The Cost of Racing

A look at how much it costs to race in a sample selection of racing series, from pure amateur racing to professional racing.

With my experience and driving credentials (resume) I have some insight as to how much it costs to go racing.

The costs shown here, and detailed on linked pages, are representative of the cost of racing a specific car, in a specific series, and with a specific set of personnel, resources and assumptions. Actual costs may vary considerably from these numbers because there are a vast array of options and approaches that would increase or descrease costs in each series, and each event. In general I've tried to keep the costs down while still spending enough to be competitive in the class described (assuming capable driver(s)).

Below is the list of sample series (and class referenced by the car indicated), the cost to run a full season, and the average cost per event.
Click on the series name to see a more detailed breakdown of the costs, including event-by-event costs.

Feel free to e-mail me for more information or for inquiries as to how I may help you with any of these racing series.

Series (Click Series Name for further details) Geographic Coverage Car Nr Races Full Season Cost Cost Per Event
United Sports Car Championship (IMSA) National 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 R 12 $1,493,766 $124,480
Pro Rally National 2021 Ford Fiesta Rally2 10 $849,578 $84,957
Trans Am National 2013 Dodge Viper 5th Gen 12 $248,332 $20,694
National Rally Northeast 2019 Ford Fiesta Rally4 9 $147,298 $16,366
World Challenge National ND-generation MX-5 Miata Cup car 7 $124,589 $17,798
SCCA Super Tour (SRF) National Spec Racer Ford generation 3 (SRF3) 11 $121,238 $11,021
Mazda MX-5 Cup National ND-generation MX-5 Miata Cup car 7 $103,254 $14,750
Professional Solo National 2021 Mini Cooper JCW GP 12 $66,451 $5,537
Regional Rally Northeast 2006 Subaru WRX 6 $52,736 $8,789
Majors Road Racing (SRF) Northeast Spec Racer Ford generation 3 (SRF3) 7 $43,878 $6,268
Divisional Road Racing (SRF) Northeast Spec Racer Ford generation 3 (SRF3) 9 $31,342 $3,482
Regional Road Racing (SRF) Pittsburgh Area Spec Racer Ford generation 3 (SRF3) 4 $11,243 $2,810
National Solo National 2017 Mini Cooper JCW 6 $7,586 $1,264
Regional Solo Pittsburgh Area 2017 Mini Cooper JCW 8 $3,050 $381
* Based on 2022 events - the 2024 events are yet to be announced

 

What's included in these costs, and how are they derived/viewed?

Travel Costs

Simply the estimated cost to travel to, stay at, and travel from an event, with home base being in the Pittsburgh, PA area.
Obviously where you base yourself has an impact on travel costs. Minimizing travel costs is why most NASCAR teams reside in North Carolina - it's the most central location to most of the tracks at which they race. For the estimates given on this page, Pittsburgh is almost certainly not an ideal location for a home base, but therein it may be more broadly representative. The proportion of travel costs to total cost is also heavily dependent on the cost of the race car, it's preparation and running costs. A car like a Porsche GT3 is so expensive to buy and run, it makes the travel costs proportionally low; whereas running a street-stock car in autocross with very little running cost, makes travel cost the predominant expense.
See the travel details below for more granular information.

Airline Costs (airfare)

For events that are far from home base it may be desireable to fly team personnel to the event. In the sample costs on this page, several assumptions are made: (1) flying personnel to an event only makes sense for professional racing series; (2) personnel only fly if the track is more than 360 miles from home base; (3) at least two people travel by road in order to transport the racecar.
The cost is calculated using a per-mile dollar rate for the distance the track is from home base. That rate is based on the average round-trip cost of a domestic flight last year, and the average length of a domestic flight, both pulled from www.airlines.org.

Hotel Costs

For events that are more than 180 miles from home base it is assumed that all personnel will need hotel accommodation for the duration of the event, including travel time.
The latest IRS per-night rate for hotel expenses is used.

