How/Why? Race expense justification.

[lbk]

Ok, so after last year spending lots and lots of money racing every chance I had. This year I've been trying to convince myself to keep spending it.

Don't get me wrong I love racing, and would love to keep doing it but the cheapest I've been able to come up with is $550 for a weekend of 4 races, and local like BHF. Keep in mind this includes gate fees for me and my wife. This is pretty much a bare bones number assuming nothing goes wrong, and no crashes. It gets a little cheaper if my finishes are good enough to help cover tires, and possibly a race entry fee. But in the end that's about what I've come up with, and at that price I just can't justify it very well.

There are so many things I enjoy, one of which is dirt riding, where the whole family goes for maybe, maybe $100 per weekend and we have an absolute blast. What do others use as motivation, or an excuse to keep spending this kind of money.

This number is pretty much fuel to get there, entry fees, gate fees, tires, ok the one anemity power for the weekend.

So I'm interested in how others view this in relation to other things they would spend this kind of money on, and how much fun you can have doing those things as opposed to racing.

[grasshopper]

Dave,

Dirt Riding is an absolute blast, and from what I am gathering if you want to get into the supermoto scene that is way cheeper than road racing too. Flat track and TT racing is way fun too and way way less money than road racing.

Road racing is a sickness, and I'm sure most people will agree with me, we don't really know why we spend so much money in a weekend. We are sick and need help, it could be worse, we could be smoking crack.

[Jeff]

Racing has become a lifestyle for me and my family.

If I couldn't race, I would still come out because I love the people and the environment.  

We don't - Hunt, Fish, Ski, Bowl, Golf, etc etc etc.  We race.  "it's just what we do"

[251am]

Lots of my neighbors have these $10k bass boats and cabins they go to. Comparatively, we're not so sick.

Don't you get a rush waiting on the grid with 20 or 30 other people staring down the green flag?  

[Gixxerblade]

Man I get a rush showing up at the paddock after a 10 hour drive!  ;D

[Pierre - Team PMR]

Dave,
I'm right there with you...in fact, I think I may be one step closer to that decision than you.  I'm 90% sure I will sell my 600RR and get a dirtbike for this summer.

Maybe we can ride dirt together...and save lots of cash this summer.

Yes, it IS a sickness and an adiction - but road racing has been the most fun I've ever had.  I'm sure dirt will be fun too...but my main love is road racing!

[Jeff]

Lots of my neighbors have these $10k bass boats and cabins they go to. Comparatively, we're not so sick.
 

$10k is cheap...  Most of those I know have $40-$60k boats...  and then another $5k in gear.

Hell, my brother has +$20k in guns!  

[lbk]

I do love racing, I do get a rush being on the grid, I am right there. But after 3yrs, I'm finding it harder to keep passing other things up to make it happen.

I also get a rush from dirt riding, no it's not the same and if I had endless amounts of money trust me I'd be dirt riding, racing, supermotard, flying somewhere over the winter that I have a bike stored and doing track days, all of the above. But in my real world situation after a while I have to look at money, and also time. The summers are always too short, especially now with my little guy riding it's not just me anymore with racing my wife loves it my kid enjoys it to some extent, but nothing like when he gets to ride his own bike. Or when we all go out on the boat, or a variety of other things that we all get to enjoy. Anyway that's just my situation and Jeff, I totally understand the lifestyle that is a LOT of what we get from it.

Anyway Pierre, let me know if you want to go riding man, we've been outdoors 3 times already this year, and  rode twice indoors over the winter, so riding definitely isn't going out of the picture, no way no how.

[grasshopper]

The fact is YOUR FAMILY is the most important thing.

Do what ever makes Mama, and the little guy happy. If they are happy you are happy rite?

Racing comes second family comes first. No matter what.

[Dawn]

We miss racing terribly.....


... we had four years of a lot of fun road racing, but now it's time to hunker down and get some stuff done to prepare for the future.  Will we race again?  Yep, but right now the house comes first.

To get the edge off, we ride our dirtbikes.

Dawn  

[grasshopper]

And you will come back as Chi Town Hustlers?

[ecumike]

I do love racing, I do get a rush being on the grid, I am right there. But after 3yrs, I'm finding it harder to keep passing other things up to make it happen.

I also get a rush from dirt riding, no it's not the same and if I had endless amounts of money trust me I'd be dirt riding, racing, supermotard, flying somewhere over the winter that I have a bike stored and doing track days, all of the above. But in my real world situation after a while I have to look at money, and also time. The summers are always too short, especially now with my little guy riding it's not just me anymore with racing my wife loves it my kid enjoys it to some extent, but nothing like when he gets to ride his own bike. Or when we all go out on the boat, or a variety of other things that we all get to enjoy. Anyway that's just my situation and Jeff, I totally understand the lifestyle that is a LOT of what we get from it.

Anyway Pierre, let me know if you want to go riding man, we've been outdoors 3 times already this year, and  rode twice indoors over the winter, so riding definitely isn't going out of the picture, no way no how.

It's all about priorities. Everyone has them. Everyone's changes as we go through life. My priorities as a single college student are different than they are now, as a married working professional.

Things change.  My priority right now is racing, and that's it. I don't buy new clothes, eat out a lot or anything. I'd rather save all my money and put it toward racing. Sure there are things that I wanna buy, like stuff for the truck, a flatscreen TV, new bedroom furniture, etc... but it's below the priority of racing, so I don't.  If I didn't race.. hell yea, I'd be able to get all of that.. however, having all that stuff in place of racing isn't worth it to me.