Becoming a Gentleman Racer

I want to run a plan by the collective.
I have an opportunity to rent a car for a race license school for sometime in the next year. A couple of HPDE's and the school would land me my NASA license for not a lot of money. My plan at that point would be to rent a seat in various cars between one and four times a year until I figure out what sort of racing I want to do and how the cost of that racing fits into having a family and having four kids go through college in the next 15 years or so. I would become what I've always thought of as a gentleman racer. One who flys in with their helmet and suit in a duffle and drives for the weekend and contributes little besides money and good cheer. It's not a cheap way to race, but when I run the numbers it seems like the most affordable way to get 1-3 weekends of racing a year while sorting out what it is that I want to end up racing.
Any thoughts or input on this plan of action?

I would think that it's a modest way to race. Consider the money spent towing, money spent on a trailer, on a tow vehicle, on a tow vehicle's insurance, licence, maintenance, storage, plus the costs associated with keeping up a race car, pit equipment, and all the other costs associated with being an owner, all for the sake of running said car a few times a year. I think it's way cheaper to arrive and drive. Then consider what sort of income you could derive when the time spent maintaining/preparing the race car, tow vehicle and trailer was instead spent earning income. Sounds like a plan to me.

I like your plan. I think that spending a weekend racing and then going home with nothing more than happy memories is better than spending several weeks rebuilding/maintaining the car you thrashed for a few hours.

Not to mention storing said car, it's trailer, and keeping the truck used to haul it in good nick and legal.

For the next decade or so that extra time will be spent coaching soccer and helping with homework and engaging in hobbies that include my kids, which will include autocross and rallycross in just shy of 3.5 years when my oldest gets her permit. I'd love to build an actual race car and hit 15 events a year but I can't see how that could happen. On the other hand, I don't want to let my inability to commit to the full on racing life keep me from ever participating.

I like your plan, but will present an alternate idea:

Judging by your college timeframe, I assume your kids are varying in age between early teen and little guys. Are any of them interested in cars? Do you want them to be?

If yes to either, perhaps build a car with them. Doesn't have to be a world-beater. Hell, go Miata or e30 or something else with a lot of support. As you build it, start as an autocrosser, add cage and race components, keep it street-legal (or for at least as long as possible). Maybe a few years down the road the kid(s) will want to go to the track WITH you. Time with your kids while racing (ah, tell 'em to crew!).

or something like that. Had to throw it out there, even notwithstanding your last post. Or maybe I'm just saying all that because I'd rather spend money for a few years on my own car, making how I want it, and then eventually do with it what I intended "when the time comes" (e.g. the rallycross e30 is "intended" for 2 years from now to be fully spec'd for stage rally (which would, more or less, also make it pretty close to road-racing spec in some scenarios with perhaps some spring/sway/wheel/tire swap in between).

IDK, just babbling :)

My daughters first car will be a project car. She already knows this. Whether it becomes just a functional street car or a full on race car will depend on how into it she is. I'm going to insist on autocross and rallycross for a year or two because I think the skills it develops will help her survive on the street. If she likes it, cool, if not, she'll still be a better car driver and owner for the experience. I will repeat that procedure for all of my kids. If things progress to actual wheel to wheel racing for any of them I'll certainly end up being support for that. It's what I like to do as a dad.

I did this myself for a number of years - once or twice a year I'd rent a Spec Racer Ford. All I had to do was show up and get in the car, everything else was taken care of. It worked out great, all I had to worry about was driving.

stuart in mn wrote: I did this myself for a number of years - once or twice a year I'd rent a Spec Racer Ford. All I had to do was show up and get in the car, everything else was taken care of. It worked out great, all I had to worry about was driving.

Anything you'd do differently? SRF is one of the cars I really want to drive.

I have the full self-supported race package, no kids, and even I struggle to do more than 4-5 events per year. I think your plan has definite merit, particularly considering you don't know what you want to race. If you want to try Spec E30 (and you know you do), contact my pals at Drive Gear race car rentals and tell them Dwight sent you. Their cars are competitive and very affordable.