Road Costs

Road costs are simply the cost of travel by road, using the IRS per-mile dollar rate. In reality this cost is probably under-estimated. Although the IRS rate accounts for gas, wear and tear of the vehicle, insurance, etc., if a larger vehicle (truck) is used as the tow-vehicle, the costs are likely to be higher. Also not accounted for is a larger team who may use multiple vehicles to travel to the event. Finally, the cost of rental cars, which are likely used by any personnel flying, are not included in any of these costs.

Per Diem

Per diem, using the IRS' current year rate, accounts for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for each personnel in the team, for each day or partial day of both the event (race days) and travel (adjusting per diem accordingly).

Race Day Costs

Having travelled to an event now comes the cost of actually competing. There is a lot to factor in here, and the list of sub-categories that make up race day costs on this page estimates only the "major" race day expenses (see below), with the focus on the actions of actually racing. That means other costs that need to be considered to go racing, such as the cost of personal safety equipment (driver's suit, helmet, etc.), and the cost of supporting equipment (truck/trailer to transport the car, tools, etc.) are not considered here. The percentage of race day cost to total cost is obviously the converse of travel costs; the more expensive the race car to buy and run, the larger the is the portion of race day costs to total cost. So, a running Porsche GT3 in IMSA's USCC accounts for the bulk of total costs for that series, whereas a street-stock car in autocross costs very little to run.

Entry Fees

Where published (e.g. SCCA Regional/Majors/Super Tour or IMSA's USCC) these are accurate. In other instances they are based on last year's entry fees, or are assumed to be the same as similar events for the series. In a small number of cases they are a best guess. Not only do entry fees vary by series, they often vary by event. At a series level, different organizers have different expenses to be met through entry fees. For example, in rally the insurance costs for the organizers are often higher than insurance costs for series that run on closed circuits. Variations by event are influenced by such things as the cost to rent the track (places like Watkins Glen are more expensive to an organizer than a place like Nelson Ledges), and scope of the event (the SCCA Runoffs is a 9 day event instead of the usual two-day weekend for most SCCA races).

Wear & Tear Costs

Wear and tear on the race car can include a multitude of things, including the sub-categories presented in the costs shown here (see below), tires and repair contingency, which are separated here because they amount to quite large portions of expenses by themselves, and many other components of the car. In many series wear and tear is the second largest expense after salary for support crew. Only where a car is close to stock, and most of its parts can be expected to last many dozens of races do the costs diminish. Having separated tires and repair contingency, the next "major" sub-categories of wear and tear are: engine durability, transmission durability, the durability of miscellaneous parts such as bearings, and consumables such as fluids. See below for a cost breakdown description of these categories.

Engine Wear & Tear Costs

With the exception of near street-stock cars, most race cars need fairly regular engine rebuilds. In some series (although not ones listed here) this can be as frequent as after every race; and on the other end of the spectrum with "spec" cars that are designed to minimize costs, the frequency may only be once every few years. Mostly, engine durability - the length of time between engine rebuilds - is measured in how many races or race weekends (hours on the track) can be run before a rebuild is recommended. And then there is the cost of doing a rebuild. For a Porsche GT3 Cup Car for example, the cost can be $50K per build, then the decision as to whether to rebuild after each season, every two seasons, twice a year, etc., can dramatically increase or decrease the costs. In the costs estimated here, they are probably quite accurate for the cars I've raced (Miata and Spec Racer Ford), and for the other cars they are probably estimated on the high-side, under the assumption you want to stay competitive and not risk an inopportune parts failure.

Transmission Wear & Tear Costs

Same points as above for engine wear and tear, but in this case the cost calculations and assumptions pertain to all of the race car's transmission parts: clutch, gearbox and differential(s).

Miscellaneous Parts Costs

In addition to the wear and tear of the engine and transmission parts, numerous other parts wear and need replacing on a regular bases, such as the battery, bearings, seals, etc. As with "wear & tear" in general, the parts that fall into this miscellaneous category can be numerous and vary depending on the car being raced. So, to generalize the costs for miscellaneous parts, 10% of the annualized cost of rebuilding the engine and transmission parts (combined) is used.

