Finances of track days.

[ThinkFast]

I didn’t start doing track days until I was in my 40s. After a year of that I decided to go racing with CCS in the Midwest. Bought an SV and had at it. Took a few regional championships my first season, and a 3rd at Daytona nationals that first year. So, yeah, it was fun - high point of my life up to that time, to be honest (still sort of is).

So what did I learn?
1. If you feel the need to do this, then do it.
2. Don’t go to a track day and crash. Crashing sucks. Save it for racing. There’s no excuse for crashing during a track day.
3. Bikes aren’t fast - riders are. If you want to go faster, spend the money on the wing nut that holds the clip-ons. (Love the Troy Corser anecdote - hadn’t heard that one before. I knew Troy - used to ride with his dad. That’s another story).
4. Be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish - during each session; at each track day; and over the course of a season. Or just screw all that and go out and have fun. Your choice.
5. Someone once said that track day riding and racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague desire for something salty. I’ve never done heroin, but I think they knew what they were talking about.
6. Start small - an SV or less is a great way to go. Better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

 

[Greenhorn]

no mention of insurance?

get airmedcare and enloe helicopter insurance for about $100 and $60 respectively; cheaper than $40,000 uninsured ride

be prepared to max your annual out of pocket for medical

plan for the worst hope for the best kinda thing

Great point.

 

[Greenhorn]

I didn’t start doing track days until I was in my 40s. After a year of that I decided to go racing with CCS in the Midwest. Bought an SV and had at it. Took a few regional championships my first season, and a 3rd at Daytona nationals that first year. So, yeah, it was fun - high point of my life up to that time, to be honest (still sort of is).

So what did I learn?
1. If you feel the need to do this, then do it.
2. Don’t go to a track day and crash. Crashing sucks. Save it for racing. There’s no excuse for crashing during a track day.
3. Bikes aren’t fast - riders are. If you want to go faster, spend the money on the wing nut that holds the clip-ons. (Love the Troy Corser anecdote - hadn’t heard that one before. I knew Troy - used to ride with his dad. That’s another story).
4. Be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish - during each session; at each track day; and over the course of a season. Or just screw all that and go out and have fun. Your choice.
5. Someone once said that track day riding and racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague desire for something salty. I’ve never done heroin, but I think they knew what they were talking about.
6. Start small - an SV or less is a great way to go. Better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[inthewoods]

I do it on the cheap. Rear tire lasts 4 days, front 8. Less than 5 gal. gas for the bike. Pack lunch, no hotel. I leave from home in the am. It's 160 miles to TH. If I spend the night at the track I don't sleep anyway and don't have to deal with the mosquito's, just the fly's during the day on the east side. No fancy motorhome just a pick up and a EZ up.

I have healthcare for life and belong to Enloe flight care. Crashing's not an option. I'm old and heal slow.

 

[R3DS!X]

If you want to save money doing the track days

1. Dont crash
2. Bring gas with you
3. bring a lunch
4. see if you can arrange to go with someone to split gas on the way up there.
5. find the cheapest tires that you can still go fast on. the rs10 are a good value imo. also learn how to mount your own rubber
6. don't try slicks. once you do, you're fucked.
7. camp at the track or leave early in the AM
8. whore yourself out on backpages for tires
9. fuck, you tried slicks and now you gotta buy tire warmers and a generator and expensive tires, wtf i told you not to!
10. now you might as well get a dedicated track bike that you can push more which means you'll crash more which means more repairs.
11. well you've gotten faster so you might as well race... which is expensive.
12. why did you have to try slicks? you might as well do a season and pick up a bunch of spares and various parts so you can get some plastic trophies.
13. sell you home and live with your bikes under a bridge only leaving to practice and race
14. sell meth to fiance another race season
15. oops now you're hooked on meth
16. all this because you had to try out slicks. now your sucking dick for a bag of maybe meth/maybe bath salts.
17. oh also try and look out for people selling their trackdays!

 

[Smash Allen]

If you want to save money doing the track days

1. Dont crash
2. Bring gas with you
3. bring a lunch
4. see if you can arrange to go with someone to split gas on the way up there.
5. find the cheapest tires that you can still go fast on. the rs10 are a good value imo. also learn how to mount your own rubber
6. don't try slicks. once you do, you're fucked.
7. camp at the track or leave early in the AM
8. whore yourself out on backpages for tires
9. fuck, you tried slicks and now you gotta buy tire warmers and a generator and expensive tires, wtf i told you not to!
10. now you might as well get a dedicated track bike that you can push more which means you'll crash more which means more repairs.
11. well you've gotten faster so you might as well race... which is expensive.
12. why did you have to try slicks? you might as well do a season and pick up a bunch of spares and various parts so you can get some plastic trophies.
13. sell you home and live with your bikes under a bridge only leaving to practice and race
14. sell meth to fiance another race season
15. oops now you're hooked on meth
16. all this because you had to try out slicks. now your sucking dick for a bag of maybe meth/maybe bath salts.
17. oh also try and look out for people selling their trackdays!

:rofl :thumbup

my track expenses per year have gone something like this:

1st year - $400
2nd year - $1,600 (not including $16,000 spent on a fast bike)
3rd year - $25,000
4th year - $6,000 (only because I broke my collarbone and couldn't race)
5th year - $500 (don't have a kid if you don't want to make hard decisions)

i don't regret any of it for a second, something i have to do, and the spending is down only temporarily while i get my house in order to finance this addiction long term...

