The cost of racing...

[gonecrazy]

great post jeff,+1 on the insurance. If I didnt have good health insurance when i had my accident last oct i would be buried in about 650,000 in medical bills. And yes you just have to learn how to do it on a budget. I would bring 1 set on new tires to a race weekend. I would run old tires for practice and a some what good set for the gt races and save my new ones for the sprints. then on the next weekend those would become my gt tires. I have run tires backwards if i had to. Also getting a traveling partner helps with cost also. not to mention if something does happen theres someone there to help take care of things.

[Super Dave]

Early on I think it was Rosno who I was talking to that said that it seemed like most racers had a 2 year lifespan.  Year 1 they get their feet wet in the amateur ranks.  Year 2 they rack up $50k in debt to win an amateur championship.  Then they fall off the face of the earth for 10 years trying to pay it off...

Well, it was Kurt Hall that told me that the average road racer lasted 2 to 2.5 years.  Kurt is well before most racer's time, I imagine, but he raced with the Human Race Team, his own program, Team Suzuki Endurance/Valvoline...racing the Methanol Monsters, etc.  And he worked for WERA here and there.

The 2 to 2.5 year span has always been an issue, as I believe even KE has said the same thing. 

Is credit an enemy?  Nah, don't push the cart with that rope, responsibility with credit is the enemy. 

I suppose that starting a long time ago makes a difference.  I started with my street bike, a GSXR750.  Fell over with it on the street, so it's stock exhaust got replaced with a V&H unit.  That made it a Superbike in WERA classes.  An aftermarket shock was more rare to me then even though the stock shocks weren't as good as the current ones.  Tires cheaper?  Yeah, but they were bias ply tires that didn't last forever either.  Bodywork?  Well, you used the stock stuff.  I believe that the factory teams had the advantage then as they were using warranty stock bodywork for their bikes.  I think that went on in the Honda camp into the early 90's.  Erion/Two Brothers was an early adopter of aftermarket bodywork. 

Tire warmers?  Well, they really started to come out in 1993.  I didn't have any in 1999 when I came back to 600's, and tire technology changed enough that they were necessary.  I think things have moved away from that in that they aren't so sensitive to a lack of warmers.

I'm kind of with Steve on this.  Bike and suspension.  Tune that.  Took me until 2004 to get some kind of thing to tune FI (never had a Power Commander myself).  I've ran a lot of stock motors with great luck, but had back luck in 2006.  I think the manufacturers have pumped themselves up a little bit in the 600 classes a bit much.  Ti valves do die over time with expensive needs.  How much does an 848 take to operate?  Was supposed to be great, but I think it is expensive as how the 748's were early on. 

Should be simple to start with a decent bike, get some front and rear springs, bodywork, safetywire, and then some new track day tires that don't need warmers and are durable and even useable if it rains.  We used van's and rail trailers when we started.  I used a van through 1999, and I would have continued along that way except that I went on with my school thing so that I could increase the "shelf life" of current racers, if they came to my school.  Sometimes that worked, other times it didn't.  Obviously, an SV is the shit for all of this with how easy it is to spec one out from aftermarket parts, swapping parts from other bikes, and leaving it pretty stock to do anything from a stock bored Supersport bike in UlSB through a big bore what ever making big power. 

Or a 125GP bike...  Or a vintage bike, but they aren't cheap...but they are forever. 

There's a crossroads that can happen for some riders.  They decide that they need the parts to go faster.  Or that they have peaked on speed, but they still love the action, so the spending goes on into making life more comfortable.  I went after a $3500 shuttle bus for economy (I saved $1800 my first year) rather than the new to newer dually and a toy hauler.  Wasn't always pretty, and it wasn't always comfortable.  It was practical.  And that's what an individual that races for the long term has to be, practical.  As an example, I'm always amazed how many pro flat trackers still run around in super length vans with their bikes...some bikes being $60k XR750's.  In the end, it's practical. 

Me, I chose to run 3-5 races each weekend and run EVERY weekend vice running 14 races for 1-2 weekends per year.


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[gonecrazy]

Racing verse trackdays are no comparision. I can not have as much fun at a trackday as i do racing. We(the mcra) started the sportsman class a few years ago to get them riders that are not sure and have the Im not fast enough idea in there head. I would say 90% of them that have run sportsman end up running am gt and ccs sprints very shortly after. Once they get the rush of the race enviorment there hooked in and change there prospective. Biggest thing is to be smart about it, just because you start racing doesnt mean you have to have a 30,000 tied up in your bike. I have seen it alot lately were imediatley there droping $$$ on warmers,shocks,fancy suite,3 sets of wheels,trailers,ect. then that leaves no money for racing or anything else.I alway sudgest putting it together slowly and as you need it. You can do a race weekend for the same or just a little over a trackday if you are smart about it and will have a ton more fun and better memories. hell I ran stock suspension for 2 1/2 years before i even thought about upgrading. just freshened it up and changed oil wieghts and i was good with descent finishes, another good idea to pass on is to be selective about your races and what contingency pay outs are to help budget.

