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The Champion Racing team runs an Audi on a full ALMS schedule (which is a lot more races than they ran in Europe this year) for about $.5 million.....I doubt that DBA's budget was higher than that...
That is cheap compared to CART, the IRL, at least half of the NASCAR or Busch Series programs, and about 1% of the Ferrari F-1 budget....
I think DBA/RN should have cut a deal or partnership with someone in the U.S. to work out of North American shops and run the ALMS series, where they would have been equally competitive, and would have had better opportunities to generate sponsorship $$$$....
European companies would not have paid out $$$ to sponsor a car in the FIA-SCC.....
Now LMES next year may be a different story, but it is only four races....not a very good "bang for the buck" for a coprorate guy who wants his name before a broad public and is looking for frequency of exposures....
Don't get me wrong....$4.5 million isn't walking-around money for anyone...but compared to other forms of major motorsports, it is cheap.....real cheap.....
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