Special Stage Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

So how do you pay for it?

Jump to Latest
21 - 40 of 62 Posts
Discussion starter · #21 ·
>If you are not independently wealthy,
>you can go into debt to make a one year run at a championship
>(Bob Neilsen, Tad Ohtake, etc, etc.) and take the next 3-5 to
>pay it off..

Let me just add to this by saying that, as costs have gone up, fewer and fewer people are even going this (flawed) route. In the late nineties, at least 3 or 4 people in nearly every class went into debt and made a run at a national championship. In the last couple years, some classes were one man shows consisting of a team picking an uncontested championship and collecting trophies.

Wanna be a national champion?

1)Pick an obscure class. (rich guys choose Open or GN, so stay outta there...and stay outta PGT cuz that's where the real racers are, like NC Matthew Johnson and Eric Langbien and Tanner Foust.)

2)Get a car that can finish rallies. It doesn't need to be fast, and neither do you.

3)Get a dependable tow rig. That is where the "championship" will be won or lost...gotta make it to the races to collect your points.

4)Enjoy the scenery. Don't worry 'bout the fast local guys. They can't afford to run the whole national series anyway, so let them beat you by a few minutes. Most of them are disenchanted with the valueless national series and have entered the regional anyway, so you can just coast through with the Seed 7 guys and still get 1st place national points in your class.

Congratulations, Champion!

For many classes, it really has little to do with building good cars, having talent, or driving fast.

It has to do with picking what year you will run for the championship (when everyone else isn't) and calling around to see who is running in what class before the year starts, so you can find your trophy.
 
#22 ·
>
>Derek, just in case you didn't know, this puts many of your
>friends and peers into the top 5% of all income earning
>households in the US.
>

Quick math shows that there should be 7,500,000 house holds in the US that fit in the top 5%. That is a lot of people. Pick a job that can get you there.
 
#23 ·
>11) Buy used safety gear

Quite likely the worst piece of advice I've ever read ... The one place I'd NEVER scrimp would be on safety gear!
 
#24 ·
>Well, I'm only 22 and still in college so I only see myself
>running 3 local/semi-local events a year at this point
>(SD/LSPR, and STPR at this point).
>
>I think the key to extra funds is the LACK OF A LONG TERM
>GIRLFRIEND
>
>>_< lol
>
>
No, you need a wife with a good income to support your (and her) rally habit. Live on your salary, play on hers. Better yet, find a girl friend with a big trust fund. :)
 
#26 ·
>No, you need a wife with a good income to support your (and
>her) rally habit. Live on your salary, play on hers. Better
>yet, find a girl friend with a big trust fund. :)

And where, O Wise One, do a young man find such a women? I can just see the match.com ad right now:

Racer looking for girl to fund his dream. Good looks preferred, but not necessary.... :)


Dennis Martin
dennis@mamotorsports.com
920-432-4845
 
#27 ·
>And where, O Wise One, do a young man find such a women? I
>can just see the match.com ad right now:
>
>Racer looking for girl to fund his dream. Good looks
>preferred, but not necessary.... :)

Dennis:

It would be very interesting to see what replies you might get if you posted that ad. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Doug Woods
 
#28 ·
Reading the budget post was a real eye opener. I really don't know how you afford this sport. What do you do, not save for kids college and retirment? Run up your credit cards and mortgage the house? Don't buy health insurance?

I just don't see how you afford it on even an above median household income. So how DO you do it?
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#29 ·
I'm one of the few here that met my wife thru rallying. She was codriving before I ever did. Makes it easier to explain weekend getaways for the rally fix.
Now for her being wealthly, that is a different story.

Here is another idea:
Robbing banks. Choose an overcast snowy day and use the rallycar with proper tires as getaway car. You'll be rich I tell you.
 
#30 ·
>Other options include:
>-Arrive-and-drive rentals in cheap cars. Save until you can
>afford an event, then start saving again.

I did this and it was a lot of fun and zero hassles. Highly recommended. You can save 50% by sharing the car and swapping driving & co-driving duties every other stage.

>-Co-Drive

I do this and it's also fun.

