chumpcar ride?

I dont know if this is the best place to ask, but here goes....

chumpcar is coming to daytona in may. This is just too close to home for me to not as least TRY to get in on the action.

My question is, how much will this cost me?

It is a grand total to enter, split between some drivers...but I would imagine that I would need to pay more than my split to run...and then maybe have a "crash" fund set aside also?

I even considered building up my own car, but time is tight with my toddler and other responsibilities, and it might be tough to do.

Although, I know some guys go in half'sies or third'sies, etc with other guys on a car, and they all pitch in time and money to build it up. That might be something I would be able to do....

That way we all know each other, test and tune it together, etc, so when race time comes, we arent just handing the car off to a stranger in the hopes that it doesnt end up in a wall and ruin our chances of getting our runs in...lol

Is there a place to go to find other like minded people who might be interested in doing something like this?
I figured this would be a good place to start...

I ran an ITB suzuki swift gti with the SCCA from 04 to 08. I was decently competitive in what was a mid level prepped IT car, never had a crash or off course excursion, etc...but when the boy was born, I sold it to pay for diapers.... I'm a more mature driver, who is patient enough to wait till the next corner or lap to make a pass rather than some low percentage move that ends up with me bumping pelvises with the wall or another car.... with endurance, finishing is pretty damn important, ha ha.

anyways, anybody else found themselves thinking what I'm thinking? and what did you do about it?

If anybody is in the daytona to orlando area and wants to meet, or even meet at an autox or something, to talk about it...please let me know my handle is my name, and I'm in deltona.

peace

I would sign up at the ChumpCar forum and browse the section where teams and people are looking for rides/drivers. Check the Lemons forum as well for their events. Post that you're looking for a team to drive for and be prepared to talk about your experience and what you can bring to the table. Some teams are better than others, if they have been running for a while you can check their prior results to see if they are reliable, etc.

Typically you have to have your own safety equipment and help pay for consumables/entry fees. Figure around $500/driver it seems. Some teams only have the drivers pay for consumables or their license fee. It depends on the team.

Let me know if you're interested in purchasing a Chumpcar?? I have one too many track cars for the amount of spare time I have.

I see teams offering seats to offset expenses frequently. The going rate seems to be about $600 all-inclusive for the weekend for a mid-pack car. This is a better deal than building your own.

Daytona is a big time venue, and they book fast. It may be harder to pick up a seat.

hey, thx for all the suggestions. I am going to check out the chumpcar forum and see where it goes from there... I was prepared to have to buy my own safety gear, and that isnt an issue. It does sound like 5 to 600 to just drive may be a good deal too...

That was kind of what I was looking for...a neighborhood of price range to just drive a session.

unk577 wrote: Let me know if you're interested in purchasing a Chumpcar?? I have one too many track cars for the amount of spare time I have.

If I found others to share the expense and work with, I would be interested.

If I was going to build one, I would probably try and stay with something I'm familiar with...like honda, for instance...

what do ya have?

Yeah, I'd say $600-$700 is about the going/fair rate.

That said, I would DEFINITELY ask the owner what happens in the event of a wreck/mechanical failure, not only to see what you're on the hook for if you wad up the car, but if you get some of that cash back if you never got a chance to drive.

I'm guessing there's more than one guy with 110 gallons of fuel in his garage who wadded up his E36 M3 in the first hour.

And yeah, having done both (not my car, but a car that I poured a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into,) the $500-$700 thing has a LOT more benefits than being the guy who has to build, trailer, and manage a team. Having been through that whole deal, a seat in my imaginary car would be closer to a grand.

If you do decide to build something and split the cost, good fences make good neighbors; i.e., "Guys, are we splitting every single expense 4 ways? If so, everything needs to be documented on a spreadsheet." There's one in every crowd who always gets the free meal and never buys Waffle House. berkeley that guy. You don't need him anyway. But he can tear your team apart before you get the chance to cut the cord.

mattbatson wrote:

unk577 wrote: Let me know if you're interested in purchasing a Chumpcar?? I have one too many track cars for the amount of spare time I have.