It is a really expensive hobby even at the ultra-amateur level, and that's assuming you don't break anything or have a Spec 944 run into you.

mazdeuce wrote: Anything you'd do differently? SRF is one of the cars I really want to drive.

Not really (well, I thought about buying a car but I decided it didn't fit my budget and I wasn't that committed to racing. I wasn't bad, but figured out soon enough that I was never going to be the next Michael Schumacher.) They're a good car to learn in; they're pretty durable and safe, fun to drive, there's not a lot of setup required, and I liked that it was a purpose built race car - it wasn't necessarily better than a converted street car but it felt 'racier' to be in a center cockpit car.

edit: I raced at Hallett in Oklahoma, mainly because the place is owned by my cousins, but it's a well run operation and a great track - if you're in Texas you're not terribly far away from there.

In reply to stuart in mn:

I know a bunch of people that drive at Hallett and it's one of the tracks I plan to drive on in the next few years. Thanks for your insight.

I can't offer any help when it comes to NASA, but if you want to get your feet wet right away, crapcan racing is probably the easiest and most affordable. It requires no licensing and you can fly in and race just about anywhere these days. Between Lemons and Chump, you can get on a lot of different big-name tracks. Depending on the team you hook up with, some of the top cars are incredibly well set up for crapcans and post lap times equivalent or faster than various spec classes.

Assume the following: I have a ton of track time on motorcycles and in karts and cars. I have a machine shop, a fab shop, know composites and paint, and have enough garage space, time, and money.

I never considered arrive and drive - it seemed like too much money at the time. So when I was offered a 2000 Radical for $10k I jumped on it. A sports racer for the same money as a few events in a spec Miata and you get to keep the car? What's not to like?

So I got the car, did SCCA school, didn't screw up and got my rookie stripes off in 2 events, and had a good time.

In the process I realized the car really needed going through before the next season, so in the spirit of the long view and "while I'm there", I took off most of the next season to renovate house and car. When I returned for the Labor Day Double at Summit Point, I had a new everything aside from the chassis and bodywork. I took off a lot of time, got a win, and balled the car up during Saturday qualifying the last event of the season.

This winter past was spent acquiring a set of body molds to facilitate making a body, and doing a down-to-the-last-fastener rebuild of the car.with a focus on chassis development and eradicating every bit of wear or deferred maintenance. Again, my work schedule - I'm a part time contractor/consultant to a gov. agency and can move my hours around - and the support of my awesome wife made it possible.

3 months of total immersion in a car project with a totally finite deadline is awesome when it's going well (designing and machining/fabricating new stuff that fits, assembling a new car with freshly powdercoated parts and new bearings/bushings/hardware) and hateful at it's worst (4 weeks of preparing molds, waxing/mold release/spraying/brushing gelcoat, cutting cloth and mat, endless wet fiberglass layup in 12 hour sessions. Itching horribly for a month straight). I've been doing this sort of thing a long time, but I've never done as much in a short a time.

At the season opener double the car was perfect straight off the trailer, and I scored 2 class wins while getting a 3rd and a 4th in the group overall. With the car (finally) really completely sorted, preparation for an event requires about 12 hours:

• Unpack from the previous event.
• Car in the air, remove body and wheels, clean.
• Order any necessary parts/supplies/tires
• Any post race repairs.
• Nut and bolt, fluids if necessary, set gearing for next event.
• Have tires flipped/swapped as needed.
• Deal with logistics for next event. Registration, hotel, moving life around to fit.
• Pack paddock and driver gear, spares, tools. Load trailer and truck.
• Tow to event, Friday practice at VIR, NJMP, Carolina. Scrub new tires, use up old tires.
• Saturday; qualify and race. Sunday; race or at doubles, qualify and race.
• Pack up, tow home, unload.
• Repeat 8 times.

So it's a lot. I get to run at the pointy end of the fast bunch, and this year is the last year for CSR in SCCA, so I'm chasing my local series championship against a field of newer, faster, better funded efforts. Where I ~have~ to make it up is with perfect preparation and the best driving I can manage.

