[Sumguitardude]

Okay guys, so next year I'm about 85% sure I'm going to start racing for CCS, I am just a little concerned about the money. I just had a few questions. I am trying to race on as little a budget as possible which I know is not easy to do. I was wondering if I could do say 3 classes on Sunday, but not sign up for any practices, so my total for the day would be the 80+50+50 for a total of $180 for the whole day.

 

[champer]

Yes that should be fine.

Don't forget tires, gas (bike and transport), lodging, food and potential crash damage (ranging from nothing to totaled bike).

Much like anything though, you'll get much better with practice. Typically for us just the cost of getting there makes the extra day of practice a trivial cost, so you might as well.

Are there any track entrance fees?

 

[Sumguitardude]

I'm not sure. I'm in the Midwest and will probably only be racing at Blackhawk Farms. I know for trackdays they do not charge a gate fee but I am unsure of entrance fees. If so i'm guessing it wont be more than 25$ hopefully. the budget I have this year is I can do about 8-10 trackdays a year with tires/transportation included, so I think I should be able to do the 5 race weekends they have there and a few track days in between. I may camp out at the track to save 100 for a hotel room

 

[cooker1]

I started racing with MCRA this year out of St Louis is a good org. you should check them out ! The TDs are really reasonable 125 race is 65 with trophys and a little cash back if you Podium ! Not sure exactly you are in the MW but we run Gateway , Putnam and Heartland Park . I started here to get some experience before jumping in with the bigger Orgs. our GTL field is pretty light not like CCS with maybe 20+ bikes diving into T1 ! You can also take a race license class with MCRA that is recognized by CCS . M me if you want some more info . Dave

 

[z-man]

Okay guys, so next year I'm about 85% sure I'm going to start racing for CCS, I am just a little concerned about the money. I just had a few questions. I am trying to race on as little a budget as possible which I know is not easy to do. I was wondering if I could do say 3 classes on Sunday, but not sign up for any practices, so my total for the day would be the 80+50+50 for a total of $180 for the whole day.

No way. You will have to pay an entrance fee to get into the track for you and any spectators. You will need fuel and tires. If anything happens (and it will it is racing) you will need spares so you don't waste a weekend due to a little get off and you don't have a spare clip-on or rearset spares. Racing is very expensive and going in on a $180 dollar budget won't cut it.

For racing just imagine a huge industrial strength vacuum cleaner and all your savings in the form of cash. Now take the vacuum cleaner and start sucking all the cash. That is racing.

 

[leed]

For racing just imagine a huge industrial strength vacuum cleaner and all your savings in the form of cash. Now take the vacuum cleaner and start sucking all the cash. That is racing.

:lmao:

Shoot, even track-days are expensive! But I imagine there is more reason behind that.

 

[RichDesmond]

Racing's going to cost $600-$700 a weekend, minimum. That's cutting things very tight. If that's not affordable, stick to track days.

 

[C-10 Aldehyde]

I always liked this:

"How much does it cost to go racing?"
"All of it."

 

[CCS 323]

Yes, racing is not cheap, especially if you crash or have to travel. Plan on spending more than you plan on spending.

The bare minimums for me at Blackhawk (im on tight budget compared to many others)
Gate Fee: $25 / person for saturday and sunday or $15 for sunday

Races are 80+50+50+... only if you pre-enter 2 weeks ahead of time. The 1 or 2 ten minute morning warmups/practices are free if you are registered to race. The racer practice/trackday that they usually do before a race weekend is ~$125 if you preenter.

Transponder: $80 to buy your own
Race School: $200 - if you pass, your license is free that year.
Race License: ~$125 / year each year after

Fuel, food, etc: $100 min. / weekend

Lodging: free to camp

Bike maint: Brakes, oil, chains, fork and shock refresh, etc - $500/yr if you dont crash

Tires: $365 / set. I can get away with running one front and 2 rears a year if I do the morning practices and 3 races each weekend. So I plan to spend $560 on race tires this year which will only be used at the races and I will swap rubber for trackdays. As an amateur, I ran street tires and used the same set all year for practices , races, and trackdays - so about $300 for a year. Keep in mind, I'm a backmarker, so I dont use tires like some others do.

Dont forget about spares: Levers, clipons, pegs, etc are bare minimums IMO.

Other things: Tire warmers, Ez-up, tools, stands, spare wheels, etc...

The list goes on and on...

 

[Sumguitardude]

I'm sorry but I just dont understand why it would cost so much more than trackdays. I already have enough sparts parts to basically build another SV. I already have warmers, a generator, etc. Maintenance and tires are the same for track days.

What i am saying is now i can afford to do about 10 trackdays at blackhawk which includes tires, maintenance, gas, hotel, food. so what I am asking is why it would be so much more expensive if i already have basically everything except the transponder which is only 80 bucks. i take the 50$ race school at grattan and then the license is only 125. If anything entering 3 races would be easier on tires than doing 8 20 minute sessions.

what I was asking is if I sign up for 3 races and only go on sunday and not do the practice on saturday, why would it be so much more expensive?

