How much will it cost to go racing?
Motorcycle racing is exciting. It's also expensive. Even at club level, racers may not complete a season due to the costs. This page compares two very different levels of competition but assumes a single rider with no management team or staff. This page summarises what you need but we cover it in more depth in the Start Racing page.
Irrespective of the level you compete in, your first year of racing will incur some one-off costs. Before you get to turn a wheel in anger, you are going to need a number of items. At the very least (costs based on 2011 season information):
Your first, one-off costs:
- The legal/learning stuff:
- Racing school fees. You must attend an ACU-approved race school before you can get your licence. Covers safety, race craft, etiquette, etc. Plus the ACU theory test. Around £200.
- Club membership. Racing licences are only issued to bona fide race club members. Around £25-35.
- A racing licence. This is compulsory and must be obtained before you will be allowed on track. £43.
- An orange bib. Compulsory for novices. £7.
- Next; the bike. End of season bargains can be found and it's often better to buy a race-ready bike (often with a good set of spares) than convert a road bike. Examples:
- Yamaha TZR250 (Yamaha Past Masters): £1500
- MZ 250 (MZ Racing Club): £1500
- ZXR400 (BMCRC spec): £1600 (sub-64 class)
- Aprilia RS125 (Superteens): new £4000, used £2500
- Yamaha R1 (National Superstock): £15000+
- A transponder, which signals data back to race control. Compulsory for racing. It will cost about £300 but often available to hire at each race, at about £25 a time.
- A van or a car and trailer. Vans can double up as useful temporary sleep accommodation. It's hard to pitch a tent up on a tarmac paddock... Allow £1000 for a van, £300 for a trailer.
- Workshop equipment:
- A decent tool kit. You may get away with a basic socket set, alan keys and screwdrivers at first but the more you have, the less likely you will need to scrounge from others. Free (if you have it all already) to around £200 to start with.
- Paddock stands (about £60-80 for a pair)
- Generator and mains lead/s (£300+ for a decent generator, £50 in ancilliary leads)
- Tyre warmers (£200 for a pair)
- A 2ltr dry powder fire extinguisher (£40).
- A 20 ltr jerry can for the bike's fuel. About £20. And a funnel (£5 for one with a flexible pipe & mesh). Use premium grade petrol wherever you can find it.
- Riding gear. You could spend £1500 or more on gear but you can equally get decent clothing for just over £400. Consider places like discount bike clothing stores where last year's leathers will be offered at seriously reduced prices. Alternatively bike shows can be a good source of cheap clothing, especially if you have your racing licence on you. Many companies will be prepared to do a deal for a racer, especially if they can wangle some advertising out of it. The list:
- Helmet. Must be ACU race approved. From around £150.
- Leathers. One piece only allowed for racing. Can be bought second hand from about £100.
- Gloves. Starting at about £50.
- Boots. Decent race boots give good ankle protection but allow freedom of movement. About £150.
- Back protector. Not compulsory but highly recommended. About £80.
- Undersuit. Not essential but prevents the leathers sticking to your skin, making you more comfortable and allowing more freedom of movement. Around £60.
DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO BUY A SECOND-HAND CRASH HELMET. EVER. - An eye test is also compulsory. (£10-20)
- An identity tag ("dog tag"). Compulsory wear for each meeting. Must have your name and date of birth embossed/engraved. Blood group is optional. (About £5.)
Whilst we don't like to think about it, you should, if you are over 18, get a will written. You should also seriously consider life insurance. There are companies who provide insurance specifically for racers, to cover costs such as loss of earnings in the event of anything unfortunate happening.
Once you have your start-up stuff, you'll have the ongoing costs to cover. For each meeting you'll need:
- Fuel for the van/car. £50
- Race fuel/oils. £50.
- Entry fees. Some clubs let you pay per round, which at least helps spread the cost. You must get the fee to the club in plenty of time, usually at least two weeks before a meeting. £250 per round.
- Practice day fees. Essential in your first year to help you learn the track. You do NOT want to arrive on the Saturday and hope to simply pootle around in the morning practice session. The track looks very different on the other side of the fencing. Practice days are on the Friday before race day and are open to club members whether they are racing or not that weekend. If you're still at school, you and your parents may need a very good relationship with the Head Teacher to be able to get the time off. Costs about £120.
- Tyres. For some races, a set of tyres may last only one weekend, although some competitions are kinder on tyre use. Between £150-400 a set. If bought at the circuit, the cost will include valves, fitting and balancing.
- Food & drink. Take your own. It will be far cheaper than paying circuit restaurant prices.
Finally, you'll need:
- Replacement parts and spares (bodywork, chassis, engine parts). You are likely to crash in any given season, particularly in your first year.
- You will need to factor in engine refreshes, costs for which vary considerably according to the class. Racing time is short but puts high stress on the engine. Talk to the class you're considering entering but even "stock" classes will need a budget for this (start at CB500s in Thundersport for the cheapest where decent enough engines can be bought off eBay fairly cheaply). Two strokes are often a simpler proposition for the confident home mechanic.
- Consumables: chain & sprockets, clutches, spark plugs, tyres, cable ties, gaffa tape, lock-wire, ear plugs...
- Somewhere to work on the bike under cover, such as a gazebo. This is where talking to the other riders in your class and making friends helps, as you can often share costs and space. If you own (or can blag) a motorhome and awning, all the better. £300 for a pop-up, substantial one, plus weights, should it get windy.
So; how big should my budget be?
Purely as a budget estimate, competing in all ten rounds of, say BEMSEE's Yamaha Past Masters (YPM) championship is likely to cost you about £7,000 in your first year, which should cover your one-off purchases and a full season's racing. A large chunk of this cost will be for entry/practice fees, at about £280/120 per round (there are ten rounds for 2011). Races in this series tend to be short (around 8-10 laps per race, depending on the length of track) and therefore slightly less demanding on the rider and bike. For the YPM series, standard road tyres are used, which are cheaper and, for a novice rider are likely to last for a number of meetings.
By comparison, if you intend to race in the National Superstock competition (one of the BSB support series), expect to need nearer £50,000 in your first year. As an example, the entry fee for the complete 2011 National Superstock season was £2,190. On top of that, a competitive machine will easily cost £15-20,000. You will potentially get through a set of tyres for every track session so, 13 rounds x 3 sessions (practice, qualifying, race) will mean 39 sets of tyres at, conservatively, £250-300 per set will cost you £10-12,000 alone. Information about all the BSB support races can be found on the MSV Website.
The list of items would be the same for most race series but would rise according to the level at which you are competing (and your crash rate...). Whilst some club events allow racing on a (relative) shoestring, to be consistently successful will require good quality kit and serious amounts of cash to maintain it to a consistent, winning standard. Again, the higher the competition level, the greater the costs, which will rise exponentially.