Consumables Costs

This is simply the consumables for the race car: gasoline, engine oil, transmission oil, radiator fluid, filters (fuel, oil), brakes, etc. The prices of these consumables also varies considerably based on series mandates (e.g. the series may require certain oils are used), and the car, so in most cases best guess is used for estimating these costs.

Cost for Tires

Most series mandate the use of particular brands and sizes of tires, but that doesn't mean that tire costs are fixed; on the contrary, the costs can vary dramatically based on how much tire life is acceptable to a team/driver to be competative. In the estimated costs here, the assumption is that tires need to be replaced frequently in the professional series, but far less frequently (in some cases spanning multiple events with one set of tires) in the lower-cost amateur series.

Repair Contingency

Unlike repair needed as part of the normal wear & tear of a car, this category captures the contingency costs that are recommended to be set aside primarily for the inevitable situation of repairing the car after an incident (crash). Also included in this category are more mundane needs such as covering the cost of periodically repainting the car to keep it presentable, or producing and applying stickers that promote the team, driver, and sponsors, many of which can become damaged simply from the debris thrown up by other cars. From a crash perspective, like many unpredictable things in life, a team/driver can run a full season without incident, or hit a bad string of accidents which strain the resources and costs of the team. So, for the estimates made here, the general rule-of-thumb of setting aside 2.5% of the value of the car is made, per year, for repair contingency.

Personnel Salary

It might be assumed that paying team personnel is only needed for professional series. But for amateur series it may be necessary too. For example, in rallying it is simply impossible for a driver and navigator to both drive the stages and manage servicing, so at least two "mechanics" are needed. While these people may be friends or relatives, or just enthusiastic supporters, it is customary for a team, even an amateur one, to help them out with the expense of spending a weekend in what are usually remote places. Still, some amateur series may need no more that just the driver, such as in regional autocross racing. Even in regional road racing, the estimates here assume that while it's desireable to have a mechanic, the driver can in fact manage the service-side of racing too, and any track-side help is a friend or relative and not a salaried person (but you may still want to thank them with treats - see next miscellaneous expense category).
As expected for the professional series, paid mechanics and others are a critical part of a team. The number and type of personnel involved varies across both series and events. For example, in IMSA's USCC, a minimum of 2 drivers, a crew chief, a senior mechanic/deputy crew chief, and three other mechanics are assumed for "short" races, which then grow to three drivers and eight mechanics for an event such as the 24 hour race at Daytona.
Driver salaries can vary dramatically based on experience and past success. In the IMSA USCC GTD class, a novice pro-driver may expect $80K per year, or about $7,250 per race. An experienced driver $150K per year, $13,650 per race, and an experienced driver with a top-class resume, $250K per year, $22,750 per race. More money is available from the manufacturer teams, but a driver needs to check a lot of boxes to get one of those coverted rides. Salary cost for personnel ranges from $15 per hour for junior mechanics, to $85 per hour for an experienced crew chief, with race days assumed to be 12-hour long. Not factored into these estimates are salaries for permanent employees of a team, which would be a typical set up for a fully professional team.

Miscellaneous Costs

This is a final "catch-all" category of expenses. It assumes that at least one other person will attend events with the driver (many "other" persons for professional racing), and that these people need to be "cared for" while trackside, with snacks, drinks, perhaps lunch, covering track entrance costs, etc.

Sponsors

Given the sample costs shown above, in the professional categories few race teams can compete without sponsorship. There are many ways to make sponsorship work for teams, drivers, and the sponsoring individuals or businesses. Below are some ideas that may provide a foundation unpon which real sponsorship can be based. These ideas are not written in legal language, and indeed some of the words/ideas presented would likely be considered to be legally ambiguous and incomplete, so please discuss all sponsorship deals with a lawyer before committing to any deal.

