Jimmy Magnusson 27 Apr 2007, 17:46 Racing is expensive, hands down. But how expensive? I've tried to put togeather of the budget required to race in a wide range of series. Naturally the list may have some errors - if so, point them out. I'm also interested in how much the absolutly cheapest and best drives in a series cost (thanks BARC for the info!). Anyway, here it is:
Dirt Cheap Series
Formula Renault BARC Club Class
Some privateers run a full season for costs down to £8,000. An arrive & drive ride with a team costs about £28,000 and a one-off £1,500.
Formula Ford Australia State Series
£8,000-£40,000
Not expensive
Formula Renault BARC
Privateer will get around on £15,000, the average ride costs £40,000 and a top team drive will rob you of £56,000.
F3000 Australia V6 Series
Privateer runs a season for £34,000-£40,000 and a ride with a team costs about £42,000 to £70,000.
Finnish Formula 3
Average season budget is £43,000
Formula BMW Asia
£48,000-£120,000
Formula 3 Australia
£48,000-£120,000
Formula Ford UK
Sheesh, expensive junior category. £75,000-£100,000.
It hurts to pay this, but it may be worth it
Italian Formula 3
£100,000
Italian F3000 Series
£100,000. If I was an up-and-coming Italian driver I think I'd skip F3!
Asian Formula 3
£100,000-£120,000
Formula Renault UK
Imagine that the UK is this expensive! £100,000-£130,000.
Formula BMW USA
£121,000-£145,000. I understand why some Americans do the Asian counterpart instead.
Euro Formula Renault
£132,000-£200,000
Formula BMW UK
Is it really this expensive? Incredible if so. £150,000-£175,000.
Spanish & German F3
£165,000-£200,000
Expensive Series
Formula 3 National Class
£200,000-£250,000
International Formula Masters
I wonder how this new series have managed to attract such a great number of drivers considering the £265,000 it will cost you to race a season here. I know I'd rather do F3000 Euroseries!
Euroseries 3000
£265,000-£300,000 seems like a bargain!
Imagine that people can afford this...
Formula 3 Euroseries
£330,000-£460,000 and you will most likely end up with a DTM seat anyway!
Formula Toyota Atlantic & IRL Infinity Pro Series
The CC vs IRL battle is equal in the support series too. £338,000-£483,000.
World Series by Renault
Seems like a good stepping stone to GP2, unless you're the champion! £390,000-£528,000 is still quite expensive though.
Formula Nippon
Now this seem really cheap compared to its counterparts! £406,000 or thereabouts. But you won't get an F1 drive from here I think!
Expensive but essential
GP2
Now we're talking. £595,000-£925,000 will get you a ride for the season.
End category for some
IRL & Champ Car
One on ovals and one in the cities. Take your pick, both will suck about £967,000-£2,417,000 for a season out of you.
Oh, the glorious days of pay-drivers!
Formula One
The days of pay drivers are almost at an end, but you can still get a ride for £5,000,000-£10,000,000. Club Formula Renault seems pretty cheap now...
runshaw 27 Apr 2007, 18:24 Good list, always wanted to see budget comparisons between all single-seater championships, thanks!
International Formula Masters
I wonder how this new series have managed to attract such a great number of drivers considering the £265,000 it will cost you to race a season here. I know I'd rather do F3000 Euroseries!
Getting seen on Eurosport while you're leading the race in IFM or not even getting noticed in Euroseries while doing the same. I'd like to be on TV, please! :D
Finnish Formula 3
Average season budget is £43,000
I'm not sure about £'s, but if that's about 65 000 €, it's what driver needs
in Alan Docking Racing Finland Dallara F304. I guess avarage budget is less.
Any idea's whereabouts British F3 International class fits in with that? I'd always heard that it cost a similar amount of F3ES and WSR, but that's a fairly order-of-magnitude type of calculation.
runshaw 27 Apr 2007, 20:52 Is that really the budget for FBMW UK? I'd heard that it's expensive but i didn't realise it was actually much more expensive than UK FR. To me that just doesn't make sense. Why would any driver do FBMW when they can do FR for less money?
What's the budget for Japanese F3?
hotwheels 27 Apr 2007, 21:35 [QUOTE=runshaw]Is that really the budget for FBMW UK? I'd heard that it's expensive but i didn't realise it was actually much more expensive than UK FR. To me that just doesn't make sense. Why would any driver do FBMW when they can do FR for less money?
