Running Costs

[Frosty11]

How much do series like British GT, Blancpain, FIA GT Series etc cost to run per season?

[rich07]

I've been wondering this myself.

Would be nice to hear from someone in the know. I'm guessing it goes like this ( from cheapest to expensive).

British GT
Blancpain
FIA GT

[FstrthnU]

From highest to lowest

WEC LMP1
ALMS LMP1
WEC LMP2
ALMS LMP2
WEC GTE-Pro
ALMS GTE
Grand-Am DP
WEC GTE-AM
ALMS LMPC
Blancpain Endurance Series
VLN
Grand-Am GT (GTD)
British GT? (or other national GT3 series)
ALMS GTC
FIA GT Series

[Samoan Attorney]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

From highest to lowest

WEC LMP1
ALMS LMP1
WEC LMP2
ALMS LMP2
WEC GTE-Pro
ALMS GTE
Grand-Am DP
WEC GTE-AM
ALMS LMPC
Blancpain Endurance Series
VLN
Grand-Am GT (GTD)
British GT? (or other national GT3 series)
ALMS GTC
FIA GT Series

I can assure you that both GTE classes in the FIA WEC are more expensive than a competitive entry in LM P2

[ACFlinn]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

From highest to lowest

WEC LMP1
ALMS LMP1
WEC LMP2
ALMS LMP2
WEC GTE-Pro
ALMS GTE
Grand-Am DP
WEC GTE-AM
ALMS LMPC
Blancpain Endurance Series
VLN
Grand-Am GT (GTD)
British GT? (or other national GT3 series)
ALMS GTC
FIA GT Series

Grand-Am DP is cheaper than anything in the WEC.

Andy Flinn

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

From highest to lowest

WEC LMP1
ALMS LMP1
WEC LMP2
ALMS LMP2
WEC GTE-Pro
ALMS GTE
Grand-Am DP
WEC GTE-AM
ALMS LMPC
Blancpain Endurance Series
VLN
Grand-Am GT (GTD)
British GT? (or other national GT3 series)
ALMS GTC
FIA GT Series

I'm not sure, but aren't the GTE classes all more expensive than both the LMP2 classes? I've read there isn't a huge amount of cost difference between DP and P2.

[FstrthnU]

One more thing to keep in mind, sponsorship varies greatly depending on class, race locations and scheduling. So the more expensive classes may get more sponsorship because they run closer to the front. Global series will attract global sponsors while national series will attract national sponsors (and sometimes global sponsors too)

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

One more thing to keep in mind, sponsorship varies greatly depending on class, race locations and scheduling. So the more expensive classes may get more sponsorship because they run closer to the front.

Good point. One case is Paul Miller Racing, they mentioned recently that finding GTLM funding for next year would be easier than funding for GTD.

[JorritVD]

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-15870.html

Fia WEC - GTE Pro = 2.5 million a year
Fia WEC - GTE AM = 1.8 million a year

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-15189.html

Fia WEC - LMP2 = 2.5 million a year

I think these are the minimum costs/budgets and these costs are similar for ALMS. Running a team in the ELMS is probably half the costs of the FIA WEC.
LeMans is taking about half the costs of the teams budgets.

So if we looking at Corvette Racing:
ALMS: 2x cars = 5 million
LeMans 2x 1,25 million = 2.5 million
Marketing and other stuff = 2.5 million
Also developing costs etc = ?unknown
Total costs a season = between 10-15 million

[JorritVD]

Found another source, this time: LMP1 2014 (Privateer)
http://www.racer.com/pescarolo-still...rticle/304671/

Pescarolo estimates he needs to find a budget of around $6 million, which would include the purchase of a car built to '14 rules.

[manthey]

Italian's auto magazine made a repor about le mans in 2010

"team Felbermayr for only 24h le mans had a budget of 2mln€, 2/3 of the entire budget for the season (5 races of 1000km)
Head team Christian Ried said that they had difficoulty to find funding for the other races because sponsor wanted they ran Le Mans

Evo interview with Prodrive
David Richards, talking about Mini Countryman Wrc budget said that the program for wrc will cost 1/2 of the budget spent for 2 subaru in 2005 (35mln), so he expected 17mln€ for 2 mini.

He added that for racing aston martin @ le mans, the budget was 12mln€ for 2009

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by JorritVD

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-15870.html

Fia WEC - GTE Pro = 2.5 million a year
Fia WEC - GTE AM = 1.8 million a year

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-15189.html

Fia WEC - LMP2 = 2.5 million a year

I think these are the minimum costs/budgets and these costs are similar for ALMS. Running a team in the ELMS is probably half the costs of the FIA WEC.
LeMans is taking about half the costs of the teams budgets.

So if we looking at Corvette Racing:
ALMS: 2x cars = 5 million
LeMans 2x 1,25 million = 2.5 million
Marketing and other stuff = 2.5 million
Also developing costs etc = ?unknown
Total costs a season = between 10-15 million

What currency are we talking about here?

There is no cut and dry that X is more expensive than Y. There are teams in DP paying more than some teams in P1, and teams in DP paying less than P2.... It is a spectrum, not every team pays the same.