The premise for the levels are:

Individual Sponsor

Suggested contraints: An individual can have their name stencilled onto the car in a space no more than 9 square inches, including white space and border space, per unit of individual sponsorship amount. The location of the name should be at the discretion of the car owner. Mutilation of the name or loss of the name from the car during an event, need not be remedied prior to the beginning of the next event. Individuals are invited to observe the team as spectators of the events, as permitted by track and sanctioning body regulations, and subject to the liability limitations issued by the track and sanctioning body. This level of sponsorship should not be made available until other sponsorship totalling at least 50% of the season's costs have been secured.

MVP Individual Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Same as an Individual Sponsor, except the space made available to the individual will not exceed 100 square inches on the car. Individuals may also receive a photograph of the car with their name on it. Individuals may also be invited to be a honorary member of the team, provided the individual agrees to sign a liability waiver, at an event chosen at the discretion of the car owner, and as permitted by track and sanctioning body regulations, and subject to the liability limitations issued by the track and sanctioning body. This level of sponsorship should not be made available until other sponsorship totalling at least 50% of the season's costs have been secured.

Associate Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Expected to be a business or corporate sponsor, and contingent on a formal contract agreement, benefits may include:

This level of sponsorship should not be made available until other sponsorship totalling at least 50% of the season's costs have been secured.

Event Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Same benefits as listed for the Secondary Sponsor, except that the benefits should be limited to a single specific event, excluding any high-profile events. This level of sponsorship should not be made available if three tertiary sponsors, two secondary sponsors, a primary sponsor or an exclusive sponsor are participating in the program.

Special Event Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Same benefits as listed for the Secondary Sponsor, except that the benefits should be limited to a high-profile event. This level of sponsorship should not be made available if three tertiary sponsors, two secondary sponsors, a primary sponsor or an exclusive sponsor are participating in the program.

Tertiary Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Expected to be a business or corporate sponsor, and contingent on a formal contract agreement, benefits may include:

Secondary Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Expected to be a business or corporate sponsor, and contingent on a formal contract agreement, benefits may include:

Primary Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Expected to be a business or corporate sponsor, and contingent on a formal contract agreement, benefits may include:

Exclusive Sponsor

Suggested contraints: Same benefits as listed for the Primary Sponsor, except all benefits should be exclusive to the Sponsor. No other Sponsors should be sought by the team. Other sponsors may be included in the racing program as deemed appropriate by the Exclusive Sponsor. The Exclusive Sponsor may sell or barther for the sponsorship rights to the team, provided the buyers and the Exclusive Sponsor adhere to the guidelines above. With this option, the Exclusive sponsorship of the team may be self-liquidating.

Important Notes:

Space on the car and driver's suit is restricted by: sanctioning body regulations that require specific space for the driver(s) name, car number, car class, series sponsor and other use restrictions; earlier sponsorship commitments may need to be honoured; other regulatory restrictions; and most series' sanctioning bodies reserve the right to restrict advertising.

The "duration of the events in a season" begins with earlier of either the entrant (team)/driver's receipt of entry acceptance by the organizing body for the first event of the year, or the entrant/driver's signature of the event waiver for the first event of the year, and ends at the conclusion of the last activity officially scheduled for the last event for the team and driver(s), as published on the official timetable for the event.

High-profile events are those events for which the costs associated with competing in them exceed 40% of the average cost of other similar events in which the team competes during the same year, or are events designated by the the driver(s) and/or team as attracting a greater amount of publicity than other similar events. For example, the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, or the SCCA National run-offs.

An account of how sponsorship is spent on a racing program should be provided to all sponsors upon request, except in the Individual Sponsor and MVP Individual Sponsor categories. Use of sponsorship funding should be at the discretion of the team, and may not conform with detailed descriptions of costs shown elsewhere in this web site, and portions may be directed towards personnel salaries.

Other pages:            

Home

Road Racing
Cost of Racing
Wanna Race?
Calendar
Links
e-mail
What's New?
 
Photo Gallery
Video

Racing Results:
22/21
19/18/17/16/15/
14/13/12/11/10/
09/08/07/06/05/
04/03/02/01/00/
99

Site Map