AFAIK is the same budget of Renault UK, between 100 - 130 (160 if you love Carlin or Double R) sterling pounds.
Japanese F3 might be cost-effective because many teams have own sponsors there.
Jimmy Magnusson 27 Apr 2007, 22:22 I'm not sure about £'s, but if that's about 65 000 €, it's what driver needs
in Alan Docking Racing Finland Dallara F304. I guess avarage budget is less.
Noted, thanks. And yes, It's the same as 65 000 €.
Any idea's whereabouts British F3 International class fits in with that? I'd always heard that it cost a similar amount of F3ES and WSR, but that's a fairly order-of-magnitude type of calculation.
I forgot to add that one! I had it in my list on the computer but forgot to type it in. Included in the list after this message.
Is that really the budget for FBMW UK? I'd heard that it's expensive but i didn't realise it was actually much more expensive than UK FR. To me that just doesn't make sense. Why would any driver do FBMW when they can do FR for less money?
I know, I almost swallowed my tounge when I read that! Well:
AFAIK is the same budget of Renault UK, between 100 - 130 (160 if you love Carlin or Double R) sterling pounds.
Thanks again, and list updated:
Dirt Cheap Series
Formula Renault BARC Club Class
Some privateers run a full season for costs down to £8,000. An arrive & drive ride with a team costs about £28,000 and a one-off £1,500.
Formula Ford Australia State Series
£8,000-£40,000
Not expensive
Formula Renault BARC
Privateer will get around on £15,000, the average ride costs £40,000 and a top team drive will rob you of £56,000.
F3000 Australia V6 Series
Privateer runs a season for £34,000-£40,000 and a ride with a team costs about £42,000 to £70,000.
Finnish Formula 3
Season budget for the top team is £43,000, less for others
Formula BMW Asia
£48,000-£120,000
Formula 3 Australia
£48,000-£120,000
Formula Ford UK
Sheesh, expensive junior category. £75,000-£100,000.
It hurts to pay this, but it may be worth it
Italian Formula 3
£100,000
Italian F3000 Series
£100,000. If I was an up-and-coming Italian driver I think I'd skip F3!
Asian Formula 3
£100,000-£120,000
Formula Renault UK
Imagine that the UK is this expensive! £100,000-£130,000.
Formula BMW UK
£100,000-£130,000, top team £160,000
Formula BMW USA
£121,000-£145,000. I understand why some Americans do the Asian counterpart instead.
Euro Formula Renault
£132,000-£200,000
Spanish & German F3
£165,000-£200,000
Expensive Series
Formula 3 National Class
£200,000-£250,000
International Formula Masters
I wonder how this new series have managed to attract such a great number of drivers considering the £265,000 it will cost you to race a season here. I know I'd rather do F3000 Euroseries!
Euroseries 3000
£265,000-£300,000 seems like a bargain!
Imagine that people can afford this...
Formula 3 Euroseries
£330,000-£460,000 and you will most likely end up with a DTM seat anyway!
Formula Toyota Atlantic & IRL Infinity Pro Series
The CC vs IRL battle is equal in the support series too. £338,000-£483,000.
British F3 International
£350,000-£500,000
World Series by Renault
Seems like a good stepping stone to GP2, unless you're the champion! £390,000-£528,000 is still quite expensive though.
Formula Nippon
Now this seem really cheap compared to its counterparts! £406,000 or thereabouts. But you won't get an F1 drive from here I think!
Expensive but essential
GP2
Now we're talking. £595,000-£925,000 will get you a ride for the season.
End category for some
IRL & Champ Car
One on ovals and one in the cities. Take your pick, both will suck about £967,000-£2,417,000 for a season out of you.
Oh, the glorious days of pay-drivers!
Formula One
The days of pay drivers are almost at an end, but you can still get a ride for £5,000,000-£10,000,000. Club Formula Renault seems pretty cheap now...
I can tell you huys, that if you own chassis, and lease engine from NBE, which isn't cheap, you can do season of National Class for much less than you think.
Can do... but for which result?
Go_For_Pole 28 Apr 2007, 10:28 German F. BMW is missing, I do believe it's somewhere between 150k - 180k Euro
mrsweety 28 Apr 2007, 10:28 Very good list! but what about adding a wildcard in there!
