What do you racers do for a living????

[cornercamping]

Uhhh yeah.  I work for UAL.  I can get tickets for next to nothing.  I fly Southwest whenever I go anywhere in the US.  That should tell you something.

I don't care as long as I'll make it to Vegas and back in one piece.  I'll fly first class and be wasted before I get on the plane anyways  ;D

[CCSRacer114]

I run one medical company and serve as director of business development of another... both companies sponsor me and one other rider!  

We're lucky.  ;D

The companies appear below.

P.S.  If you're a man over 40 we've probably seen you, even though you've never heard of us.

[Nbot]

I work two 30 hours jobs, one waiting tables and the other for the state of COLO (good benefits--ok pay) working w/ adults w/ mental disabilities/cerebral palsy/etc. I have just about all my days off though, so I'm thinking of getting another part time job....I do basic maintenance on computers on the side, some construction oddjobs, do most of the work on my vehicles to save money (gotta do something when I'm drinking beer!)........your 22 you said? waitting tables really isn't that bad, you can make $20 an hour pretty easy, just gotta find a nice restaruant and work your way up.....

.....what? oh good...another 0% interest balance transfer! I'll just keep transferring then................ :-*

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Retired. ;D ;D

[dragonfly]

Thanks for all the replies!!!   :D

I am looking at attending MMI.
I would like to focus whatever direction my career goes onto bikes.
The dream is to race bike Pro, semi-pro, but reality says I will probobly work on bikes for a day job..... Who knows.

I am looking at picking up an race ready Sv650.
Any other sugestions???

[MZGirl]

My husband and I are engineers, and we work for the same company.  He's a mechanical engineer and I'm a chemical engineer.  2 engineers & no kids = funding for both of us to race each season.   ;D

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     Certified Tool & Die Maker

     Over the last 16 years I have built stamping dies, done trouble shooting and problem solving of dies in production, and also repaired and maintained them.

     I have run most all machine shop type machines and have quite a bit of TIG welding experience along with MIG welding experience too. I have programmed, set-up, and run wire and conventional EDM's, CNC mills and lathes, and an industrial metal cutting laser. I have experience with manual and motorized/automatic multi-axes CMM's. Most recently I have also been involved in the Engineering department disecting drawings into their individual components and preparing them for CNC and Wire EDM. At the same time I check the designs for errors, problems in manufacturing individual components and the die as a whole, and potential problems once the die is in production. In other words I identify and eliminate problems before they are ever encountered, therefore reducing costs and increasing profits.

[wizard]

Avionics Tech

[Super Dave]

Racer since 1987.  Kept me under employed for my adult life.

Was a college student while serving in the Nebraska Guard, graduated, worked on my graduate degree while working for, and being contracted as a racer to, the Bimota importer in the early 90's.  

Then I was a contract courrier.

Moved with the promise of working for my engine builder, which fell apart before it even got started.

Worked for a golf car company...rental, repair, etc...

Then for a John Deere dealership for six years...ran some stuff...parts, service writer, so to speak, new sales, government bids...even worked on our wholesale parts stuff...

Riding school instructor for an independent program...

Part time selling trailers...

Now new car sales...

But I've been offered a new job that I'm going to take as a service advisor at a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership.

But I don't think you're asking the right question.

I was able to race on a cheap budget and do pretty well.  I mean, I'm one of the few that ever did a whole AMA season, on my dollars too.

Really, I learned how to do things for myself, who to trust, and what I didn't need.

If you had all the money in the world, you could really spend it on a racing budget.  I've never had that.  I never had a job that could supply that, and I never had a sponsor that could do it.

First, one needs to get fast.

You don't make money in the AMA stuff.  

But you get noticed in the AMA stuff.

Unless you're making so much money in the local stuff...see Denning and Jensen for that.  

Hope that gives you some ideas.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     A word of advice on getting involved in the motorcycle industry as your primary source of income, some motorcycle dealerships won't let their employees have weekends off during the summer due to that being their busiest time. I have also heard that it may not pay as well as you may like, depending on your location, definately check this out ahead of time.

     I agree with Dave on the expenses, it's very easy to get 'distracted' with what you spend your money on. I have seen way too many times that racers have purchased all the 'goodies' like an awesome tow vehicle or RV and/or a top end trailer only to no longer be able to afford to race. You really need to find a happy medium for your personal situation, a balance between what you need and what you want. For example I would have liked to purchase a brand new truck, but instead I purchased a used one for a great price. Generally a vehicle that is 2 -3 years old will give the most bang for the buck, still fairly new and hopefully dependable. That money savings alone on monthly payments will pay for my entry fees for almost the entire season (if you look at it on a yearly basis). Trailers and RV's can be along the same lines too, you can purchase one that is already set-up and only a few years old for substantially less money than new. If you have a certain amount of money your looking to spend on any of these items new, check and see what you could get for the same money or less in a used item first (you may be able to get a much higher quality item for equal money). Also remember, especially when 1st starting out, that having all the luxury items may ultimately prohibit you from racing at all.