- Christian

Bjorn Christian Edstrom
www.christianedstrom.com
 
#31 ·
>
>>No, you need a wife with a good income to support your (and
>>her) rally habit. Live on your salary, play on hers. Better
>>yet, find a girl friend with a big trust fund. :)
>
>And where, O Wise One, do a young man find such a women? I
>can just see the match.com ad right now:
>
>Racer looking for girl to fund his dream. Good looks
>preferred, but not necessary.... :)
>
>
>Dennis Martin
>dennis@mamotorsports.com
>920-432-4845
Well, I met my wife on the side of dirt road in Denton county just north of Dallas. It was at a rally. And I had met her parents several years earlier at the Big Bend Bash Rally. Of course, Juanita was still in high school at the time and I was slightly married to some one else. Any way, go to SCCA meetings and events. You might find a daughter of a rich race car driver. :) Actually for rich race car drivers, go to Porsche and Ferrari events.
 
#33 ·
>>Other options include:
>>-Arrive-and-drive rentals in cheap cars. Save until you can
>>afford an event, then start saving again.
>
>I did this and it was a lot of fun and zero hassles. Highly
>recommended. You can save 50% by sharing the car and swapping
>driving & co-driving duties every other stage.
>

For example, if you rented Micah Wittala's Saturn (not very fast, but fun to drive)you could probably do an entire national weekend for under $3k, and a club event for under $2k. If this sounds like a lot of money, remember you have no upfront investment in a car, and all the time you'd spend prepping, fixing, building your ride in the garage, you could be spending working overtime at your day job or taking a second gig to come up with the money.

Dennis Martin
dennis@mamotorsports.com
920-432-4845
 
#34 ·
Any way, go to SCCA
>meetings and events. You might find a daughter of a rich race
>car driver. :) Actually for rich race car drivers, go to
>Porsche and Ferrari events.

Heh, heh... Kim's got a good lookin' daughter about my age...hmm. Then again, last I checked she's as unemployed as I am, and I already get a good majority of Kim's rally budget. How does the saying go? "Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free." :)


Dennis Martin
dennis@mamotorsports.com
920-432-4845
 
#35 ·
I am on the taking advantage of it while I can mode right now.

I live with my parents (no rent)
They pay for cable and food.

My only bills are keeping the daily driver Impreza wagon with well over 220,000 miles on it and a leaking power steering rack and I think is due for a oil change. Also insurance on both cars.

My Dad loves rally and loves sharing his passion with me. He owns the new awesome trailer we just got, and the sweet Hemi Durango that tows my car everywhere. He is also an awesome service guy.

My normal co-driver splits entry, notes, and hotel with me. I pay for everything else.

So I am running all the rallies I can while I can. Because when my dad gets tired of working on my car while I am work making the money to spend on it and paying for me to live, I sadly will have to put rallying behind me.
 
#36 ·
>>11) Buy used safety gear
>
>Quite likely the worst piece of advice I've ever read ... The
>one place I'd NEVER scrimp would be on safety gear!

Huh?

What's your problem with used safety gear?

Do you throw your helmets, seats, belts, suits, etc. in the trash after each rally so you can start with new ones? If not, you are yourself using "used" safety gear most of the time.

I'm not advocating buying poor, damaged, or expired safety gear. In fact, by buying used, I was able to upgrade my safety gear since I got "better" seats than I would have been able to afford if I was buying new.

Jim Cox
#558
 
#38 ·
>What's your problem with used safety gear?

With belts and helmets, you simply can't tell if they have been stressed to the point of uselessness.

Buying used, you really don't know how used the safety gear is. Clearly suits, and some stuff is OK used, but belts, helmets ... wouldn't buy used, won't lend mine out.

Seats ... how much stress have the anchor points seen? Yah, I can actually see buying used seats - if you know the history.
 
21 - 40 of 62 Posts
About this Discussion
61 Replies
37 Participants
Last post:
granthughes
Special Stage Forums
posts
447K
members
11K
Since
2002
A forum community dedicated to North American rally car owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
USA Car Construction and Equipment Photos & Videos Off Topic World