SPB operational costs

[Greg Holmberg]

Thanks, Tom.

For the spreadsheet, I will use the used-engine strategy. I believe that's what most of the guys in norcal are doing also. Most here have been using the same factory engine for several years, and no one really knows when they will stop producing competitive power. They seem to last forever.

In which case, I will use $2,500 and 100 hours. That should about four years of racing for most guys. About $78 per weekend. Pretty good. One of the lowest on my spreadsheet. Brake pads are a little pricey and the gearbox is a weak point, but overall, SPB is a lot cheaper to run then Spec Miata.

Thanks for your help.

Greg

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by Greg Holmberg

but overall, SPB is a lot cheaper to run then Spec Miata.



Greg

80% of my customers are SPB or WRL. I've had a few that made the jump from Miata to Porsche and I've heard nothing but the opposite. It takes about the same amount to convert a good car into a race car, but the porsche is much more expensive to keep on the track.

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

80% of my customers are SPB or WRL. I've had a few that made the jump from Miata to Porsche and I've heard nothing but the opposite. It takes about the same amount to convert a good car into a race car, but the porsche is much more expensive to keep on the track.

Maybe the Spec Miata guys that have moved to Spec Boxster are saving all that money on the body panels and crash damage the had in Spec Miata (aka Spec Pinata)

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by steved0x

Maybe the Spec Miata guys that have moved to Spec Boxster are saving all that money on the body panels and crash damage the had in Spec Miata (aka Spec Pinata)

I don't know how much damage they accumulate in Spec Miata, but the SPB guys treat them like bumper cars. I'm sure I've supplied every SPB in Texas with a body part at one point in the last 4 years. I've had a few that were so damaged they needed a whole body to repair the damage from racing.
I'm also not sure how long a miata motor is lasting in racing but the 2.5 Porsche motor seems to last a few seasons if you're lucky. I'd guess 1 out of 4 get replaced a year. The transmission is 1-2 seasons and lots of guys carry spares with them to the races.

[Greg Holmberg]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

80% of my customers are SPB or WRL. I've had a few that made the jump from Miata to Porsche and I've heard nothing but the opposite. It takes about the same amount to convert a good car into a race car, but the porsche is much more expensive to keep on the track.

The biggest cost surprise (to me, at least) in the data I've gathered for the Miata is the cost of maintaining a competitive engine, and the small number of hours until it's not competitive. The Boxster has a very reliable engine whose HP can't really be increased by a pro build. Not so with the Miata.

To be clear, in this survey, I'm not asking for the cost of the average mid-pack car in a regional race. In order to make an apples-to-apples comparison across so many classes, the scenario is a car that's capable of winning a Major or finishing in the top five at the Run-offs. In some classes, such as Formula Enterprises, nearly all cars meet this criteria, so I have to make that the scenario for comparison.

As for Porsche's other than the 1997-1999 Boxster, there's no doubt that costs can get crazy.

[seningen]

Originally Posted by Greg Holmberg

The biggest cost surprise (to me, at least) in the data I've gathered for the Miata is the cost of maintaining a competitive engine, and the small number of hours until it's not competitive. The Boxster has a very reliable engine whose HP can't really be increased by a pro build. Not so with the Miata.

To be clear, in this survey, I'm not asking for the cost of the average mid-pack car in a regional race. In order to make an apples-to-apples comparison across so many classes, the scenario is a car that's capable of winning a Major or finishing in the top five at the Run-offs. In some classes, such as Formula Enterprises, nearly all cars meet this criteria, so I have to make that the scenario for comparison.

As for Porsche's other than the 1997-1999 Boxster, there's no doubt that costs can get crazy.

What's the definition of a weekend for this purpose (how many hours/heat cycles?)

I just bought an SPB -- so I don't have data (yet)

Mike

[Greg Holmberg]

Originally Posted by seningen

What's the definition of a weekend for this purpose (how many hours/heat cycles?)

I just bought an SPB -- so I don't have data (yet)

Mike

You can look in the spreadsheet, but I said sessions are 25 minutes, and there are 8 session per weekend including Friday testing (so 3.33 hours per weekend), and 8 weekends per year (26.67 hours on track per year).

I had started with 10 sessions per weekend, and 10 weekends per year, but I got feedback that while that was certainly possible, it wasn't common. So I reduced both.

If this doesn't match your plans, you can use the per-hour data in the spreadsheet to create your own per-weekend and per-year costs. Keep in mind that this data only covers items that differ significantly between classes, and comes nowhere near covering all the expenses in a year of racing.