up.

So figure 5k on the car up front, then at least 1-2k per race?

Oh, btw, we are building a car for next year as well.

For sure. The $5k I listed is strictly for the car. If you're adding in race suits for everyone, a tow vehicle, trailer, radios, GoPro, race costs, and repairs in between races, it does indeed explode to quite a bit more money. We spent about $900 on a full radio setup alone.

Even crapcan racing ain't cheap! Fair warning.

I look forward to seeing the mk3! That was on my list of possible cars to build next. But we've invested in the civic for another year.

[v8klla]

Is there a link to the rules somewhere?

[scheides]

Is there a link to the rules somewhere?

Yea they're SUPER hard to find :D

I looked them up after this post. Good read.

http://www.chumpcar.com

[v8klla]

Well that's pretty vague lol, sounds like this valued at $500 thing is pretty lenient huh?

[s1ngletracker]

Did you read the AIV rules? Those are what govern the actual car valuation.

lets see a MAP car out there!