 

[champer]

It isn't, if you plan on going a trackday pace.

If you want to run anywhere remotely near the front expect to be changing tires 2-3 times more often than you would at a trackday.

If you want to get faster you are going to need to practice also.

 

[Rada]

I transitioned from Track Days to racing this year. The main difference in cost is the constant desire to make the bike better and tires. For track days I would get 4 track days out of a set of race rubber. With racing I get one race weekend out of a rear and the front is good for about a half of another race weekend. But I tend to be hard on tires.

Overall racing is not that much more if you are careful. It can blow out pretty quick if you're not careful. I would say an average race weekend costs me about 5-600 total. But I don't like to think too much about it.

Racing is a whole bunch of fun! Especially if you get hooked up with a great bunch of people like we have at Loudon.

 

[OreoGaborio]

I transitioned from Track Days to racing this year. The main difference in cost is the constant desire to make the bike better and tires. For track days I would get 4 track days out of a set of race rubber. With racing I get one race weekend out of a rear and the front is good for about a half of another race weekend. But I tend to be hard on tires.

Overall racing is not that much more if you are careful. It can blow out pretty quick if you're not careful. I would say an average race weekend costs me about 5-600 total. But I don't like to think too much about it.

Racing is a whole bunch of fun! Especially if you get hooked up with a great bunch of people like we have at Loudon.

I'm with this guy.

If you were already planning on doing 8-10 track days next year, swapping that for a season of racing won't cost a whole lot more.


However, it should be known that your dollars per lap ratio isn't gonna be as pretty.

 

[champer]

However, it should be known that your dollars per lap ratio isn't gonna be as pretty.

At least quality of lap goes up!


And like they say, the best way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large one.

 

[Sumguitardude]

Right now a set of tires from all trackdays is lasting me 4 days, I could probably squeeze a 5th out if I really wanted to but I am paranoid about having fresh tires. I am running 1:24's consistently at blackhawk, the first place amateur in GTL from last weekend his best time was a 1:23. So what I am not understanding is if I am running top 3 pace in the amateur clases I would be in, then why would I go through tires twice as fast racing if I am already towards the top of the bracket? I understand when I get faster and close towards expert pace I will go through tires faster and that I wont get as many laps per dollar as a track day but i am just really itching to race. I love it at a track day when you and a couple others are all going back and forth everyturn passing each other I love that competition. and im starting to get frustrated at track days in the advanced group trying to pass the 1000's .

 

[Rada]

Get to racing!!!!!

That is about the same situation I was in. Everyone uses tires differently. I tend to kill them while a fellow SV rider can get way more time out them. Once you start racing your pace will pick up and you will start using your tires harder.

Your mileage may vary.

Good luck and get your license and start racing before the summer is gone.

 

[Sumguitardude]

Get to racing!!!!!

That is about the same situation I was in. Everyone uses tires differently. I tend to kill them while a fellow SV rider can get way more time out them. Once you start racing your pace will pick up and you will start using your tires harder.

Your mileage may vary.

Good luck and get your license and start racing before the summer is gone.

Thanks! I am switching from Michelin power ones to the Bridgestone slicks, hopefully they will last an extra day or so!

 

[champer]

Thanks! I am switching from Michelin power ones to the Bridgestone slicks, hopefully they will last an extra day or so!

They did for me, I get almost 3x as many races out of a rear. I was getting 4 races out of the Michelin rear

Remember to flip them half way through to get a little extra life!

 

[Dave_SV]

Get out there and go racing! You won't look back at track days that's for sure.

 

[twilkinson3]

Hey Sum....I'm a CCS LW Racer in the Midwest....when the dang bike is working right (this year has been a real trial...) and the cobwebs are out of my head I can turn a flat 1:20 lap at BFR on DOT Race rubber (Power Ones)...I also run the road america round when it's there and usually got to 3-5 track days a year, tho this year I was just going to race - 2 fronts 3 rears 5-6 race weekends runnning all 4 sprints (8 on twin sprint weekends), the morning race day practices, and the track days, it's not going to hurt your pocketbook if you already have all the spares, and the rest of the fixings - rims with rain tires would be about it that I didn't see listed - come play with the rest of us you'll enjoy the people as much as the racing, LW is a very good crew - I currently have someone else's clutch plates and frictions in my bike from last weekend for instance...

Take the learning curves class with Rick Breuer and crew, worth the couple bucks it might be more than the grattan route (and if you're local less gas lol) and come have fun - if you want wander down the 21-22 round and say hi - white plate #172, I'll introduce you around and you can see for yourself

aside from the abrasive type track...if you are going thru a set of tires on a sv in a weekend you need to look at your suspension imho....these bikes are not that hard on tires at all