Super *gearbox* karts, 250/125icc I'd class these as singles seaters and faster than most single seater cars also! and cheaper LOL
Thanks
Andy
mrsweety 28 Apr 2007, 10:40 Also, looking at those cost's .... it's very depressing as a driver eh.... it also seems the UK is very expensive compared to other offerings!
I work with an F1 driver from the 70's! when he started he took out a £1000 bank loan purchased a car *FF* then did a full season as well! then moved to F3/F5000/F1.... and it did not cost £££££, those were the days :-)
Alfonso de Orleans 28 Apr 2007, 11:01 More talented drivers come from Euro F3 than WS. If I had to choose a young gun for GP2, that's where I'd pick him. Many of the other teams in the paddock think along the same lines. Just look where the past two GP2 champions came from. Even Kubika, who won the WS because he spent a year in exile there, came from Euro F3.
The price is the same, but in my opinion you learn alot more and have more of a chance of making it to GP2. Not to mention DTM, if you just cannot find the budget. In my opinion, I would love to have a chance to race there if my pockets dried up.
Y'mean Paul di Resta way. That's not a bad idea if Manufacturer gives you lifeline, when you have no money to progress in single seater ladder.
META4 check this year's and esp. last year's NC entry list you'll see. ;) Not very good.
brakedisc 28 Apr 2007, 13:21 Also, looking at those cost's .... it's very depressing as a driver eh.... it also seems the UK is very expensive compared to other offerings!
I work with an F1 driver from the 70's! when he started he took out a £1000 bank loan purchased a car *FF* then did a full season as well! then moved to F3/F5000/F1.... and it did not cost £££££, those were the days :-)
I was about in those days and racing was expensive. £1000 was a years wages for me.
Biggest change in the UK is that no one does it for nothing anymore. Years ago me and a few mates would prepare the car at night then rush home on a friday, load the estate car, hitch on the trailer and off we would go. Now all the teams involved in the junior categories employ staff and this raises the standards and the costs. I doubt many make money at it but because one team has the resources for some full time staff everyone has to follow suit. Now in retirement I had some spare time and helped out last year and we were leaving on a wednesday, test thursday, qualify friday, race saturday and sunday and a mad rush home sunday night to try and get some work done on the Monday, Tuesday before it started all over again.
Take staff costs out of the budgets and you might see how little is spent on actual racing.
7UpJordan 7 Nov 2007, 00:45 What would you say is the cheapest you can get for a one off "arrive and drive" drive in the British Formula Ford Championship. I think somebody said something like £2K in another thread which is a bummer as I recently got my licence and was looking for a pay drive next year. :(
BARC FRenanault and FPA try with them.
7UpJordan 7 Nov 2007, 19:39 BARC FRenanault and FPA try with them.
I was thinking of trying BARC FRenaul as it's £1.5K for arrive and drive. Is it entirely possible to do one off arrive and drives in FPA without taking part in the complete Championship?
Thundersports 7 Nov 2007, 23:21 Missing off the list is Euroboss where a season in an "Ascari" Benetton B197 will cost a value for money 200k-250k! One off drives have been avaliable with various teams at around 20k www.euroboss.com
I was thinking of trying BARC FRenaul as it's £1.5K for arrive and drive. Is it entirely possible to do one off arrive and drives in FPA without taking part in the complete Championship?
No, they will not allow you to do that. They've got only 24 entries and hunt as early as previous season is finished to sign as many drivers as possible to do full season.
Go_For_Pole 8 Nov 2007, 14:32 Now that German F.BMW and Belgian FR1600 are gone I wonder where North European kart graduates will start their formula careers. I understand one option is Benelux FF, one other is NEC FR2000 and for the lucky ones there is Euro F.BMW but are there any other options I am missing?
Finnish/Swedish/Danish/NEZ FFord, Finnish F3 maybe?
7UpJordan 8 Nov 2007, 20:58 No, they will not allow you to do that. They've got only 24 entries and hunt as early as previous season is finished to sign as many drivers as possible to do full season.
That's a shame, looks like it's Formula Renault BARC I could very well start with next year, I'm planning to go to the Formula Ford sampler day and will see if I can find any good arrive and drive deals.
Sorry to bring up this thread again, but I can't find the budget for All-Japan F3, does anyone have any ideas?
WOW! pretty expensive some of those categories! very interesting thanks!
I wish racing in open wheel categories was for free :P
Redracer77 3 Jan 2008, 14:42 What would you say is the cheapest you can get for a one off "arrive and drive" drive in the British Formula Ford Championship. I think somebody said something like £2K in another thread which is a bummer as I recently got my licence and was looking for a pay drive next year. :(
If you can find a UK formula Ford drive for a one off for £2k then take it. You are more like looking at £3,500 - £5,000 per meeting.
