In a discussion on dsrforum, someone said that:
In my opinion, there are obvious differences in costs between the classes.... there is almost no difference in operational and building costs for FB, FF, P2, F600, FC, etc.
So I set out to prove it by quantifying those costs. I ask for your help to estimate those costs for classes you are familiar with.
Here I'm only looking at the predictable costs that vary between the classes. Some costs are more or less the same between classes, such as towing, hotel, food, entry fee, and so on. I am ignoring those costs.
Some costs are personal choice, and not inherent in the class, such as how much you choose to spend on your tow vehicle or RV, or paying people to support you. I am ignoring those too.
Some costs, while having some correlation to the class, are unpredictable and so difficult to quantify, such as crash repairs or engine failures. I am ignoring those too.
That leaves me with:
- tires
- engine rebuild (by a professional)
- fuel
- brake pads
- other, depending on the class
"Other" could include, for example, gearbox replacement if your class has a weak gearbox.
I guess there are other smaller but predictable maintenance costs, such as oil changes, brake rotors, brake fluid, etc. If you think a particular class has above or below average expenses in these areas, let me know, and I will include them.
Did I miss any significant costs that differ between classes?
I took a stab at the costs. Some of these are just place-holders when I had no idea. So don't be afraid to correct me.
I've also included some other class comparisons, such as horsepower, torque, weight, ratio=(hp+torque)/weight, lap time (record at Thunderhill), and purchase price new. If a class no longer has new cars available for purchase, please send me the price when they were last available new and a year, and I will use an inflation calculator to get a new cost in today's dollars.
I have also made these assumptions:
- 25 minutes per session
- 10 sessions per weekend (including testing on Friday)
- 10 weekends per year
Here's what I came up with for many of the popular classes (sorted by lap time):
Car Engine make Engine model Displacement Power Torque Weight Ratio Lap time Purchase new Cost per weekend Tires
SetTire
Cyclestire cost
WeekendEngine rebuild Engine hours engine cost
Weekendfuel cost/gal fuel gal/hour fuel
Weekendbrake pads
Costbrake pads
Hoursbrake pads
WeekendOther
WeekendP1 Suzuki GSX R 1000 197 86 1,000 3.53 01:36.6 $90,000 $1,374 $1,006 20 $503 $5,000 42 $500 $10.00 8 $333 $188 21 $38 FA #DIV/0! 01:38.5 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $0 #DIV/0! FB Suzuki GSX R 1000 180 86 1,000 3.76 01:40.0 $60,000 $879 $950 20 $475 $2,500 42 $250 $3.50 8 $117 $188 21 $38 P2 Suzuki GSX R 1000 180 86 1,000 3.76 01:42.2 $80,000 $907 $1,006 20 $503 $2,500 42 $250 $3.50 8 $117 $188 21 $38 FC Ford Zetec 2000 160 150 1,200 3.87 01:45.0 $70,000 $904 $950 20 $475 $4,000 125 $133 $7.00 8 $233 $188 13 $63 FE Mazda MZR 2300 171 168 1,270 3.75 01:45.6 $60,000 $869 $720 20 $360 $6,350 125 $212 $7.00 8 $233 $322 21 $64 FM Mazda Rotary 1300 180 180 1,350 3.75 01:49.2 $972 $970 20 $485 $6,000 125 $200 $7.00 8 $233 $160 13 $53 S2 Ford Pinto 2000 145 135 1,335 4.77 01:49.9 $60,000 $1,175 $950 20 $475 $4,000 42 $400 $7.00 8 $233 $200 13 $67 F600 Suzuki GSX R 600 116 48 875 5.34 01:53.1 $25,000 $709 $730 20 $365 $2,000 42 $200 $3.50 8 $117 $110 17 $28 NP01 Mazda MZR 2000 185 145 1,725 5.23 01:53.7 $86,000 $566 $907 40 $227 $5,000 125 $167 $3.50 8 $117 $278 21 $56 FF Honda Fit 1500 115 100 1,110 5.16 01:53.8 $60,000 $645 $764 20 $382 $2,500 125 $83 $3.50 8 $117 $188 13 $63 CFF Ford Kent 1600 115 100 1,110 5.16 01:54.8 $30,000 $876 $490 30 $163 $5,000 50 $417 $7.00 8 $233 $188 13 $63 SRF3 Ford Sigma 1600 140 131 1,670 6.16 01:58.8 $45,000 $735 $760 20 $380 $5,000 125 $167 $3.50 8 $117 $286 17 $71 FV VW H4 1200 60 70 1,025 7.88 01:58.8 $26,000 $1,036 $766 10 $766 $1,700 42 $170 $3.50 6 $88 $50 17 $13 FST VW H4 1600 85 100 1,125 6.08 02:00.3 $26,000 $510 $490 20 $245 $1,700 42 $170 $3.50 6 $88 $60 33 $7 E46 BMW I6 3000 253 246 2,850 5.71 02:00.4 $35,000 $956 $944 20 $472 $5,000 125 $167 $3.50 10 $146 $513 13 $171 SP911 Porsche H6 3200 245 225 2,350 5.00 02:01.6 $80,000 $936 $905 20 $453 $6,000 125 $200 $3.50 10 $146 $413 13 $138 SPB Porsche H6 2500 225 202 2,650 6.20 02:03.9 $30,000 $1,069 $944 20 $472 $5,000 125 $167 $3.50 10 $146 $553 13 $184 $100 Gearbox LTR Yamaha XJR 1250 122 86 1,500 7.21 02:04.0 $20,000 $615 $500 40 $125 $3,500 42 $350 $3.50 8 $117 $275 50 $23 SM Mazda I4 1800 126 122 2,400 9.68 02:06.3 $20,000 $1,123 $836 20 $418 $5,000 42 $500 $3.50 8 $117 $264 13 $88
If you find this table difficult to read, here's a link to the spreadsheet in Google docs.
I didn't include all SCCA classes, just the purpose-built (formula and sports racers) and some of the other most popular ones. Non-SCCA classes are: NASA NP01, BMW Spec E46, Porsche Spec 911, Porsche Spec Boxster, Legends Thunder Roadster.
If you have corrections for a class, please reply with values for the following fields:
Displacement (cc)
Power at crank (horsepower)
Torque at crank (ft-lbs)
Weight with driver (lbs)
Purchase new ($) and year last available new
Tire, set ($)
Tire cycles (# heat cycles while remaining competitive)
Engine rebuild ($)
Engine hours (while remaining competitive)
Fuel ($ per gallon)
Fuel use (gallons per hour)
Brake pads ($)
Brake pad hours
Other costs ($, describe)
I will update the spreadsheet in Google docs as I get new numbers. I won't respond to each person (I think that would get old fast), but you can check the spreadsheet to see if your numbers made it in.
Thanks for your help,
Greg Holmberg