My biggest rant about cost is when it rains and there are certain riders would will not run in the rain but are registered for a race atleast come to the grid. there were several times last year that riders did not show to the grid a screwed the rest of the field out of $$$. If you dont want to run atleat show up to hot pit so the grid marshalls can check you off

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

I'll rephrase what I meant by credit being the enemy, because debt is definitely one of the major reasons people stop racing. If your starting a new race season, and you still have debt from your last race season(s), then your sinking. Unless that debt has no interest being charged, that debt's effects are also exponential. If your paying for your racing 'as you go' then it will limit how much you can spend on racing. That's why I switched to a 'pay cash as I go' route to racing, but doing that while I still had this massive amount of credit debt hanging over my head was very difficult and required me to cut back on racing costs. As I mentioned before, I chose to eliminate tire costs in order to keep racing, I literally (without exaggeration) have used each pair of race tires I bought over the last decade for 2 YEARS (or more). Also, I was running multiple classes during the entire Midwest schedule plus Daytona (sometimes spring and fall) on those tires, but of course I was always at the back of the pack as a result. The few times that I've bought tires in the last decade I've had the different tire guy's say the same thing everytime: "So you decided to switch back to our tires?". My response is always the same as well: "I never switched, these are still the same tires I bought from you 2+ years ago".

Some people are in situations that can get, or have the skills to acquire, sponsership and/or financial support much easier than others, for those who never have that support the bill is footed exclusively by their own paycheck. I've covered the entire cost for me to go racing since I took my licensing school in '95, the only 'support' I recieved was a discount on the bikes I bought and on the occasional parts I purchased from a specific dealership (which I appreciated). For those in situations like myself I think the possibility of credit debt is far greater than those who get support from whatever source. My suggesting to stay away from credit as much as possible is based on personal experience and seeing what's happened to others as well - take it for what it's worth. 

[Jeff]

My biggest rant about cost is when it rains and there are certain riders would will not run in the rain but are registered for a race atleast come to the grid. there were several times last year that riders did not show to the grid a screwed the rest of the field out of $$$. If you dont want to run atleat show up to hot pit so the grid marshalls can check you off

Unless something changed, it doesn't quite work out that way.  The (way it used to be and may still be) contingency sponsors get the FINISH results...  And if you don't complete X number of laps (I think it's at least one), you don't even get counted for a DNF.  So if 50 people showed up for the marshall but only 4 ran, the score sheet would have 4 bikes on it...

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Rubbing paint with guys like Bill Hitchcock, Brian Weber, Mike Chachare, Billy Casper, David Vaughn, K3, Rob Borowicz, on and on and on...  Most all of us on bikes that we hoped would hold together, tires which had far too much wear and were only as warm as the ambient temperature of the day, pump gas, and leathers held together with duct tape. 

Jeff, I'm honored to be included in this post.  That was indeed a magnificent era and you captured it well!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I'll add some thoughts which have been going through my own head lately.  I raced Sunday at Blackhawk.  It was the first time in several years that I'd done a club race, although I got a dream shot to ride Mid Illini Motorsports' bikes in AMA's MotoGT class last year.  I've been pretty much a dedicated trackday coach since 2004, so I see both sides.

At a trackday, the only way you can lose is to wad your bike or get hurt.  At a race, the only way to win is to beat everyone else.  So what does that mean to the average racetrack rider?

Trackdays are huge fun.  Find the group you fit into and go ride like you never legally could on the street.  If others are faster, it really doesn't matter.  The run-watcha brung format allows for plenty of excuses when you get passed.  (He has a literbike, he has suspension, he has slicks, whatever...)

Racing.  Hmmm....  It's all good when you start out.  Just being involved is a complete rush!  Back in the day, I ran in fields of 20, 30 or even more bikes.  Pulling a 19th place on my lightweight bike in a middleweight field of 35 at Gateway after starting last was a huge accomplishment for me!  Getting my first top ten in lightweight was equally incredible.  Then I got wood.  It was only a fifth place but that plaque reset the bar.  From then on, no wood meant failure.  It got worse.  I wanted a championship.  Within my limited means, I spent every second of my life outside work and every dollar I could scrounge on racing in pursuit of my goals.  It turned into war.  The joy of just being involved was replaced by the burning obsession of achieving success.  I eventually obtained the race wins and championships I was after but the ordeal burned my soul to a crisp.  In five years, I was emotionally finished.  The jump to expert was especially hard on me.  I lacked the funding to have a competitive setup and even if one had been provided to me, I just wasn't fast enough to be a winner if my bike carried a white plate.  That more than anything else broke my heart and spirit.

