Questions about racing?

[SiC-0]

We have a few experts on board to help you with what ever you need...Post up your questions and flex their knowledge!

[R1Gurl]

I have a few questions:

1. What is the average cost to get started racing?
2. How much does it cost average for a race weekend with the MRA?
3. How many times do you use your tires before they need to be replaced?
4. How often do you change your brake fluid on your race bikes?
5. How often do you change the oil?

I would LOVE to get into racing, but I need more practice and $$...these are a few things that I've pondered in the past...so um Mike / Jason...any ideas?

[PlayfulGod]

I have a few questions:

1. What is the average cost to get started racing?
2. How much does it cost average for a race weekend with the MRA?
3. How many times do you use your tires before they need to be replaced?
4. How often do you change your brake fluid on your race bikes?
5. How often do you change the oil?

I would LOVE to get into racing, but I need more practice and $$...these are a few things that I've pondered in the past...so um Mike / Jason...any ideas?

Aint cheap by what I hear but would be nice to hear first hand from someone. :)

[pnkpnthr2133]

We have a few experts on board to help you with what ever you need...Post up your questions and flex their knowledge!

experts huh? let's see some credentials...

i'm not sure if just a plain track whore would count as an expert :0)~

[SiC-0]

If you have questions you can hit up HCR25 (Mike) Rider rep for the MRA, racer, And is involved in several organizations. Lel399 (Jason) Is in the same boat. -PUCK- (Mark) Is a first year in the MRA. Doing very well for his first year. There are some ppl you can get ahold of if you have any questions.
i know a lil but those are considered in house experts.

[CBRChick]

Aint cheap by what I hear but would be nice to hear first hand from someone. :)


LOL... +1... I had planned on spending at least $800 each weekend, and I was only racing Sportsman and Novice GTU.

[-puck-]

$800 would be a good average. Many factors here. What tires to run? How long will you run them before switching out? How many races each weekend? Run race fuel or pump? Keeping it on 2, or crashing much?
So far through my first year, I have usually spent $600-700 each weekend (running 3-4 races and Sat practice plus 1 set of new tires). When you get into double header weekends (especially out of state) I drop about $1200-1400 for the weekend. I stick to budget basics (like pump fuel) all year. I think you will find a lot of others spend a bit more on the weekends.

[HCR25]

experts huh? let's see some credentials...

i'm not sure if just a plain track whore would count as an expert :0)~


I started racing in 1995 with the MRA. I got a AMA Pro license in 1997. i have raced as an expert in 9 or 10 clubs in the past 13 years and usually hold 3 to 4 different club licenses each year. I have also been a race instructor for the MRA for the past 4 years.
Does that qualify?

just kidding! on a side note i have also crashed 36 times!
Mike

[R1Gurl]

I started racing in 1995 with the MRA. I got a AMA Pro license in 1997. i have raced as an expert in 9 or 10 clubs in the past 13 years and usually hold 3 to 4 different club licenses each year. I have also been a race instructor for the MRA for the past 4 years.
Does that qualify?

just kidding! on a side note i have also crashed 36 times!
MikeI would say that qualifies!! Being that you've crashed 36 times...it would seem that you're an expert at crashing too!!

:)

[Suki]

I started racing in 1995 with the MRA. I got a AMA Pro license in 1997. i have raced as an expert in 9 or 10 clubs in the past 13 years and usually hold 3 to 4 different club licenses each year. I have also been a race instructor for the MRA for the past 4 years.
Does that qualify?

just kidding! on a side note i have also crashed 36 times!
Mike


Wow, and here i was getting all excited that we had ourselves a celebrity! poot.

[Suki]

$800 would be a good average. Many factors here. What tires to run? How long will you run them before switching out? How many races each weekend? Run race fuel or pump? Keeping it on 2, or crashing much?
So far through my first year, I have usually spent $600-700 each weekend (running 3-4 races and Sat practice plus 1 set of new tires). When you get into double header weekends (especially out of state) I drop about $1200-1400 for the weekend. I stick to budget basics (like pump fuel) all year. I think you will find a lot of others spend a bit more on the weekends.

DAYUM!

[SiC-0]

So can i write you a check?

[R1Gurl]

Yea, I won't be racing ANY time soon!! lol


not that I have the skill to do it...

[CBRChick]

Yea, I won't be racing ANY time soon!! lol


not that I have the skill to do it...

You don't necessarily have to have the skill to do it ... I'm not what you would call fast... but my goal was to not finish last... and I never did :D

[R1Gurl]

oh I probably would finish last because I'm afraid of crashing...and I know crashing is just part of the game. A lot of other riders have told me I've got good form...I just need to work on being faster in the corners, and I could do it.

[Lel399]

I guess ill pop my posting cherry on this one :)

1. What is the average cost to get started racing?
2. How much does it cost average for a race weekend with the MRA?
3. How many times do you use your tires before they need to be replaced?
4. How often do you change your brake fluid on your race bikes?
5. How often do you change the oil?

to follow up on those questions...

