I tell myself that I wouldn't make any major purchases or life changing decisions for 6 months until the dust settles and the emotion fades a bit. I'd at least let the wife quit and stay home with our daughter. I'd make sure my parents and in-laws could retire, I'd pay off my brother's student loans, I'd pay the house off, and then I'd just veg for 6 months. Go to the gym a lot. Figure out a plan for the rest of my days. I think real estate investing could be a fun hobby but who knows.
ProDarwin said:Of all of the things I could do with that money, none of them involve something that would result in commuting. Even in a Ferrari.
Oh I don't know, I'd still have to 'commute' to the airport, the track and the race shop. May as well enjoy those commutes.
ProDarwin said:Ian F said:commuting to the office
Of all of the things I could do with that money, none of them involve something that would result in commuting. Even in a Ferrari.
While I don't exactly love my job, I generally do like my coworkers as people and no amount of money would let me sleep at night knowing I'd berked them over by just up and walking out.
Adrian_Thompson said:So, who's got the most outlandish motorsport related plan once you/we/I win the half billion?
My long time outlandish motorsport dream is to start my own racing class/series. Minimal rule book with only one major performance limiting factor, as provided by me. More of a 'if the rules don't say you can't, then you can' sort of thing. Every few years the limiting factor would change too, just to keep things interesting. At the lower level it might be more like here is a (relatively weak) production engine block you must use unmodified, or here is a single inlet (or exhaust) restriction, or here is an intentionally underperforming spec tire or damper. At the higher end, if it ever drew major manufacturers/sponsorship, it would be more like, here is 24 valves, whatever engine you build must intake and exhaust exclusively through them, otherwise you may use them in whatever configuration you please. So 2v/12cyl, 3v/8cyl, 4v/6cyl, or even as many as 6v/4cyl if you can find a way to make it work. Although I would also put the limitation on recoverable energy systems that must cross the finish line with more stored/potential energy than they started the race with. I'll let the designers and engineers pretty much run wild after that, and let physics dictate the rest.
The reality is, we would have to figure out how to enjoy it in such a way that it doesn't ruin our children's perspective on the value of money.
KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:Interesting that not one of you have yet said you'd want to parlay the money into either Hollywood celebrity or political office.
Mother of Bob, why would ANYONE with enough money to do whatever they wanted want to do THAT?!
Driven5 said:
Although I would also put the limitation on recoverable energy systems that must cross the finish line with more stored/potential energy than they started the race with.
I'm pretty sure that's called a perpetual motion machine, and if you could engineer one, you wouldn't have to win the lottery to be a billionaire.
In reply to Duke :
Not if it has an internal combustion engine too.
Duke said:Driven5 said Although I would also put the limitation on recoverable energy systems that must cross the finish line with more stored/potential energy than they started the race with.I'm pretty sure that's called a perpetual motion machine, and if you could engineer one, you wouldn't have to win the lottery to be a billionaire.
Nope, easy to do. F1 has energy recovery systems already. Easy way to game the system is leave the paddock with empty or close to empty batteries. Go into full recovery mode on the warm up lap for the start of the race. End the race with nothing and do full recovery mode on the cool down lap so you have close to full batteries when you get back to parc ferme.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson :
That's why mine would be green flag to checkered flag. It's not like we don't have the technology to log such things or monitor them remotely.
Duke said:KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:Interesting that not one of you have yet said you'd want to parlay the money into either Hollywood celebrity or political office.
Mother of Bob, why would ANYONE with enough money to do whatever they wanted want to do THAT?!
Ask the Koch brothers or George Soros... of course, $400M won't even buy you a cheap seat at that table.
In reply to Driven5 :
This is fun. Do you disallow harvesting under yellows, safety car, virtual safety car, pit in etc?
Maybe straight up disallowed...Maybe anything recovered while not on-track and under green gets added to your baseline to beat when you cross the finish line, with drive through penalties being assessed if they cumulatively exceed 100% of the system capacity.
I want to race cars. I want to try it anyway. I want to service/maintain/setup them, but I don't want to drive the trailer to the track and set it all up. I want to hire a guy to come get the trailer so all I have to do is show up at the track in a car that I got ready and suit up. At the end of the weekend just throw my suit back in the trailer and drive/fly home depending on distance and wait for the trailer to get there in a few days to roll the car off and get it ready for the next event.
If the winnings are large enough, I'm definitely quitting my job. I'd buy the farm fields around my current house. Possibly stick both sets of grandparents on the two opposite corners each with new houses.
Total redo of our current place.
