I'd like to go racing, and check off a big box on the bucket list, but how do I do it? Options

[Type 47]

OK, I know you need to have a huge fortune to go racing so you can make a small fortune; but I don't have either.

from the time i saw my first SCCA showroom stock race I wanted to race. That was in the late 70's and at the time was thinking about the rent, not race tires.

Fast forward 30 years and I don't have to think about the rent, but racing is still super expensive.

I discovered tracked events (car clubs call them HDPE's) around 95' and have been doing them ever since. Not racing, but close. Kind of like qualifying with some rules.

So I've done track events on 13 different tracks. I started out at Gateway, in St Louis the track closest to home, and have about 2k miles on the 1.6 mile track. I started to go to Road America in 2001 about twice a year, so got about 5k of hot lap miles there. Autobahn, Road Atlanta, Barber Park, Heartland Park, Indy GP, Putnam Park, NCM, Ozark, VIR, Spring Mountain, and MAMP (what a shit hole). About 14k hot lap track miles over the last 22 years.

So now, every time I buy an $800 set of brake pads or a $500 set of scrub tires I'm thinking this is the last set and them I'm hanging up the helmet. Problem is...when the tires start to get used up, I've got a half set of pads left and buy more tires, then more pads. Been doing this for a couple years now.

So is there a path to do some racing at some level (PCA, SCCA) without blowing my retirement savings?

[campbellcj]

Yet another part of the slippery slope to carefully consider is the moment you've got a non-streetable true 'race car' then you're talking about trailering, which then implies having a storage place at home or elsewhere, a viable tow vehicle, etc etc.

I stupidly for example have paid vastly more in offsite storage charges for my trailer than the thing is actually worth, but I don't have room for it at home.

[Type 47]

Yet another part of the slippery slope to carefully consider is the moment you've got a non-streetable true 'race car' then you're talking about trailering, which then implies having a storage place at home or elsewhere, a viable tow vehicle, etc etc.

I stupidly for example have paid vastly more in offsite storage charges for my trailer than the thing is actually worth, but I don't have room for it at home.

I can relate to the storage deal, had a couple fo 914 engines and parts in storage for 10 years...finally got my 914 put together and got rid of the storage.

The one thing I do have covered is the trailer. Even with HPDE/open track events when you go to R compound tires you need a trailer, especially when you are going to tracks from Road America to Road Atlanta.