 

[ThinkFast]

If you want to save money doing the track days

1. Dont crash
2. Bring gas with you
3. bring a lunch
4. see if you can arrange to go with someone to split gas on the way up there.
5. find the cheapest tires that you can still go fast on. the rs10 are a good value imo. also learn how to mount your own rubber
6. don't try slicks. once you do, you're fucked.
7. camp at the track or leave early in the AM
8. whore yourself out on backpages for tires
9. fuck, you tried slicks and now you gotta buy tire warmers and a generator and expensive tires, wtf i told you not to!
10. now you might as well get a dedicated track bike that you can push more which means you'll crash more which means more repairs.
11. well you've gotten faster so you might as well race... which is expensive.
12. why did you have to try slicks? you might as well do a season and pick up a bunch of spares and various parts so you can get some plastic trophies.
13. sell you home and live with your bikes under a bridge only leaving to practice and race
14. sell meth to fiance another race season
15. oops now you're hooked on meth
16. all this because you had to try out slicks. now your sucking dick for a bag of maybe meth/maybe bath salts.
17. oh also try and look out for people selling their trackdays!

Or so you’ve heard, right?
:laughing

 

[89fj]

too much itemizing, Smash! :teeth

 

[R3DS!X]

:rofl :thumbup

my track expenses per year have gone something like this:

1st year - $400
2nd year - $1,600 (not including $16,000 spent on a fast bike)
3rd year - $25,000
4th year - $6,000 (only because I broke my collarbone and couldn't race)
5th year - $500 (don't have a kid if you don't want to make hard decisions)

i don't regret any of it for a second, something i have to do, and the spending is down only temporarily while i get my house in order to finance this addiction long term...

So you're getting ready for step 13. ?

 

[Smash Allen]

too much itemizing, Smash! :teeth

i tried not counting but couldn't get a blank budget approved by swmbo :cry

So you're getting ready for step 13. ?

i thought there were only 12 steps in the progra....oh yeah step 13 :rofl

 

[Gravisman]

WRT mounting your own tires, does that really make much difference? I’ve sorta concluded that it doesn’t, because the tire guys at track days seem to be including mounting for nothing or close to it. Moreover, if I wanted to mount my own tires I’d need expensive equipment. I’ve done it a few times at motoguild, but even that costs $20 for the hour. I guess if you mount yourself you get more choices than what is available at the track, but I feel happy with Pirelli, so, why not just take the path of least resistance?

 

[Smash Allen]

Yeah true but that’s mostly with slicks or maybe race dots if they have any on hand

 

[R3DS!X]

WRT mounting your own tires, does that really make much difference? I’ve sorta concluded that it doesn’t, because the tire guys at track days seem to be including mounting for nothing or close to it. Moreover, if I wanted to mount my own tires I’d need expensive equipment. I’ve done it a few times at motoguild, but even that costs $20 for the hour. I guess if you mount yourself you get more choices than what is available at the track, but I feel happy with Pirelli, so, why not just take the path of least resistance?

I'f youre tracking on sport street tires it makes more of a difference. I can get a set of rs10s for around 260. If I want slicks its about 4-450. I don't remember seeing a set of tires at the track for less than ~350 a set. I don't think they are over charging but if someone has a budget then they are gonna pinch pennies somewhere.
been a while since i shopped for tires at the track so my info may be wrong

 

[ThinkFast]

I'f youre tracking on sport street tires it makes more of a difference. I can get a set of rs10s for around 260. If I want slicks its about 4-450. I don't remember seeing a set of tires at the track for less than ~350 a set. I don't think they are over charging but if someone has a budget then they are gonna pinch pennies somewhere.
been a while since i shopped for tires at the track so my info may be wrong

Forget about slicks. Overkill, imho, for trackdays in general, and especially for a newb trackday rider. I raced for seven years and did just fine on race DOTs.
There is (or at least there was) a pretty huge difference between high end street tires and real race DOTs, that's for sure. For your first few trackdays, though, I'd argue that you'll be just fine on decent street rubber. Early on your biggest challenges will have little to do with maximizing cornering grip.

After you've done a half dozen trackdays and feel comfortable about your ability to run the right lines and run consistent laps then maybe give the good stuff a try. But be warned, you will want more - it's that different. First, though, you've got to learn the basics on street tires or you won't really appreciate the difference.:afm199

 

[R3DS!X]

I agree, but that adds to my point of being able to change you own rubber so you can street your bike so you don't wear down your DOT's on the street if you get to the point of having them.

 

[ThinkFast]

Buy used second set of wheels.

 

[R3DS!X]

Buy used second set of wheels.

:laughing We were talking about how to save money:laughing

 

[ThinkFast]

:laughing We were talking about how to save money:laughing

Waay cheaper than a tire changer....

 

[dtrides]

A friend of mine once told me " just plan on $1,000 a weekend".
You know, he wasn't far off.
When I lived in Humboldt it was 4+ hrs to T-hill or Sonoma. So...a couple of hundred for gas, couple hundred for two nights hotel, $300 + for two track days, food, beverages, bike gas, tires, maybe a few $$ for suspension tuning/advise.
Yep, pretty much sinks a grand...
Oh, and if you crash , it could be x 10
Dt

 

[R3DS!X]

Waay cheaper than a tire changer....

tire irons are pretty cheap. sport rubber goes on easy nuff. some pvc tubing to protect your precious rims, some wd for d, a beer and you got tires done.