     The average time a racer stays in this sport is 2-3 seasons before quitting. The main reason is usually money, but some people also leave due to injury or some change in their life that prohibits them from racing (for example a job change or marriage to an unsupportive wife). The money issue is the major factor and is usually due to using credit to finance your racing. If you still have debt from your last racing season when starting another season your most likely seeing the beginning of the end. There are not alot of us around that have been involved in the sport for 5+ years, and each of us has our own way of making it work, but we all have to deal with the financial aspect in 1 way or another.

     I have a suggestion that will help to keep you in the sport that I offer to anyone interested: DO NOT USE CREDIT TO FINANCE YOUR RACING! Debt is like wearing a concrete life preserver while trying to swim across the racing ocean. I tell people to figure out how much money they can afford to spend on their racing and set that money aside into an exclusively 'racing fund' account every paycheck, year round!  I would suggest getting a racing only checking account with a Visa or Mastercard Check Card that can access this checking account, this will help when paying for entry fees, hotel costs, travel expenses, etc. (this will also help you to track racing expenses and help with taxes if you plan on writing off any of the expenses as a business - that subject has been dealt with elsewhere on this site). If you start doing this right now you will be several months ahead of the start of the racing season and have money ready to go when the season starts. This will also give you a little time to adjust the amount of money you set aside per week to an amount you can live without and have a cushion built up when you need money for repairs. Once you figure out how much you can spend every week year round you can get a good idea of how many classes you can enter per event, how many total events you can afford, how your tire and fuel costs will figure in, and etc.

     For the past 3 seasons I have done the 'pay as you go' technique and can proudly say that I have had absolutely no racing debt at the end of every season since then. This is a massive burden off your shoulders and should be taken seriously since it will be a major factor in determining if you last in this sport. Good luck in your racing experience!  :)

[dragonfly]

Well I absolutly do not have any dilusions of granger!!!!

Right now the biggest expense I have to afford will be a bike. I am looking at used already prepped Sv650, and have found that around $4-5000 will get me a sound bike. that is already prepped.

Tow vehicle. I have an older Subaru brat, that I know my way around VERY well, so I could do almost all my own wrenching when things go wrong.....
will take about $500 to get it back on the road, in sound condition.

For everything I have figured I NEED, I am thinking I can get a reliable race set up for around $6000-$7000. This includes fees to get licensed, and hopefully a few sets of tires to get me through a few weekends.

I already have a quality set of leathers, and almost all my gear minus a new helmet....

I have done only one track day with my Gs500, but was draging knees every lap and picking PIR apart very well half way through the day. So I dont really know how fast I will be able to be.... I hope I have some natural talent to build off of.

I have a Fiance that is mostly supportive, and although she isnt interested in racing she is very interested in doing some track days when she gets her new bike in the spring.  

As far as I can tell this seems reasonable.

Now saving the money, and stoping buying stuff for my Gs will be hard...... Guess its time to grow up.

[KBOlsen]

Hi, Micah - welcome to our little corner of the Internet.  Lots of good people and sound advice on this forum.

Around here (Chicago area), new MMI/AMI graduates can expect to earn a whopping $12.00 per hour (and that's at the fancy-schmantsy Harley dealership).  That's $480 a week, or about $25,000 per year.  Before taxes.  Before you factor in buying things you'll need to actually work, like tools.  Keep in mind that your living expenses (rent, utilities, food, etc.) will be over a grand a month.  Doesn't leave much left over for anything else.

For the first year or so after you graduate, you'll be doing oil changes and mounting tires... when the service manager sees you're not a hazard, you'll get "promoted" to doing new bike preps.  Figure another couple years doing simple repairs before they let you near the "performance" stuff.

Personally, if I was gonna spend the kind of coin that MMI/AMI are charging for tuition, I'd sign up at the local community college and get myself a degree in business management... engineering... or SOMETHING... and get a part-time job in the service department of the local motorcycle shop to satisfy your love of things mechanical.  You'll still be getting paid to learn to work on bikes... and in two years will have enough education to get yourself a job that will pay enough for you to live on AND go racing.

To answer your original question, I work in the corporate HR department of a customer-relationship-management outsourcing company.  Not retiring any time soon, that's for sure.  Luckily, I have one of the most supportive boyfriends out there helping with the technical end of my endeavor and keeping the "overhead" down.  

And like Mike said... whatever you decide to do, DON'T LET VISA AND MASTERCARD BECOME YOUR "PRIMARY SPONSORS".