How much $ to run 24hrs Daytona?

[Jim G]

You couldn't run one of Frans cars at Daytona. They wouldn't allow it. Grand Am has no interest in any prototypes other than their own.

They also have no interest in GT car's except those built to their rules which wouldn't be allowed or completive in other series.

LMP prototypes would eat Daytona Prototypes for breakfast starting with their tires.

[Fran Hall RCR]

Jim is absolutely right on all counts ,Grand Am is a very closed shop and has very stringent rules packages...not at all like ALMS...but the cost to run ALMS is multiple times more expensive than Grand Am. ....
Even a top flight ST (very production based) car is a couple of hundred thousand $ in the GA Continental tire series.

but the 25hr is a different story...

[Jim G]

Originally Posted by gt40fran

Jim is absolutely right on all counts ,Grand Am is a very closed shop and has very stringent rules packages...not at all like ALMS...but the cost to run ALMS is multiple times more expensive than Grand Am. ....
Even a top flight ST (very production based) car is a couple of hundred thousand $ in the GA Continental tire series.

but the 25hr is a different story...

I would love to see cars like yours in Major races. At the Ring we're the only privateer/constructor and the cost is silly. The BOP is very political as well.

Things are a lot different today. You can no longer buy a street legal sports car, tape the headlights and go racing at Major events.

At the Ring we're running faster (under 7 minutes) on the section of The Ring that the manufactures brag about if they go under 7:30 and they can hardly last a lap and we're doing it for 24 Hours with restricted HP. Aero is the main difference. We're making 3800 lb. of downforce at 125mph and pulling 2.8 G's in medium speed turns. Street car suspension can't take that for long much less generate it.

[Johan]

Our old geezer (everyone is 50+) vintage/historic race team (Predator Performance) ran the 24 hours of Daytona this year just for the fun of the experience, and it was fun, but expensive. The tires
and engines were leased. The cost is about 100,000 per driver, with 4 drivers, plus the cost of the roller DP Gen II, which was under 200,000.
For comparison, I was offered a seat in a GT3 in 2002 for 25,000, plus my share of damages. Seemed expensive at the time but in retrospect, was a bargain.
A ring and pinion for a DP costs over 15,000 whereas a ring and pinion for a hewland costs 2500. It took us 73 laps to to swap r&p and then the whole transaxle, whereas it took the Ganassi team 7 minutes (usually takes them 4 minutes but there was debris in the case). It was a learning experience for sure and the team DID FINISH the race, which was the only goal.

[Cliff Beer]

Used GT3 is your way to go if you're on a budget. Rent it, or buy it and drive the crap out of it.....then sell it. I just saw a GT3 with a large spare parts inventory go for $160K. It was a somewhat tired car, but had a long history of finishing, and finishing well. Buy it for $160K, sell it for $125K and your basic ride is just $35K. Figure another $75K for tires/fuel/travel/supplies and maybe another $25K for a test day or two and you're (4 of you probably) all doing it for well under $50K each.

$500K? Nah. Sure, it's easy to throw a ton of money at it. But that's just being lazy and wasteful. Being scrappy is much more economical, and a lot more fun. Getting a good result with a small budget is a much, much, much more impressive feat than throwing a ton of money at it in order to have the latest of everything and all the hard work done by others. That's booooring.

[Jim G]

Originally Posted by Johan

Our old geezer (everyone is 50+) vintage/historic race team (Predator Performance) ran the 24 hours of Daytona this year just for the fun of the experience, and it was fun, but expensive. The tires
and engines were leased. The cost is about 100,000 per driver, with 4 drivers, plus the cost of the roller DP Gen II, which was under 200,000.
For comparison, I was offered a seat in a GT3 in 2002 for 25,000, plus my share of damages. Seemed expensive at the time but in retrospect, was a bargain.
A ring and pinion for a DP costs over 15,000 whereas a ring and pinion for a hewland costs 2500. It took us 73 laps to to swap r&p and then the whole transaxle, whereas it took the Ganassi team 7 minutes (usually takes them 4 minutes but there was debris in the case). It was a learning experience for sure and the team DID FINISH the race, which was the only goal.

Very Cool.

[chsutherland]

On-board from above mentioned team of elderly gentlemen

24hrs Daytona Jim Pace and Brian Johnson.mov - YouTube

[greg (Bailey Cars)]

Hello Jack

we have done some calculations before to run for extended endurances races. and basically it costs about the same as a bell jet ranger helicopter to run out LMP car. new set of tyres every hour and a half and a tank of fuel 75 litres every 45 minutes. how the teams do the calculations is cost per kilometer of racing. they take in to account wear and tear, cost of replacement parts, tyres fuel oils etc etc and i think i remember it comes to around 40 euros a kilometer, but this is for top spec LMP cars but that would be a mid pack team, not even the top guys

so its big bucks, if you really calculate it properly. road based cars will be allot cheaper as they are engineered for reliability and not ultimate performance

cheers greg

[tom pritchett]

My friend Joe ran a Porsche Cup Car and paid 75k for his 1.5 hour seat time at Daytona. It can be done for less than 100k

[Andrew]

Get your Grand-Am license. Rent a Ride from an established team.. $30-50K for Daytona only. And negotiate sponsorship space on the car. Show up with you helmet and drive... Hope that your co-drivers don't take the car out in the first turn... no refunds..