Redracer77 3 Jan 2008, 14:43 If you can't afford £2k a race then you will need to look at F4, Regional FF1600 or Monoposto. Some teams may charge less than £2k but I doubt it
woodyracing 3 Jan 2008, 14:56 or if you want cheaper, look at Formula Vee for about £600 + entry fees for a hire race. Not as nice looking as a FF1600 though.
Formula VEE is a good series to enter when you begin your open wheel career.
Albeckinho 3 Jan 2008, 20:55 Could someone provide me some information concerning the budget for Formula Master (former International Formula Master S2000), how much is it? Give me as accurate price as you can. Thanks.
Phone teams and ask them, every team charges different.
must be between 350-450K Euros
timbo2001 7 Jan 2008, 16:10 my mate just tested with Hitech in Formula Renault 2.0 euro at valencia, and they wanted $300,000 australian (about 130,000 pounds I think?). They gave the poor guy an insane time frame to come up with it, like 2 weeks or something. The way it's going it looks like he'll end up doing FF in britain, or maybe do something down here. Shame really, as he had some potential. Can't get over how much money gets exchanged...really is big business, this motor racing.
Redracer77 7 Jan 2008, 16:16 my mate just tested with Hitech in Formula Renault 2.0 euro at valencia, and they wanted $300,000 australian (about 130,000 pounds I think?). They gave the poor guy an insane time frame to come up with it, like 2 weeks or something. The way it's going it looks like he'll end up doing FF in britain, or maybe do something down here. Shame really, as he had some potential. Can't get over how much money gets exchanged...really is big business, this motor racing.
Thats not a bad price for FR2000 Euro series? It's not even top wack for UK Formula Renualt. I know someone who paid £225,000 last year for UK FBMW
with a so called top team.....
my mate just tested with Hitech in Formula Renault 2.0 euro at valencia, and they wanted $300,000 australian (about 130,000 pounds I think?). They gave the poor guy an insane time frame to come up with it, like 2 weeks or something. The way it's going it looks like he'll end up doing FF in britain, or maybe do something down here. Shame really, as he had some potential. Can't get over how much money gets exchanged...really is big business, this motor racing.
I hope he does well and is able to get the money in for the drive. If he gets a seat i will be supporting him, I like all young rising Aussie drivers!:)
these figures are insane... BUT unfortunately they really don't tell the full story. Take BARC FRen - for a seat with one of the top teams in the newer cars expect a basic cost of £40k. Add in extra testing, tyres, accident damage and you could easily double that and some...
Brakedisc points to some of the reasons for the escalating costs but I think it has ever been thus - motorsport is a (rich) gentleman's pastime in which resourceful 'engineers' have also been able to compete. The difference is now the necessary wealth is much more widely spread, both in the UK & overseas. With the necessary cash there are just more Dads willing to pay to fulfill their (sorry, their sons') dreams!!!
I still blame Jackie Stewart for upping the ante in club motorsport with the immaculately presented PSR in F3 back in the '80s... but that's another post!
mountainstar 10 Jan 2008, 20:41 I always wonder what happened to the good old days in the 60's and 70's of towing your F3 car around europe, entering races where ever they paid out good prize money.
Probably if I had a good sum of money I'd buy an F3 car and do just that.
I think Formula Palmer Audi is missing - they quote £60,000 for a full 2008 season.
janracer 17 Jan 2008, 21:34 At Remita Racing we can beat the £75k lower limit suggested for a Formula Ford budget - at least for a talented driver:)
Russfeld 18 Jan 2008, 12:16 For 225k in Formula BMW, you better get a lot of F3 testing or a road car, or something.
Y'know Russ, that F1 glamour, F1 bosses in the paddocks, chicks, sponsors, paddock club. :/ Making your imagination if you're 18 yo.
redbaron1973 4 Feb 2008, 14:09 Every budget for every series is dependent on the driver and how much testing they want to do.
We would look at what the driver can bring to the team and what his/her chances are of doing well.
Im interested in Finnish F3 championship in 2009 when im old enough or 2010. some F3 which i could afford.
danberry 13 Oct 2008, 20:30 Has anyone got a budget list of the saloons such as clios, minis etc?
Thanks.
|
|
