Is this the worst idea. . . 

"whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU" (whiskey-business) 03/27/2015 at 09:05 • Filed to: None

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So I've been wanting to get into racing for a while. I've occasionally enjoyed karting, but can't justify the cost of the only local track being $45 for under 10 minutes. Wanted to do autocross but the RX7 is no longer with me and I depend on my Focus wagon too much to thrash it like that. I'd love to do a full on project car, but don't have the funds to do so.

And that brings me to this.

Legends racing. These motorcycle powered, tube framed, vintage bodied beasts go used for a few thousand dollars, including spare parts all day long. Could be run in a number of racing venues, as they are caged, prepped, the whole nine yards. Used for track days, autocross, and even the league they were built for. Am I crazy for wanting one of these?

citizennick > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:07

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Check out Formula Vee, its fairly cheap.

Alex87f > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:12

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But then you are going to need:

-a car-trailer
-a car that can tow said trailer
-somewhere to store both of them

If you already have these then why the hell not? If not, they're probably going to affect your decision.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:31

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It's not that different than any other track rat. But yeah, you need to figure out if you can afford the all-in cost. I think if you think that something like that is going to be less expensive than, say, a track rat Miata, you'll be surprised.

I'd say start with a cheap track rat...like, cheaper than a Miata. I'm thinking Dodge Neon, Saturn SL2, something that is decently well sorted and takes abuse like a champ. Autocross is relatively easy on cars, but when you want to do more full track days you'll have something you can flog that isn't your daily driver. And you can probably get a feel for lower-level events without caging and prepping the car, so you spread the costs out a bit more. If you start at a low-level and decide it's not for you, it's easier to bow out than if you're trying to sell a race car to a limited market.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Aaron M - MasoFiST 03/27/2015 at 09:36

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You make a number of very interesting points. I never really considered tracking a cheapie car. . . And what do you mean by all in cost?

Stephen the Canuck > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:38

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transportation, fuel, consumables, brakes, tires, safety equipment, maintenance, repairs. Things like that.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Stephen the Canuck 03/27/2015 at 09:44

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Other than transportation, aren't all of these things the same for any vehicle? And since these cars come with spare parts, a lot of consumables would be included in the cost.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:48

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Someone else mentioned storage and trailering costs, you mentioned costs of caging and prepping, the other reply to this comment mentions consumables...they're all a factor. I mean, how much more expensive is the hobby if this Legends racer is tuned only for 100 octane? How much do R-compound tires cost in the size you need? Even if these will all come into play with a cheap street car, they come into play much later...you don't need to tune for race gas and buy slicks when you're starting out in the hobby, but if you buy a purpose-built race car, then you do.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Aaron M - MasoFiST 03/27/2015 at 09:51

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Very true Aaron. I think a bargain basement track-rat street car might be the way I go.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 09:58

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Grassroots Motorsports is a great resource for low-cost racing ideas. Jack Baruth over at The Truth About Cars tracked a Neon, and it was in GRM that I read an article about setting up a Saturn SL2 for road racing.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Aaron M - MasoFiST 03/27/2015 at 10:00

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Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look further into these sites for sure!

Stephen the Canuck > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/27/2015 at 14:23

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True enough. They do seem like a decent idea.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Stephen the Canuck 03/27/2015 at 14:25

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Plus, I've seen a couple under 5 large that include a trailer :P Guess I'm gonna have to sell drugs now.

Grindintosecond > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 03/28/2015 at 17:59

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Buy in costs of tracking/racing includes potentially a fire-suit and helmet plus any instruction they say you need. just thoughts.