Trackday coaching was medicine.  I could help newcomers learn about the sport and ride as much as I could stand.  I always did well in the impromptu "Instructor Derbys" that seem to occur toward the end of a weekend and that was enough to keep me happy.  I thought I was cured.  Then Mitch Stien offered me the MotoGT opportunity.  HO LEE SHNIT!  I was in no way ready for that!  In the month I had before my first AMA race, I coached nothing but advanced and rode like my life depended on it.  I found all I'd lost and more.  When I got to MotoGT, I did not embarrass myself.  It was a good feeling.

This year, I've coached a lot but spent part of each weekend riding for myself, working to keep my skills sharpened.  This has been my fastest year.  I've raced at Gateway and Blackhawk.  No trophies but when I looked at the machines which beat mine, I saw 20K vs 4K and didn't feel too bad, especially when I looked at some of the very nice bikes that I managed to beat.  Now I'm thinking that I need to run a few races each year in addition to the coaching, if only to remember who I am.  The racer in me had been asleep for some time but now I feel it again.  You know what?  It feels good now!

Racing myself into spiritual ruin was not a good thing.  At least I didn't let that be accompanied by financial ruin.  The lesson I see from my own path is one of balance.  When the sport stops being fun and becomes a holy crusade, it's time to back off or if you can't do that, quit.

Trackdays are awesome fun!  They are not racing.  The polite pass will eventually drive a racer crazy.  When you race, any piece of asphalt you can get to first is yours.  THAT is the most enjoyable aspect of competition.  "Winning" a trackday is a hollow victory.  Beating some other racer straight up for fifth place at a club race is far more satisfying.  I'd forgotten that.

Some trackday riders will never have the necessary desire to make the jump to racing, just as some canyon riders will never take it to the track.  If you have the desire, go racing.  Do it on nickles and dimes if necessary but just do it.  Try not to get sucked into the success vortex and just enjoy competition for the thrill it brings you.  This is my goal for the future.  I will not let another year go by without competing occasionally.  I'll lose gracefully and savor my victory over those I've beaten.  I won't let it consume me like it once did.  Dammit!  Racing is fun!  I'm not going to lose sight of that again.

[Speedballer347]

It's all good when you start out.  Just being involved is a complete rush!  ... From then on, no wood meant failure.  The joy of just being involved was replaced by the burning obsession of achieving success. 


I just wasn't fast enough to be a winner if my bike carried a white plate.  That more than anything else broke my heart and spirit.

Great write up Kris!  8)

I went from a fast amatuer who had a crappy day if I didn't podium, to a sloth of an expert, who had no fun.  It was a futile attempt at every race.  Disappointment and crumbling confidence everytime out.

Did track days for more than a few years after hanging it up, and came back this year.
Still one of the slowest on the grid, but I am now all right with that, and am finally having fun again out there.  Modest investment, but still worth evey penny this year.

[MACOP1104]

Great write up.  After a 7 year break, I started racing again.  I race within my means.  I have a modest set up and I race lightweight.  I pull my small enclosed trailer with my daily driver pick up.  I have 2 bikes which cost me less then 8k combined.  I use pump gas and bring all my food to the track and sleep in the trailer which has an AC unit.  Still, racing is not cheap.  A weekend costs me $500-$600 if I don't need tires.  Add $360 to that if I need a set.  Last year, I did nothing but track days to get back into it.  My 1st race weekend this year made me realize nothing compares to gridding up to race...

[Ducmarc]

yeah, the first time someone tries to take your front tire out in practice you realize this is not a track day  lol.

[roadracer162]

yeah, the first time someone tries to take your front tire out in practice you realize this is not a track day  lol.

You were watching Charlie?

[roadracer162]

Great write up.  After a 7 year break, I started racing again.  I race within my means.  I have a modest set up and I race lightweight.  I pull my small enclosed trailer with my daily driver pick up.  I have 2 bikes which cost me less then 8k combined.  I use pump gas and bring all my food to the track and sleep in the trailer which has an AC unit.  Still, racing is not cheap.  A weekend costs me $500-$600 if I don't need tires.  Add $360 to that if I need a set.  Last year, I did nothing but track days to get back into it.  My 1st race weekend this year made me realize nothing compares to gridding up to race...

That sounds like the way to go and familiar to my own racing program. I must say though you must be including everything like food and ice. I use race fuel only because the higher compression pistons require it. So, $185 for 2 races and practice all day on Saturday. $30 gate fee for the weekend. $70 for fuel. Right now about $200 average for tires placing second twice(thank you Michelin), $485 so far before food which I was gonna eat anyway. Travel expenses which I would have probably attended to watch. Room and board which I stay at home because I am close enough to the track, or $125 if I must drive to Jennings GP(6 hour drive).

Some things to consider: With the lightweight classes as light as they are, consider Continental tires that pay regardless of how many are on the grid. Finish top 5 and you get tire money. I like the Michelin brand allowing me resullts gaining me enough money each weekend out in Ultralight. Gt Lights I am outclassed when riding my Ducati 800.

Mark