1) Average cost is going to be dependent on what you have/need... and it can be broken apart into three things... cost to get the bike ready, cost to get yourself ready, cost to get 'track' ready.

First to get the bike ready, figure about $1000 bucks on the low side. $750ish for good bodywork (its worth the money to go with a good set... Sharkskins $950, Attack - $750, trust me it will be worth it when you crash and it doesnt shatter) Plus then another $250 for covers/wiring etc (doing it yourself). Thats BASIC ready... if you want to get into rearsets (recommneded) exhaust, pc3, quickshifter, ignition module (needed for most quickshifters on new models) then your talking another 2 g's easy.

Getting yourself ready, dont waste the money on a two piece suit... not only are they uncomfortable but they are not nearly as safe. Spend a good $600-$1200 on a GOOD suit (fieldsheer, astars, rs-taichi are some of my favorites) Teknics work alright... but youll be spending a lot in getting seems repaired, they pop everytime you crash a teknic. Back protector $100, boots $250-300, helmet... again spend the money... go Shoei or Arai imo... HJC's are 'ok' but not nearly the helmets that Shoei or Arai are. Assume those are level 1 helmets... level 2 consists of HJC, KBC, Icon, Suomy. Gloves $150. Then you have to do the class and get a license. I believe the MRA shool is $150, and $75? for a license, and then you can buy a transponder for $300ish (or rent them for 40ish a weekend next year)

Getting track ready, well assuming you have a way to get your bike to the track (there is no such thing as riding a bike to the track when youre racing) You need a generator, fuel jug, tire warmers, spares, ez up (you will want one)... now you ask do you 'need' tire warmers... well no... but do you NEED tire warmers... yes. Its a lot safer, it extends the life of the tires etc etc... there are plenty of posts about tire warmers out there. Figure a quick $1500 in misc things to be 'track ready'

Man, i have already gotten quite long winded on the first post! :)

To sum up #1
$1000 - Get the bike ready
$250ish - assuming you have gear/back protector
$1500ish - track ready
---------
$2750 on the VERY low side to be ready to race.


2)Cost of a weekend can vary... but my friends and I have a running joke... everything in racing costs a G :) and that is about what a weekend will cost (roughly) for a middle of the road effort.

Tires - 275-400 (depending on brand)
Entry Fees - 250ish (depending on classes)
Fuel/Lodging/Meals etc - $250

We are at 800 right there... so Mark is pretty spot on his estimate of about $800/weekend. But start factoring in race fuel ($12-$30/gallon) multiple sets of tires you can go up quickly :)

3) As you get faster, you will go through tires quite a bit more. I go through a set a weekend, for 3 sprint races and 1 endurance race.... i use a new set on sunday for the sprints, and reuse those same tires in the endurance race/practice the next weekend. Figure as your starting out you can go every other weekendish. Its not just the amount of 'tread' left on the tire, but the amount of heat cycles the tire goes through.

4) I change brake pads about every third race weekend (i went through 3 sets this year in 9 race weekends and practice) just like tires the faster you go the more you go through consumables. Brake fluid I changed twice... once because i had some fade... and once because i crashed and needed to change master cylinders :) Figure once-twice a year is a good idea... the heat the fluid takes in a race really brakes it down a lot faster than you would think.

5) I say i try to change it after every three 'riding outings' and do a filter every other time i do that. So one practice day, a race weekend, then a practice day inbetween i would try to change it... so every 3 times a made a 'trip' to the track i would try to change it, a race weekend counting as one 'trip'

Sorry for being so long winded on the first post :)

lel

[SiC-0]

Jason, thank you very much for all that. Its very important to know these things before taking on an endevor like racing. Thank you.

Oh and im glad that you had a good season!

[R1Gurl]

THANKS Jason!!! I guess I need 6 jobs, so I can afford to race. :(


How depressing!

[Bueller]

Cost was one of the reasons I quit racing MRA, it was a crap load of fun, but I just couldn't justify that $600 to $1000 a weekend, and that was when the long haul track was La Junta.

Now I race SuperMoto and spend $200-$500 a weekend and the high end is for a Double Header at Miller.

My Bike cost me $3200 for an '04 in '06 and $1300 for a really nice used conversion setup.
I run road race take-offs at $50 to $65 a set, just gotta find a guy like hcr25 that raced an SV and your set :) The last set of Pirelli slicks I got from Mike I ran 2 classes at the last Grand Junction Race, 2 practice days since and they will get me thru the Double Header coming up at Miller this month and possibly another practice day.

Entry fee for me to run 3 classes is $135.

My worst crash so far has cost me $45 to fix my bike.

It isn't nearly as fast as road racing, and I kind of miss that thrill, but we do drag knee, purposely slide the rear and we get to jump our bikes.