If I found others to share the expense and work with, I would be interested. If I was going to build one, I would probably try and stay with something I'm familiar with...like honda, for instance... what do ya have?

I have "the answer"

email me at unk577@yahoo.com and I'll send you pics and details

unk577 wrote:

mattbatson wrote:

unk577 wrote: Let me know if you're interested in purchasing a Chumpcar?? I have one too many track cars for the amount of spare time I have.

If I found others to share the expense and work with, I would be interested. If I was going to build one, I would probably try and stay with something I'm familiar with...like honda, for instance... what do ya have?

I have "the answer" email me at unk577@yahoo.com and I'll send you pics and details

ha ha, okay email sent

poopshovel wrote: Yeah, I'd say $600-$700 is about the going/fair rate. That said, I would DEFINITELY ask the owner what happens in the event of a wreck/mechanical failure, not only to see what you're on the hook for if you wad up the car, but if you get some of that cash back if you never got a chance to drive. I'm guessing there's more than one guy with 110 gallons of fuel in his garage who wadded up his E36 M3 in the first hour. And yeah, having done both (not my car, but a car that I poured a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into,) the $500-$700 thing has a LOT more benefits than being the guy who has to build, trailer, and manage a team. Having been through that whole deal, a seat in my imaginary car would be closer to a grand. If you do decide to build something and split the cost, good fences make good neighbors; i.e., "Guys, are we splitting every single expense 4 ways? If so, everything needs to be documented on a spreadsheet." There's one in every crowd who always gets the free meal and never buys Waffle House. berkeley that guy. You don't need him anyway. But he can tear your team apart before you get the chance to cut the cord.

I hear you...getting the car ready, trailering, etc is a lot of work for sure. I figure that if the total entrance fee is 1000, for instance....and you have say 4 total drivers, and two of those are paying for a seat at around 700 bucks....so that is 400 dollars in their pocket and they are racing for free (assume two owners in this scenario)

so yeah, lots of work goes into building one, but after a few races I bet much of the car is paid off? paid off by somebody else...nothing beats other peoples money, lol

and you essentially have no race fees except for gas, brake pads, and tires....which, after the car is paid off, would be covered partially by that 400 dollars you are getting extra every race....

I did go to the chumpcar forum and found a team in lake county near me, so I emailed them and we will see what happens.

you've got mail

poopshovel wrote: Yeah, I'd say $600-$700 is about the going/fair rate. That said, I would DEFINITELY ask the owner what happens in the event of a wreck/mechanical failure, not only to see what you're on the hook for if you wad up the car, but if you get some of that cash back if you never got a chance to drive. I'm guessing there's more than one guy with 110 gallons of fuel in his garage who wadded up his E36 M3 in the first hour. And yeah, having done both (not my car, but a car that I poured a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into,) the $500-$700 thing has a LOT more benefits than being the guy who has to build, trailer, and manage a team. Having been through that whole deal, a seat in my imaginary car would be closer to a grand. If you do decide to build something and split the cost, good fences make good neighbors; i.e., "Guys, are we splitting every single expense 4 ways? If so, everything needs to be documented on a spreadsheet." There's one in every crowd who always gets the free meal and never buys Waffle House. berkeley that guy. You don't need him anyway. But he can tear your team apart before you get the chance to cut the cord.

A group of good friends ran a very successful motorcycle endurance roadracing team for something like 12 years. They won 5 consecutive national championships, and were a model of dedication and teamwork.

Early on however, there were a lot of tough days. And weekends. And seasons. I believe it was the first season a particular team member called into question the $40/member line item for food for an event, stating that all they'd had "was this Pop Tart".

Things became quite bitter and acrimonious, and this particular rider harbored ill feelings toward his former friends and team mates forever more.