Add in a horse barn for her and shop for me.
First car purchase would be something with "AMG" or maybe "Turbo S" on the side of it. Of course it would have to seat the whole family; the 2 and 4 year olds in the tiny rear seats.
Pay off the small bills either of the granparents still have and that would be it for hand outs. Charitable donations are a separate consideration.
Driven5 said:In reply to Duke :
Not if it has an internal combustion engine too.
I was considering the fuel in the tank as potential energy, which in fact it is.
In reply to Duke :
Fuel in the tank is potential energy, but it is not recoverable energy. Even if it did need to be greater at the finish than the start too, that doesn't require a perpetual motion machine, just decent fuel management/pit strategy.
I'd love to race, Barber is near me. I've thought about a tract of flat near worthless land and a tractor with a box blade and 10 or 15 Toyota 2wd 4cy reg cab swb trucks with welded diffs and charge anyone with a drivers license and a waiver signed by an adult 20 bucks to hoon the Hell out of them around a dirt track with grass runoffs for 5 laps or something as a retirement option that fits in my lotto dream but mostly I would spend all the extra righting the wrongs of modern man, save habitats for animals all over, clean up hazardous waste, BUY every billboard on every highway in the US and print "Slower traffic keep right" alternating with "left lane for passing only" and "hang up and drive"
Maybe fund a US version of the Autobahn and run one along the Mississippi and the other from Hilton Head to Baja
Actually something far more reasonable and practical than buying massive race tracks, starting a series and or running a pro team is another idea I've had that would be practical for a couple of mil.
Here in SE Mi and in many places around the country land is cheap once you're 30-45 mins away from the metro area. Local clubs are always searching for autocross sites, rally cross sites etc. Also one form of motorsport that's sadly under represented in this country are sprints and hillclimbs. I'd love to build a decent club level motorsport facility with decent bathrooms, parking, a couple of garage/tech sheds etc. A short, approx. 1 mie +/-, narrow track that can be used for either an autocross (reconfigurable), sprints and maybe karts or mixed surface rallycross. Here's an example of one from the UK. Notice the scale.
In reply to Driven5 :
Possible interests in mentioned fields.
Motorsports. If I go beyond a well equipped personal garage, I would start a hot rod shop specializing in new construction cars. Factory Fives, Speedway Motors, Dynacorn Bodies. Just imagine an all new 70 Chevelle SS on a C6 chassis with a 700HP Edelbrock supercharged LS. As far as competition, I doubt I would go beyond a casual level. A full season of autoX, maybe 1 Lap.
Hollywood, I may dabble in the financing side to get what I want to see made. I won’t throw $10M at a passion project like the Tommy Wiseau.
Politics, no.
Brian said:Politics, no.
Interesting you mention politics. My wife and I have long said if we won the mega millions we would work on and initiative to get a ballot proposal banning gerrymandering on the ballot. Michigan is one of the most gerrymandered states. We are a centrist to left of center state. But we have been gerrymandered into a Solid republican state from a US Congress point of view and completely Republican in both states houses. luckily we won’t have to do that as there is a Non-partisan redistricting initiative on the ballot this November. It looks like it will pass easily.
We also joke about taking the 10 most vulnerable Republican seats and pouring money into them to swing themdemocratic
Adrian_Thompson said:Brian said:Politics, no.
Interesting you mention politics. My wife and I have long said if we won the mega millions we would work on and initiative to get a ballot proposal banning gerrymandering on the ballot. Michigan is one of the most gerrymandered states. We are a centrist to left of center state. But we have been gerrymandered into a Solid republican state from a US Congress point of view and completely Republican in both states houses. luckily we won’t have to do that as there is a Non-partisan redistricting initiative on the ballot this November. It looks like it will pass easily.
We also joke about taking the 10 most vulnerable Republican seats and pouring money into them to swing themdemocratic
This would be about the only politics I'd get into. That and ballot reform--the idea of 1 person, 1 vote is outdated (at least in the primaries). We should be able to rank them. Otherwise I can almost guarantee that we'd not have the situation we had in the 2016 election.
The 2016 election is the greatest thing to happen in the USA since Reagan.
Numbers dont lie
Hmmm...I'm showing my political system ignorance here, but could a state ballot initiative enforce term limits for its own US congressional representatives/senators? If so, I'd be willing to put some political monies/influence towards that. Get it through in one state, more will surely follow...Since support for this extends far beyond partisan politics, eventually enough momentum would be created so that congress would have no choice but to put it into effect across the board.
Dang, I'm a thread jack accomplice.
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