I'm really interested in getting into motorsports, but I've got some questions and concerns. Would you guys mind sharing some wisdom and/or pointing me in the right direction?

1) First and foremost, I am not RICH. I am POOR. My BMW doesn't stand for Brings Me Women; it stands for Breaking My Wallet. As such, I'm not going to be doing anything extreme. Are there track/auto-x groups for people running stock or close to it?

2) My Bimmer is my daily driver and I rely on it. What options allow me the most opportunity to increase my driving skills without destroying my car? I already intend to enroll in some BMWCCA driving classes, but what else is there?

3) Can I rent access to things I need (ie: helmet, RACECAR access, etc.)? I mean, if I can borrow/rent a helmet, access to a car to practice in, then it may be more intelligent to do that than dropping money on stuff I'll only occassionally use.

4) To those people in similar positions, or somewhat similar, would you please share some thoughts/experiences/recommendations?

Thanks in advance guys.

1) The way to make a small fortune with your car....... start with a large one. This sport is expensive. There are classes for stock cars but that doesn't necessarily mean inexpensive. AFAIK, auto-x can be fairly cheap but you don't get much track time. HPDEs will cost you $150+ per day.

2) There's no reason you can't use your DD for auto-x or HPDEs. Depending on how you drive, it's no worse than driving on the freeway. You have control of the gas and brake pedals.

3) Helmets have been available to rent at many HPDEs I've attended. Renting race cars is way spendy.

4) Recommendation...... try a track day. See if you like it. If you do, you can decide how to go forward.

Jay

Im in your same boat. luckily for x-mas my [parents got me a track day. I have a pretty cool track, portland international raceway. but i cant afford that stuff. i dont care so much about racing my bimmer. i just want to race. i am naturally a very good driver and have a great feel for the car. but without endless money i cant afford to hone my skills. i think autocross is lame for the most part. i know its helpful, but im not interested in small track time, and stupid cones and small tracks. i'm saving my pennies for a real racing school in hopes of getting my SCCA license. My young friend of 17 attended derick daly (or however you spell his name) racing school in LV. he got the fasted laps times out of anyone and they got him hooked up with SCCA for it. 17 years old...one school...SCCA license...cool. So i'd spare all the little crap and save up for a real racing school.

Chevelle - SCCA licenses aren't hard to come by. You could get one cheaper by renting a Spec Miata and attending a local SCCA school. If you are the driver you say you are, they might wave the 2nd school requirement. Even if they don't, it'll probably still be cheaper (car rental and all) than an expensive professional school. I don't particularly like auto-x either, but if you have a limited amount of experience, you should try to attend as many as you can. They are cheap and I learned a lot from them.

Remember, those cars at Daly (and a lot of SCCA cars you might race) won't have ABS, so you might want to work on the braking advice you were giving out over on the brake technique thread. ;)

Im in your same boat. luckily for x-mas my [parents got me a track day. I have a pretty cool track, portland international raceway. but i cant afford that stuff. i dont care so much about racing my bimmer. i just want to race. i am naturally a very good driver and have a great feel for the car. but without endless money i cant afford to hone my skills. i think autocross is lame for the most part. i know its helpful, but im not interested in small track time, and stupid cones and small tracks. i'm saving my pennies for a real racing school in hopes of getting my SCCA license. My young friend of 17 attended derick daly (or however you spell his name) racing school in LV. he got the fasted laps times out of anyone and they got him hooked up with SCCA for it. 17 years old...one school...SCCA license...cool. So i'd spare all the little crap and save up for a real racing school.

Ahem, Autocrossers make great racers. Just look at the grid for the Speedvision World Challenge series. There are many SCCA National Champions Solo drivers there. The dynamics of car placement and looking ahead will do you wonders when you get to the road courses.

i am naturally a very good driver and have a great feel for the car. but without endless money i cant afford to hone my skills. i think autocross is lame for the most part. i know its helpful, but im not interested in small track time, So i'd spare all the little crap and save up for a real racing school.


:lol HELLO DORK

Just get reel good at GrandTurismo 3. Once you master that, you're a real racer!

Like others have said, being broke and motorsports dont mix. I spend about $3k a year on tires,parts,gas, entreance fees, etc for a auto-x season and a few DEs. This does not included the amount of money I spend on mods every year.

If you do it right, start out with auto-x, do some DEs building your car along the way, you can have a nice race-car and good skills to go racing with after a few years.

