One of the reasons I haven't gotten out there yet is $ issues. But everyone keeps telling me its not THAT bad. You guys have all done this so maybe you can help me out. I'm a "noob" to all this so where would I start? I know I gotta do a school and stuff, how much is that? How much are track days usually? How much are races with WERA? Are those transponders the same price at each race? I have a bone stock 2004 R6 (except for the pipe) and I'd rather not put that on the track just because it's my street bike and I'd like to keep it that way. Are SV650's really that good on the track? Too many questions at once, sorry. Thanks, Kristin
The SV is a blast...............the class is huge, so you have plenty of people to dice with. I use $500/weekend as a general rule for expenses, gate fee, hotel, tires, maintenance, fuel. School, bike, spares............that is extra of course. People race for less....................and people race for more too! Good luck.
XR 100 basket case- Free Tires for a season- $125 Gas for a season- $50 is a high estimate Race fees for endurance/sprints- $100/weekend (4 hr endurance) Assorted junk like oil- $45 a season or so Knowing that I can back it in like Hayden and slide tires like McCoy...Priceless Minis...man I love the minis. When I was on 600s I spent more on tires for a weekend than I pay for two sets that would last two years on a mini.
When I started, I wanted to go out, buy and R6 and hit every race in the Southeast Region. Voices of reason (esp my brother) cautioned that I might want to try an SV first. Cheaper, cheaper on tires, fun class, several classes to enter, etc. What Gypsy posted is a pretty good average for me, but oftentimes, I end up spending more. I usually try to camp at the track and do most of my trackdays with Ed and pre-register for all the events I can. I'm also concentrating on the Mid-Central Region rather than the whole southeast. I'm racing a SV again this year for all the same reasons before. I may step-up to a bigger bike next year or the year after, but I'm having fun for now and have plenty to work on. By the way, my '01 SV is for sale, cheap. hint-hint
What is the smallest class out there then? I don't wanna piss people off cuz I'm slow. And hotels are over-rated I bought an enclosed trailer last year and I tested it out this past weekend at VIR. Got a little heater in there and and air matress...worked like a charm. I stayed toasty the whole weekend. So that should save some $ for sure!
$500 for a non crash weekend is what I always figure. Also depends who comes along. If I'm solo I'll camp and save some bucks.
I plan to race 5 or 6 weekends this season for about $7500 - $8500. This includes purchasing a race bike, enclosed trailer, leathers, helmet, boots, gloves, transponder, Bargy school*... basically everything to go racing except hand tools and a tow vehicle (I already have those). I expect to need race tires two times (3 weekends per set) and never use a hotel (sleep in the truck or trailer). Entry and gate fees alone for one solo 20 and one vintage race are $125, gas to get me to a race and back for my truck is $50, food for two or three days is another $50 (I pack one big picnic lunch basically). I guess just sit down and add up the fees like I did, then take your total and multiply it by 108% to account for the stuff you didn't think of. That's your yearly race budget. -HJK *but I've been told "the Bargy school doesn't cost, it pays"!
Well I spent about $12,000 last year to do 8 weekends. That's not including any of the money spent on buying and building the bikes. Two of the weekends (GNF, Cycle Jam) were 4 day affairs so that pushed the total up. The biggest mistake I made was not buying an enclosed trailer that I could sleep in. I almost spent the price of one on hotels and the amount of work required to pack the truck, setup at the track, load it back up at the track, and unpack at home almost soured me on racing. The thing I did right was not using any credit cards to go racing. It can be done cheaper but I think you will find that even on a bike that is reliable and is easy on tires (SV, Aprilia RS250) you will be spending $500-$700 per weekend. It's not cheap, but almost anything this good never is. Good luck.
Okay so basically I gotta have money for -cheap race bike (hopefully one that is race ready) -leathers -boots -tools (i have some already but it depends on which race bike I go with) -tires -entry/misc. fees -gas for bike -gas for truck -trailer maintenance -caming fee -transponder that's about all i can think of right now
I've got it listed in the classifieds at $4000 with pics and such. I've got to warn you, it's a superbike, previously Jeff Walker's. (not meaning it's extrememly powerful, just not legal for ss) Last year, I ran the solo 20's, F2 and LWT SBK and a lot of trackdays on it. Was a great bike to do a first year on, esp since most of the grids were light in a lot of the races I ran. This year, I'm running a '04, so this one's up for sale. If you have any interest and/or counter offer, let me know. Edit: I just noticed, I'm right across the mountains from you. PM'ed ya!
Sell the Supra(they bring in a ton of money these days), you could buy all that and still have plenty of $$ left over for something else to drive.
I sold a H-D Electra Glide for a race budget this year. Paid off the note, paid off some credit card bills and still had some left over for a race effort. It really is the best way to get started I suppose.... -HJK
Man I am never going to sell the Supra. That's my baby. I have another vehicle. It's a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee...that's what I use to pull my trailer with. It does okay, but I wish I had more power. My buddy is selling his 02 Dodge Ram for $11k. I'm eyeing that but I dunno, I have enough vehicles already.
I'll try to answer what I can - just did my first WERA weekend on a SV. School - WERA's rider school is $60. Its a good class if you are just looking to get started. They don't do a lot of teaching technique - its mostly procedural stuff (starts, flags, etc.). If you want a school that teaches technique, its going to cost more. Cornerspeed is one that I've heard good things about - its about $375 or so and is done at VIR. Ed Bargy's school is another that I've heard good things about. He does classes at different tracks and I'm not sure how much his school is, but its probably pretty close to the same cost. Trackdays - the cost varies according to the track. The trackday at VIR on Friday was $170 (if you aren't a member of Team Promotion). Cost of WERA races - I did two races this weekend and it cost me $120 for both. The price goes down as you do more races - I think the prices are in the rulebook. This weekend I spent $280 total with WERA (this doesn't include tires, gas, food, hotel, etc.): $100 membership/license $60 WERA Rider School $120 2 Sprint Races The next race will be less because I won't have the first two expenses. I think getting started is more expensive than just the weekend to weekend expenses. Transponder - I bought a used transponder. They can be tough to come by, but its better than renting each weekend. I think its $60 or so to rent, but like $330 to buy (new) - if you can find one used, its even cheaper. If you do enough races, it will pay for itself over the course of the season. SV - The SV is a great trackbike - I don't know how to use mine properly just yet, but that's not the bike's fault. I actually have two of them (one is my street bike, but I've taken it on the track in the past). You can find them (already set up for racing/track) for $4500 or so, sometimes less - depending on the year, mods, etc. Spares are plentiful on E-bay and other places on the internet - and some parts are interchangeable with other Suzuki models. For instance, I bought a set of front brake rotors from a Katana for my SV for $60 on E-bay. New ones would have cost over $160 each. Also, they don't eat tires like other bikes and maintenance isn't bad. Also, I think our tires are cheaper. I don't think I've met anyone who has ridden a SV on the track and didn't like it.
Your looking at $$$$$$ example Roebling Road 3/19-20 1. Gas to get there 04'Avalanche ---- $120 2. Gate fee---------------------------------$30 Fri-Sun 3. entry fee (3 races Sun)---------------$150 4. Tires--------------------------------------$255 5. Gas for bike-----------------------------$40 6. Food--------------------------------------$50 7. BEER--------------------------------------$30 8. Misc. stuff--------------------------------$100 9. Hotel (staying with friends)----------$20 10. A plaque for a 1st place finish and finding a single woman who races-----------------------------------$ priceless Whole weekend = $795 +/-
