Cheap racing besides crapcan?

Based on the "true" cost of crapcan racing thread. Is there any other racing out there that might be cheaper or similarly priced for a bunch of guys to go into together?

Not sure about CA (where you are) but here, the circle tracks (either dirt or paved) typically have a 4cyl class.

The rules tend to vary by venue so I recommend finding the track first and then building to their rules.

Go splits on an oval track car. No licenses, cheap entry fees, likely win your entry fee back. Cheap parts, buy a car that's race ready.

FWD circle track car? Basically you cage a Neon, Cavalier, etc. and run the dirt/short paved track on street tires. Its fun to watch, so its gotta be a blast to run.

Shifter Karts. Damn fun and fast. Been trying to convince a friend to go splits on one for a while.

Kart racing Budget $1000-2500 buy in depending on class $250 set of sticker tires (Takeoffs are usually like $40/set expect ~5 weekends out of a set) Gear Is cheap maitenance is nominal fuel isn't bad.
Event entry is usually $25-50.

Like any racing you want to run at the front it will cost $$ but even then a BRAND NEW everything for TAG will set you back ~$8k and should put you at the front of the field.

Motorcycle club racing is super cheap.

SlickDizzy wrote: Motorcycle club racing is super cheap.

Depends if you add the vet, err, doctors bills or not...

Karting is probably the cheapest choice.

Jaynen wrote: Based on the "true" cost of crapcan racing thread. Is there any other racing out there that might be cheaper or similarly priced for a bunch of guys to go into together?

Do any of them have a really big yard? Doesn't get much cheaper than Back 40 Racing.

Bryce

Karting is way more fun than it has any right to be. Keep in mind this is not Malibu Grand Prix we're talking about here. Real karts - real fun. But the longer kart races are tough for "old" guys (meaning not 12) given the lack of suspension it's a lot more taxing on your back and ass then a Lemons race.

How fast do you wanna go?

Drag racing is pretty cheap. Smiles/seat time per dollar without local dirt track redneck drama, LeChump is still > all. By a HUGE margin.

Or an occassional autocross or private track day.

How cheap do you think a Lemons seat should be???

Bunch of 1st gen RX7s on SFbay craigslist right now cheap. Race them in SCCA and NASA etc.

There's nothing cheap about SCCA road racing.

I am going to throw out Dwarf cars. Think legends without single source.

But cheapest would be a used Kart or FWD oval

poopshovel wrote: How fast do you wanna go? Drag racing is pretty cheap. Smiles/seat time per dollar without local dirt track redneck drama, LeChump is still > all. By a HUGE margin. Or an occassional autocross or private track day. How cheap do you think a Lemons seat should be???

This was disproven due to exorbinate entry fees. After 2 races in lemons you could run a whole season in legends and they aren't the cheapest. That is also assuming no spares for the lemons car

Flight Service wrote:

poopshovel wrote: How fast do you wanna go? Drag racing is pretty cheap. Smiles/seat time per dollar without local dirt track redneck drama, LeChump is still > all. By a HUGE margin. Or an occassional autocross or private track day. How cheap do you think a Lemons seat should be???

This was disproven due to exorbinate entry fees. After 2 races in lemons you could run a whole season in legends and they aren't the cheapest. That is also assuming no spares for the lemons car

Sorry, I didn't read through the whole other thread. Are you talking about building a LeMons car from scratch, or joining an existing team? If joining an existing team, how could you run a whole season in legends for the same price as 2 LeMons races? I joined an existing...and damn good I'm proud to say...LeMons team. I haven't priced out Legends, but I don't see any way I could get involved in something like that for anything close to what I pay for my LeMons seat.

Crapcan racing aside, I totally agree with the FWD circle track bit. It's on my bucket list to do, thinking maybe next year. There's a NASCAR dirt track 3 miles from my house and a paved track about 45 minutes away. I see 4cyl cars from those tracks on CL for $500-$700.

Klayfish wrote:

Flight Service wrote:

poopshovel wrote: How fast do you wanna go? Drag racing is pretty cheap. Smiles/seat time per dollar without local dirt track redneck drama, LeChump is still > all. By a HUGE margin. Or an occassional autocross or private track day. How cheap do you think a Lemons seat should be???

This was disproven due to exorbinate entry fees. After 2 races in lemons you could run a whole season in legends and they aren't the cheapest. That is also assuming no spares for the lemons car

Sorry, I didn't read through the whole other thread. Are you talking about building a LeMons car from scratch, or joining an existing team? If joining an existing team, how could you run a whole season in legends for the same price as 2 LeMons races? I joined an existing...and damn good I'm proud to say...LeMons team. I haven't priced out Legends, but I don't see any way I could get involved in something like that for anything close to what I pay for my LeMons seat. Crapcan racing aside, I totally agree with the FWD circle track bit. It's on my bucket list to do, thinking maybe next year. There's a NASCAR dirt track 3 miles from my house and a paved track about 45 minutes away. I see 4cyl cars from those tracks on CL for $500-$700.

this would be you owning the car, not just participating. I don't count race suits because they are required for both leagues.

If you own it, and don't push the car entry fee to the team, you are in $600 for just the car and you. Run 2 races and you are in for $1200.