I have been slowly moding my car over the last 3 or so years to go club racing in IP. All I have to do now is to put in a cage, my car is pretty much maxed out for IP at this point, but I am still a few years away as I dont have time for it at this point. (3 kids)

Like others have said, being broke and motorsports dont mix. I spend about $3k a year on tires,parts,gas, entreance fees, etc for a auto-x season and a few DEs. This does not included the amount of money I spend on mods every year.

If you do it right, start out with auto-x, do some DEs building your car along the way, you can have a nice race-car and good skills to go racing with after a few years.

I have been slowly moding my car over the last 3 or so years to go club racing in IP. All I have to do now is to put in a cage, my car is pretty much maxed out for IP at this point, but I am still a few years away as I dont have time for it at this point. (3 kids)

It gets more expensive the more involved you get.

Last year I spent only enough to pay for the events ($240) and my scca membership ($75). I ran the car as I ran it on the street. Thats $315 for a full year of autox plus gas and thats it. Only reason Im spending $ on good tires this year is cuz i want to be a lil' more competitive. But I got into auto-x just to feel comfortable if I ever had to run from the cops. :nono

Here is my budget for this year:

Track/Auto-x fees:
WDCR SCCA Solo2 8 event Season Subscription: $240
SCCA Membership: $75
3-4 Driving Events (NASA HPDE/BMWCCA): ~$300 each = $1200

Tires/parts:
Falken Azenis RT615 255/40/17: $600
Set of slightly used Hawk HP+: $60
Motul 600: $20

Thats about $2200. But only about $1000 for all auto-x stuff.

Plus....Related Mods (about $3k): BBS RX wheels 17x8 w/R-comps, Kosei K1 17x8.5 (w/azenis), GC/Koni coilovers, sway bars, understeer SSK, Cosmos CAI, HFM, Turner chip

Im sure in the next couple of years, I may move towards racing my car, but I know the costs of car setup and fees will grow exponentially as well.

1) The way to make a small fortune with your car....... start with a large one. This sport is expensive. There are classes for stock cars but that doesn't necessarily mean inexpensive. AFAIK, auto-x can be fairly cheap but you don't get much track time. HPDEs will cost you $150+ per day.

2) There's no reason you can't use your DD for auto-x or HPDEs. Depending on how you drive, it's no worse than driving on the freeway. You have control of the gas and brake pedals.

3) Helmets have been available to rent at many HPDEs I've attended. Renting race cars is way spendy.

4) Recommendation...... try a track day. See if you like it. If you do, you can decide how to go forward.

Jay

QFT

Auto-x is about 25 bucks per day. Assuming your car is in working order with decent tires and brakes, go hit some of these and see how you do.

I did my first HPDE last fall and am hooked. And quite frankly, I have no aspiration at this point to Club Race, just keep learning and having a blast. If my skills develop to the point I think I could go out and not embarrass myself, I'll think about prepping a race car. Until then, I have a weekend auto-x/HPDE beater e30 that I'll thrash in for fun.

Obviously, HPDE costs more, but its more seat time. Before you go dumping cash on mods, make sure the car is in good order, and hit the parking lots for auto-x, then after a while, splurge and try a track weekend.

QFT?

QFT

Auto-x is about 25 bucks per day. Assuming your car is in working order with decent tires and brakes, go hit some of these and see how you do.

I did my first HPDE last fall and am hooked. And quite frankly, I have no aspiration at this point to Club Race, just keep learning and having a blast. If my skills develop to the point I think I could go out and not embarrass myself, I'll think about prepping a race car. Until then, I have a weekend auto-x/HPDE beater e30 that I'll thrash in for fun.

Obviously, HPDE costs more, but its more seat time. Before you go dumping cash on mods, make sure the car is in good order, and hit the parking lots for auto-x, then after a while, splurge and try a track weekend.

BMW Club schools are good ways to learn if you dont have driving experience but an SCCA Race school will really teach you what you need to know. if you want to get into racing. Spec miatas are becoming hard to get into the popularirty is raising prices and such. Spec Racer Fords although about as fast as your average lawn mower are a good starting point very competitive and theya re always introuble from the stewardts so its interesting.

QFT?

quoted for truth

Spec Miata's? Spec Fords?

Are you guys saying the best "starter car" may actually be a modded MX5?