[TrakCar]

Hey guys.

Since this month I've turned 36 and hit middle age, the one thing I have always wanted to do more and haven't been able to is run multiple track days per year, run Nasa TT events, and possibly get my instructors certificate. Over the course of discussions with my wife we both kept coming back to "understanding the costs". So I was trying to put together a "business plan" (for lack of a better term) that would capture the costs of multiple lapping days in my 1991 Z28 camaro. I've done 10-15 track events over the last 8 years but never have been able to do more than 1-2 in a calender year.

Here is what I have so far:

• Event Cost $250 per day (approx)
• Tires $600 set (how many events can I expect? My Nitto 555R2's have 3 track days on them and could maybe do 1 more)
• Brake pads $ 125 Front/ $95 rear (I've had my Hawk HP+ pads for 4-5 years (4-5 events +limited street use)
• Rotors $122 set front/ $196 set rear (C5 front/ stock 91 Z28 rear)
• Brake fluid $20 Liter 2 per year? (flush/ fill after every event)
• Gas for event ~8 Gal/ session @$4.00 (5 sessions per day) = $160.00
• Travel (Gas etc) Based on distance
• Food $25 per day
• Hotel if needed $100/ night (hope to do 1 day events close to home)

I'm trying to boil these costs down to a $ per track Day type of number.
I know most people don't want to know how much the addiction costs, but I need ammo to convince my wife it fits in the budget.

Thanks

[Marty]

I did 15 event days last year in a 2001 SS. Here are my suggestions on how to justify it:

1. Front full race pads $160 (will go 6 days) the backs will last the entire year. Go cheap as they provide less than 30% of the stopping.
2. Rotors- switch back to the stock front rotors with venting. The C5 conversion adds tremendous cost and they bust more frequently. The stock front rotors are $25 (last about 6 days) at Autozone and they come with a year warranty. (My integrity limits free exchanges to once per purchased set.)
3. Brake fluid- get the Autozone DOT 4 and change it every three days. We aren't in F1 so we don't need the gold standard.
4. Don't come home and tell stories of other people wrecking their cars, doing any type of body damage, or having major mechanical failures.
5. If you are pulling your trailer with her SUV/truck make time to completely clean it after the event weekend.
6. Don't complain and wine every time she comes home with a $20 trinket she or the kids don't need. She could nickel and dime you for a year and not waste enough money to equal a 3 day track weekend!
7. Let her know that the beauty of this type of hobby is that you can completely stop it at anytime. You can cut the cost basis to Zero for a year and then pick it back up again if something comes up. This isn't the case with horses, country club dues, large boats, time shares, second homes....

Let your wife know this is going to cost in excess of $5k a year plus any mission critical mechanical failures. Let her know it makes you feel like a man and you grow as a person every weekend!