Plus the car at $500, plus safety equipment in the car with tires and stuff. $1000, you are in it for $1500.

So one race is $2700 to you. Second race is $4900. Which isn't bad. Remember I am making the assumption no spares.

You can get an older Legends car for $4k~$5K a championship car for $10K with spares.

Say you get the cheapy you can run a 6 race season for $35 per night at Newport Motor Speedway (concrete Arca track) $210 for the season.

We will assume that fuel is the same (pump 91 in the legends will be cheaper but let's assume)

by the 3rd Lemons race, legends is cheaper. Dwarf cars are cheaper than this, and karts cheaper than that, and FWD oval is cheaper still. And you are running seasons.

Not racing, but what about hillclimbs if they are in your area. That's how I started competing in the UK before moving here. I can honestly say that out of all the driving I've done, track days, races, autocross etc, Hillclimbs are the most fun I've ever had!

Rent a seat in a crapcan car for $500-1000 per weekend. Ovals can be cheaper, but... they're ovals.

for adrenaline rush per dollar spent, i can get upwards of 15 runs in at the drag strip on any given test and tune night. last year i got 6 runs in 20 minutes. $15

it's all about the rush for me. i ran an event at sandusky speedway last year(nascar 1/2 mile paved oval) in a late model big heavy stock car with manual everything. 5 laps in i was sore, 10 in my arms, ears, and ass were killing me, 15 in i was ready to get out. i was fast, passed people, lapped a few, got compliments on my driving and lines, but i have no desire to do anything in a dedicated race car anymore, and will continue to enjoy my short blasts of adrenaline beating on my car 1/4 mile at a time.

i want to get into autocross but the thought of spending a whole day out in the sun shagging cones just to get 2 minutes of seat time in 8 hours turns me off.

In reply to Flight Service:

Wow, we are doing it wrong.

I sold the malibu with spares last year for $1200.00 (right after it finished 9th at Summit Point).

Without consumables (assuming they are equivalent between legends and LeChump), we spend about $550.00 each on the weekend including entries.

This would make a 1 year season (6 races) cost $1200.00 for the car + 550*6 = $4500.00 for the season.

If you look at it by seat time, I am not sure how it would shake out. How long is a Legends race?

For my $550.00, I get about 2.9 hours of seat time. (assuming 5 people on the team)

I am understanding what you are saying, and it makes me wonder why LeChump entry fees are soooo High!

Rob R.

In reply to wvumtnbkr:

The Lemons promoter isn't a charity. For a one shot deal, I think Lemons/crapcan is great. Do it, have stories to tell, and go home. For the one race, you are in very cheap. For multiple races, I don't think it was ever designed for that.

My local roundy round, did 2 heats and a main, plus testing. Probably close to an hour a night. Being they run one set of street tires a season, or 2 sets if the cut them down. 10 races a year at the track.

So $35 * 10=$350 plus consumables = 10 hours seat time.

Flight Service wrote: In reply to wvumtnbkr: The Lemons promoter isn't a charity. For a one shot deal, I think Lemons/crapcan is great. Do it, have stories to tell, and go home. For the one race, you are in very cheap. For multiple races, I don't think it was ever designed for that.

Dude, you're looking at this wrong. Every subsequent race it gets cheaper. Trust me, I've done it. We've maxed out at $750 each and one year it was like $50 each because we won IoE. Once you have a car with a cage and safety equipment, it's stupid-easy to make it cheap.

patgizz wrote: it's all about the rush for me. i want to get into autocross but the thought of spending a whole day out in the sun shagging cones just to get 2 minutes of seat time in 8 hours turns me off.

This. The very first racing I did was autox. I loved it and did pretty much every event for 2 years. But I started to calculate my seat time vs. time away from home and it started to become less attractive. The courses we ran were 30-45 minutes from home, I'd be there for 7 hours, then drive back home. All for the total of 3 or 4 minutes seat time. Don't get me wrong, I had fun autox'ing, but it just started becoming less exciting for me. Then once I got the taste of HPDE, that rush made it more attractive than autox. Now LeMons is even more of a rush than HPDE.

Oh lord, I'm an addict.

As for the costs, LeMons isn't cheap. But a seat on an existing team goes for $600-$1000 per race. Not cheap by any stretch, but a value considering the seat time you get. I'd have gone oval racing this year, but it would have eaten my budget for LeMons races, and I just wasn't willing to do that.

tuna55 wrote:

Flight Service wrote: In reply to wvumtnbkr: The Lemons promoter isn't a charity. For a one shot deal, I think Lemons/crapcan is great. Do it, have stories to tell, and go home. For the one race, you are in very cheap. For multiple races, I don't think it was ever designed for that.

Dude, you're looking at this wrong. Every subsequent race it gets cheaper. Trust me, I've done it. We've maxed out at $750 each and one year it was like $50 each because we won IoE. Once you have a car with a cage and safety equipment, it's stupid-easy to make it cheap.

I don't think I am looking at it wrong, your numbers are very similar to mine...

EDIT wow my math sucks this morning! $2700 +$600 is not $4900! $3300 second race in.

But you said $750 per race. It is safe to assume you won't win. so I think my numbers are very close.

What is your over all investment and how many races in that are you? Including the win?