Finally, many years later, a fantastic stage was set: Pop Tart guy's team lead my friend's team by 1 point going in to the final event of the season. Whoever crossed the line first was going to be national champion. My friends had a new rider on the roster who is currently a prominent AMA Superbike rider. Pop Tart dude then declared himself "injured" and flew a hotshoe Texas endurance racer in.

The night before the race, someone taped a PopTart to the tank of the Pop Tart guy's A bike with "Get Well!" in Sharpie neatly lettered.

The next day, at about the 2 hour mark, team Pop Tart didn't come by in the field. Eventually, the Texas Hotshoe coasted under the bridge, down the hill, and into the hot pit where it was determined that the motor had done blowed up. They restarted on their B bike, which means the previous laps are nullified, ie. they're 2 hours down.

It is known in lore and legend as "The $40 Pop Tart".

So, yeah. Get that weekend budget in writing.

There are also chumpcar rental companies. Just something to look into.

motomoron wrote:

poopshovel wrote: Yeah, I'd say $600-$700 is about the going/fair rate. That said, I would DEFINITELY ask the owner what happens in the event of a wreck/mechanical failure, not only to see what you're on the hook for if you wad up the car, but if you get some of that cash back if you never got a chance to drive. I'm guessing there's more than one guy with 110 gallons of fuel in his garage who wadded up his E36 M3 in the first hour. And yeah, having done both (not my car, but a car that I poured a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into,) the $500-$700 thing has a LOT more benefits than being the guy who has to build, trailer, and manage a team. Having been through that whole deal, a seat in my imaginary car would be closer to a grand. If you do decide to build something and split the cost, good fences make good neighbors; i.e., "Guys, are we splitting every single expense 4 ways? If so, everything needs to be documented on a spreadsheet." There's one in every crowd who always gets the free meal and never buys Waffle House. berkeley that guy. You don't need him anyway. But he can tear your team apart before you get the chance to cut the cord.

A group of good friends ran a very successful motorcycle endurance roadracing team for something like 12 years. They won 5 consecutive national championships, and were a model of dedication and teamwork. Early on however, there were a lot of tough days. And weekends. And seasons. I believe it was the first season a particular team member called into question the $40/member line item for food for an event, stating that all they'd had "was this Pop Tart". Things became quite bitter and acrimonious, and this particular rider harbored ill feelings toward his former friends and team mates forever more. Finally, many years later, a fantastic stage was set: Pop Tart guy's team lead my friend's team by 1 point going in to the final event of the season. Whoever crossed the line first was going to be national champion. My friends had a new rider on the roster who is currently a prominent AMA Superbike rider. Pop Tart dude then declared himself "injured" and flew a hotshoe Texas endurance racer in. The night before the race, someone taped a PopTart to the tank of the Pop Tart guy's A bike with "Get Well!" in Sharpie neatly lettered. The next day, at about the 2 hour mark, team Pop Tart didn't come by in the field. Eventually, the Texas Hotshoe coasted under the bridge, down the hill, and into the hot pit where it was determined that the motor had done blowed up. They restarted on their B bike, which means the previous laps are nullified, ie. they're 2 hours down. It is known in lore and legend as "The $40 Pop Tart". So, yeah. Get that weekend budget in writing.

ha ha ha I actually ran with the CCS in middleweight for a few years back in the late nineties. i bet I know the racers you refer to in your post. never did endurance, just sprint races.

I did see a chumpcar rental company advertising 950 per seat at this event.

which leaves me to question if I shouldnt just build my own. I built my ITB car up from a car with a blown motor sitting abandoned in a guys backyard, and I certainly learned a lot from that experience.

a chumpcar build would be much cheaper, and I weld now so i could order the cage for 600 bucks and weld it in myself

I actually have a 93 civic DD....bone stock, beat up/dented, with 200k miles...that I could put a cage in and the rest of the safety equipment for less than the 950 dollar seat rental.

I still have my tow vehicle and trailer, so I would be pretty set.

hmmm....