[Lel399]

thats awesome... i would love to try supermoto... though dont want to give up roadracing quite yet... and definately cant afford both.

I guess I still love driving to miller/vegas/nebraska etc for tracks... 12 hours is no biggie to go for a track imo... its just part of the hobby.

lel

[PlayfulGod]

Nice write ups

[Trackstar1.com]

1. What is the average cost to get started racing?

Well theres different ways to get it done and that depends on your race org's rulebook too. We have a Clubman class in the MOM Series at Miller for beginners. You run a streetbike taped off like a trackday with proper safety gear. You do need to take a class though and pass before you go out.

For regular racing: Figure $100 for license, $$$ for their certification class if you dont hold a license somewhere else. Case covers or guards, steering damper, bodywork and then stripping all the old stuff off. Safety wiring is about $80 if you have someone do it.

El Cheapo route you can get a bike track ready for under $1000 if you have to buy everything needed. To do it right it will cost you pretty much all the money you have. Trust me...I burned through over $20000 last year.

2. How much does it cost average for a race weekend with the MRA?

Dont know MRA but MOM depends on how many classes you race. With practice, Endurance and 5 sprints on Sunday figure $500

In the MOM Series you can really make racing cheap by volunteering at the track. We offer volunteer credits that you can use towards race fee's.

3. How many times do you use your tires before they need to be replaced?

I go 2 days (ractice and race). But you can stretch that out.

4. How often do you change your brake fluid on your race bikes?

When it changes color.


5. How often do you change the oil?

Every weekend.

[Cutty72]

Every weekend.

Great write up. :scenic:

[duncanmoto]

There's some great info here. It's great to read what other track experiences are like around the country.

I would like to add that it is well worth it to be prepared and to not skimp on certain things. Tire warmers, brake pads, tires, oil, etc. Any consumables need to be kept in good running order all the time. It will definitly keep the more expensive repair costs down.

Now for those of you who think it's too expensive. You need to at least do a track day. One step up from that is to do the certification school. Up at LRRS N.H. there is the Penguin racing school, which is a great starting point. For $250 you get the class and track time which is Friday and Saturday morning. For another $400+ you get their track ready Ducati ss900 with pit crew, tires, gas, adjustments. Saturday rookie race plus one other race gets you the license. Once you have the license you can rent their ss900 for the weekend for $400 and race it. Gas, tires all included. Of course you can also get bike damage insurance for $150/day. If you ussually get the extra insurance on a rental car, then you really want to get it on a bike that you will be encouraged to beat on.

I spent exactly $1,135 my 1st weekend and got my license to boot and raced twice. After that, I have rented their bikes on 2 other weekends and spent $700 for the bike with insurance and $205 to $340 for races, entrance fees also my wifes pit pass. So this scenario costs about $1,000 for the weekend and you don't have to buy the parts or do the work or worry about fuel/tire/oil/brake pad costs.

I did this for 3 race weekends and then decided to make my own race bike. I chose wisely and my expenses are not that high. I took a Ducati ss, which has a dry clutch, Ohlins rear to start and no belly pan, fairing or radiator flush requirement and an, easy to replace/repair, dry clutch. I spent $500 having the forks reworked. $25 on a matched Ohlins spring, $270 on rearsets, $300 on tires and she was ready to go.

$105 gets me and wife into the track for the weekend, including Friday after 2pm. practice.
$40 of pump gas.
$270 for 4 race entries and practice Sat. and Sun.
$40 Oil change. (do this every weekend)
$100 Tires (pro-rata. I get 3 weekends out of them using tire warmers)

That's under $600 per weekend, which leaves me $400 per weekend for other improvements or crash replacement parts. I basically averaged $1,000 per weekend after food and improvement/crash parts. I am porbably averaging about $200 per weekend in upgrade or crash replacement parts.

Now, to be fair. I am one of the slower guys out there. I have a .5 index for 2007 which means I finish right about in the middle of my races. I use less tire, less brake and I pass only when it is a sure thing. I have had only 1 crash in 9 races and 3 practice days this year and it was because I skimped on the tires. The faster guys spend allot more cash than I do. I am the low end.

One of the riders we sponsor just started this year. He showed great promise after the 1st 6 weekends on a $3,500, already race prepped, sv650 which cost him about $800/ weekend to run including races and entrance fees. He did very well, winning 3 out of 4 of his last SV weekend races. we helped him set up a new bike. Even with our sponsorship (about $3,000 of benefit) his 2006 R6 all set up is about $20,000 including purchase price. He races 6-8 races per weekend and goes through a set of tires completely. His consumable and entry fee cost is closer to $1,300 or more than twice that of my race budget. That is before crash parts.

So, there is a pretty broad range. If you even have the slightest desire to try racing, then you can make it work. Just take a school where you can rent the bike and race that weekend. Make sure you want to really get into it before you dive in.

-TedD.