Newbie looking for advice on Arrive & Drive

Hi everyone,

you have a great community here, and I've been browsing on and off as I was always looking from the window into motorsport, before actually having the time and money to actually pursue anything realistically.

I'm in Europe, and after a lot of soul and web searching, this year I'm going as much as I responsibly can to get into a proper sanctioned series, and maybe a couple of friendly organisations like unsanctioned endurance races.

I've gotten my equipment sorted, and found a couple of series in Germany that I can do and look OK for beginners. Before I start selling actual road cars to get a race car (which I'm not against mid/long term), I am looking to do arrive & drive so that I can enjoy it as much as I can and have some help and handholding in the beginning.

 I've found a few teams that charge a really affordable sum per weekend, and then one team that is near as makes no difference double the cost. They're a good team, they don't only run small classes, but also field GT4 and Porsche Cup seasons, and quite successfully too. Before committing any further, I wanted the forum's input based on your experience:

Will I see the value of the more expensive team for my first couple of weekends or is it better to spend the same money and run a full season with a smaller team?

I'm inclined towards the second, and think that going to more events is probably better than doind half of them with a "better" team. I'm probably not going to be competitive anyways... On the other hand, either the expense or the "larger" team effect gives some comfort, but honestly I'm not sure - hence me asking here.

Thanks in advance for anyone that pitches in here and helps a newbie out :)

Do you have any racing experience, or are you just starting out?  Arrive and drive can be a great way to put your toe in the water in one  of the smaller classes.  I don't know what they run in Europe, but I did it in Spec Racer Ford here in the US.  At that level I don't know that it makes a lot of difference if the place you get the car from is a large or small operation, you just want one with well maintained cars and a helpful crew.

Arrive-and-drive deals generally come in two flavors. Either you're joining a group of racers who are pooling their funds to field a car, or you're contracting with a prep shop as a pure customer.

The first option will generally mean that you'll be expected to provide more than just cash and driving. Teams like this are usually not in the business of racing, they're simply covering their costs to stay on track. So labor and investment beyond payment is usually expected as well. This route can be very rewarding and can lead to close friendships and an understanding of the logistics and operations of motorsport far beyond what simply renting a seat can provide.

On the other hand, renting from a prep shop specializing in arrive-and-drive arrangements can be more expensive from a cash perspective, but that price comes with benefits. These shops make their money providing a service and working hardware, so the equipment and the labor are usually going to be top-notch. As a newer driver, you will tend to finish more races and with better results as a customer of a professional prep shop than with an independent team. 

So I think your decision comes down to long term goals. Starting out with a small independent team can be a great way to jump into motorsport for the long haul, but understand that there may be frustrations along the way. Going with a pro shop comes with the benefits of guaranteed quality, but at a price.

Maybe an option is to contract with a pro shop for a couple races and use that opportunity to make friends on the grid and "scout" some independent teams that may be looking for additional  members?

I'd probably go with the smaller cheaper team. I'd assume I'm a back marker starting out and the most competitive car would probably be wasted on me.

However my concern would be if they can turn around a repair that would otherwise end a race weekend. Say the car blows an axle. Do they keep spares? Do they have mechanics on site to work on the car? Who pays for a mechanical failure? What happens if there is an incident? What happens if you show up and the car can't pass tech for some reason or is out of commission? I'd work through a list of 'what if' questions with potential teams and make sure you're okay with the answers.

And here's a video that might offer some additional insight:

thanks for the replies, very helpful insights.

I'm looking to race E36 318ti in Germany, probably in the BMW Challenge series, as the actual 318ti Cup has lots of cars at once, and contact is rampant. So there is a consensus from a couple of teams I've spoken with that it's easier to start in the multi-class Challenge series, were things are a lot calmer in-class, and then on a following season try for 318ti Cup if I want to.

For the teams, they're all German and even the cheaper ones come with a fully stocked tech team to help and maintain, and they have a track record, so it looks like I haven't come across the guy in a shed preparing and fielding a car. Honestly, I'd love to do that, and would love to do crew duty as well, but haven't found this so far (maybe one guy I spoke too) and think for the first couple of outings to have everything buttoned up.

The expensive team provides everything, even catering at the track, and they do many classes. Other teams also have higher class participations and come with mechanics and spares, I honestly can't see where the extra money is. And since this is a spec-race it can't be that the car will be that much faster in the end. Anyway, still thinking about it, and will probably bite the bullet one way or another next week.

In reply to DonMolina :

My advice to you is go visit the team at an event. Go with the one you gel with.

From your description it sounds like you'd do better with a team that has a more family atmosphere than a more serious one.

DonMolina said:

And since this is a spec-race it can't be that the car will be that much faster in the end.

Heh.  It all depends on how serious people are about the class and how much they're willing to spend on chasing down lots of minor performance advantages.  A top-line Spec Miata can be a couple seconds faster than a cheap one, for example.  This is one area where the shops that have been around the longest know the tricks.

I started racing a couple of years ago, and IMHO the single most important thing is having a reliable car.  Having the mechanic and spares at the track to fix a car that breaks is a part of this, but the bigger and more important factor is doing the preventative maintenance *before* the car goes to the track.  Tracking lifetimes of parts and replacing them before they break is expensive and "invisible", but IME also very important.  As a rookie you may not need a car with the inherent speed of the front runners, but you definitely want one with the reliability of them.

Another thing to think about is that coaching is a huge part of success in this sport.  Does the team provide it?  If so, do they have a full-time coach or is it just one of the other drivers who will glance at your data for a few minutes after a session?