Cost of Racing
- Details
- Category: Racing
- Published on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 14:20
- Hits: 1893
Editor's Comments: This article first appeared in the August, 1964 Gazette. It was reprinted in the 70"s in "The Rear View Mirror." Its author, Guy McMurray was a noted "Hero Driver" and general skinflint. At the Alliance, Nebraska race cited in the expense chart, Guy dominated Formula V in his Formcar so much that he was protested. The teardown revealed "economy" jets in his Solex carb. and three bent pushrods !
COST OF RACING
Aspiring racing drivers most frequently ask “How much does it cost?” I have guess-timated an answer many times and finally decided to gather a few figures on actual costs of a portion of a racing season.
Dave Miles (left) and Guy with their Devin Crosley homebuilt special. 1961.
Thar's not a UFO above Dave, but a binder hole in the Gazette.
The table reflects personal costs only and makes no attempt to list race car depreciation, parts, or maintenance. As a matter of idle curiosity, however, on my B.A.P. sponsored Formula ‘V’ during this period, we squandered four spark plugs, one set of points, a condenser, 3 quarts of oil and one tire.
| San Antonio | Stuttgart | Ft.Sumner | Garden City | Ponca City | Alliance | AVG | |
| Entry Fee | $20.00 | $17.00 | $20.00 | $20.00 | $18.00 | $21.00 | $19.33 |
| Hooch | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| Gas, oil (tow car) | 23.00 | 22.00 | 20.60 | 26.30 | 7.00 | 54.55 | 25.58 |
| Food | 1.75 | 3.40 | 13.70 | 8.35 | 3.10 | 4.90 | 5.87 |
| Motel/Hotel | 29.87 | 10.30 | 34.32 | 24.55 | 8.16 | 25.03 | 22.04 |
| Misc | 15.00 | 1.30 | 10.38 | 4.25 | 1.50 | 5.52 | 6.33 |
| TOTALS | $94.62 | $59.00 | $104.00 | $88.45 | $42.76 | $116.00 | $84.15 |
So, it would seem, $85 a race should do it. A couple of words of explanation might help prospects decide if their costs will be more or less than those shown. First, I normally drive to a race on Friday and return on Monday. This means three nights in motels. Two exceptions to this are Stuttgart and Ponca City. Obviously, travel on Friday and Sunday nights will reduce this cost. Gas and oil cost is a function of the type of tow vehicle used. My costs have risen noticably since I became a conspicuous consumer! And finally, ‘misc’ covers such items as milk, tips, and parties if I have to pay for them (these are the worst kind).
C’mon, let’s go racing. GUY McMURRAY