Is It Really Worth It?

[tom_sprecher]

I had to withdraw for the test day and double SARRC race at Barber this weekend. This makes two races in a row but last time my wife and I had some nasty virus that drained all our energy and made us light headed. This time it was the cost. The total bill was going to run $1200. At the last minute, while eating lunch after having loaded everything up and was ready to go I came to the realization that I can not afford that at this time. The economy this year has put a squeeze on my income and the future is looking even dimmer.

Perhaps I need to limit myself to singles at home until things turn around. Even at that point I am questioning the entertainment value of driving. While I enjoy it and can not explain what it is like to someone who has never done it I feel there are numerous things I would enjoy more, for a longer period of time and at less cost.

In the past I have had more fun crewing or working on a race weekend than I do now with the cost and hassle involved with a car. I love the adrenine rush spiced with fear but maybe not enough to justify the price, work and time involved. This weekend alone was going to consume 4 days when all said and done and that does not include the car prep. My vacations aren't much longer than that, cost less, people are paid to wait on me and the food, scenery and company is much better (no offense meant to you guys but I prefer babes in bikinis).

I may also have become so averse to spending money unless absolutely necessary that I can not enjoy myself when I do. It has paid off in that I have no current or future debt but I ain't having any fun either.

I guess I'm done but still frustrated.

[mtownneon]

Sounds to me as if it might be time to park it for a while. I know where you're at, I was there about 2002. I was spending cubic dollars racing local short track stuff and was just burned out. I walked away. sold the race car, trailer, everything and bought a couple motorcycles for the wife and I.

I got the itch again in 2006 and with the help of friends, have gone road racing........

[gsbaker]

...(no offense meant to you guys but I prefer babes in bikinis)...

Selfish bastard.

The older I become, the more valuable my time. In part because I have less of it in the bank; in part because there are more demands for it.

Just an observation. I don't have anything to offer other than possibly going the arrive and drive route, just to get the fix.

[SLUF]

I feel your pain and sympathize greatly! My son and I are not racing at HPT this weekend due to a budget crunch. We spent the better part of this year chasing points and it has been 1200 or so each time not counting broken car parts. Pretty tough to do on our shoestring budget. The spike in towing costs has essentially doubled our weekend expenses. To the credit of the SCCA Midwest division regions, they have not increased entry fees much, if at all, to help out.

Having said all of that we are taking a break till October and the last race of the year at Gateway. I also keep wondering if its worth it but each time my son comes off the track and I see his smile answers that every time for me. I'll keep finding a way to get our fix even if it means getting back into the autocross scene more often. Damn, this racing stuff is worse than crack or cocaine................so I've been told.

[Hotshoe]

Tom,

.....Sorry to hear that...... Even though I don't have a chance (when compared to Babes in bikinis) I hope we (your friends at the track)come in a close second ....LOL

[Z3_GoCar]

I completely undestand how you feel.... It's really not any one thing that causes your budget to go bust, it's a little of everything. We're still dealing with the trickle down of the effects of the huge surge in oil costs, even though the cost of fuel is going down for the moment. If you're burned out then you need to take a break, and it's a smart sportsman who knows they're burning out , over-training, and need to stop pushing so hard, put the sport away and return later. I'd say if you have the room store the car, or maybe rent it out to some one you trust for an occasional race, drive it in an autocross or a track day.

[Chris Wire]

While I'm not sure I've ever been where you are right now, I have had to adapt to a limited driving schedule since I sold my AS car in '01 and began building my current ITS car in '02.

I did the points chase, every race, every available weekend thing in the late '90s. I won a regional championship and decided shortly thereafter that it wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. I decided from there to pick and choose the races I really wanted to do, and just race less but have more fun doing it.

And while I have relied heavily on the kindness of friends these past few years for rented rides, I don't expect that my outlook will change now that my car is completed.

[Grumpa]

Tom,
I thought perhaps I was the only one dealing with the burnout issue. Good to know (I guess) there are others in the same boat.

My ITC Rabbit took a fatal turn into the concrete at IRP this past May and I was not at the wheel when it happened. The Bunny was about 95% developed and I had all the confidence in the car to run top 5 or a little better at the IT Fest. It was too much fun to race. The guy who bent the Bunny replaced it with a'84 GTI that is not much better than the Rabbit when I started working and learning it. Granted, the curve should be nowhere near as steep as before but I find myself lacking the enthusiasm to get into the garage and wail on the GTI. The biggest problem that I am facing isn't money, per se, but my age. I will be 55 in October, and while I'm not ready to get out of the seat, it is the tremendous amount of time required to prep the car that kicks my butt. I do the car myself, and as everyone on this site will attest, there is always something you want or have to do to get ready for the next time out. I swear, this sport is the most trying of addictions. You beat your brains out & bust your knuckles, ass, and bank account for months at a time - for what? For that exhilaration, that rush, that high, that realistically is only surpassed (barely) by a really good orgasm. I love racing racecars, there is nothing I have ever done that compares with this sport, but this can be the most demanding of mistresses.

I will probably park the car after my first adventure to MidOhio in October and ignore the siren's call for awhile. Drag it out to a track day at Putnam a couple times next year to get my fix, I suppose, maybe the spring race at IRP since it is so close. But that's all. But MidOhio's not that far, and my cousin lives kinda close to there, and I could...

[dlg208]

I thought about quitting also...

IT...

Think I'm going SRF so I won't get passed on the straights at my home track by "once a year" guys in cheater V-Dubs that sound like ITA cars.

Seriously...WTF!!!

(Pardon me... I'm pissed and have had way too much wine)

[924Guy]

Of course, I don't know about the rest of you guys, but according to my wife, I start to get testy once I've had a month off, and after two months without racing I'm already scheming about the next big race or development plan... even though we're in the depths of a Michigan December!

[Flyin' MacLean]

Tom, the bottom line is, if you're not having fun you need to take a break. I was in the same position after the 2006 season and decided to run one more season to see if the fun factor would still outweigh the hassle factor (lack of time and money) While I had a great season it was obvious to me that I needed to take a break from race car ownership. My passion for racing is still there but my passion for owning, maintaining and trailering a race car is gone forever Life situations change and stubbornly carrying on while running out of time, money and patience is not a smart way to go! I sold my car and was shocked not to miss it one iota. While I am sure I'll race against soon it'll be in a rental.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Cheers,
...Colin

[CRallo]

Is it worth it?? I dunno but I do know that I'm addicted... right or wrong it's part of who I am and that's just the way it is

as I have taken to saying: "I'll be driving something, somewhere..."

For anyone in the NE or great lakes:
Not quite the place for it but, since we are somewhat on the topic, If anyone has a car that is on ice that they would like to see maintained and raced, wants to take a break or needs someone to share the cost of racing with I would be interested in working something out that would benifit all involved for next year... feel free to PM me