After this season, provided I have an intact car I'm likely to dial it back next season. Do the Summit rounds, do a few time trials, ballast the car and do some B mod autocross w/ SCCA, maybe the Cumberland Airport autocross series, try a hill climb.

If your goals are:

• Get a race license.
• Do some racing.

And it's not the fulfillment of your lifelong Mount Everest goal of world domination as the underdog totally self-contained one man effort...

Do it, and do it now. I can absolutely guarantee - factoring in all costs - it's the most cost effective way forward.

Maybe check out the Gentleman's Guide to Racing. That is my lottery lifestyle:

TheGentlemansGuidetoRacing.com

I've been doing the arrive-and-drive thing with Lemons teams for the last few years and it's been a ton of fun. Yes it's not SCCA sanctioned racing but it's door to door wheel to wheel racing on awesome tracks and lots of it. I've paid anywhere from $500 to $800 in entry fees to drive everything from a 1958 Wartburg 311 to a 1993 Lexus LS400. Driven on seven different tracks and learned a ton about car control.

While I'm there, I'm fully invested in being part of the team, working on the cars and helping set up and tear down the camp. But between races given geographical distances, I'm limited to encouraging emails.

It's been really enjoyable and limits the amount of between race time I'm committed to. From having built Lemons cars in the past I know it's cheaper than having your own car. It's not as satisfying on some levels as building your own or being involved in a build, but there's no way I could do six races in one year with a car I had to prep for each race.

I think it is a great plan. Like motomoron, I never considered it because... $800-$1200 / day seems like a fortune.

I know two guys who live in NYC where it is prohibitive to even own a car... they race rental spec E30s four or five times a year and swear they would not be able to race at all any other way.

When you add up all the costs of ownership, including truck, trailer, fuel, tires, brakes... etc... it is either cheaper or a push to just pay to play and if you don't love wrenching and fabricating - all that time you are not in the garage can be used for other things. Case in point... I had to buy another car (E36) after the 911 left just to make it to the track because my race car is still under the knife and I didn't want to sit out all summer. So... now I have two race cars. I could have raced 2 full weekends with no worries instead. It's downright stupid thinking on my part.

I like that it offers the opportunity to try different racing classes and series - and for endurance racing it is absolutely the right entry level move. I shudder at what 8hrs of full tilt racing would do to my current race car's already expensive wear/tear ratio. Who has time for all that refreshing or logistical planning? Team owners, that's who.

The downside... likely not getting the most competitive hardware. Can't force improvements or make decisions.

Thats it really.

Does anyone know what the real costs are for renting a car (e30, mx-5) for a weekend of NASA/SCCA racing? IIRC, the GRM article about renting a fully crewed MX-5 Cup car was close to $10k a weekend. $800-1000 is firmly in crapcan rental territory and that is already pushing the limit of what I want to spend.

The b-spec car I looking at renting is in the neighborhood of $600 a day for school and or/shorter race days. This is coming from a friend who trusts me, knows I can write a check for the car if I kill it, and still have a rental contract that says I will pay for it. I think the contract will also require me to carry track insurance for the weekend.

That's basically what I'm doing with LeChump.

If your goals are: Get a race license. Do some racing. And it's not the fulfillment of your lifelong Mount Everest goal of world domination as the underdog totally self-contained one man effort... Do it, and do it now. I can absolutely guarantee - factoring in all costs - it's the most cost effective way forward.

INCREDIBLY well put. I've been on both sides of it. "Arrive and drive" is so berkeleying amazingly nice. Thank God for the guys that have to have complete control (I mean that sincerely, not snarky.)

I get the itch to build a LeChump car often. I then remember the huge responsibility of being the guy who's responsible for getting the car too and from the track, making sure it runs, delegating responsibility. It's just way too berkeleying much like work, minus the "making money" part.

My $.02. YMMV.

If you're renting, specify how new/old of tires you want. this will impact cost, but if you want the car to drive properly heat-cycled out old tires won't do.

David