Vintage car and World War 2 aircraft restoration as well as competitive motorsports racing are insanely expensive. A restored WW2 fighter like the P-51 can run over a million dollars. While HPDE and TT is not racing it still requires a certain level of discretionary income. A lot depends on the car you plan to drive, can you do mechanical work yourself, and how many events you plan to do in a year. My advice is to come up with a budget first and then plan your expectations around that budget.

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Let’s first start with safety. All track events require a helmet some might allow a motorcycle helmet well others only allow a racers helmet. Racing helmets are certified every 5 years by the Snell Memorial Foundation. The last certification was 2015 and are known as SA2015 helmets. You can’t wear a helmet over 10 years old so racing helmets older than SA2010 are not technically allowed. Some organizations will have rental helmets available but may not have your size. You need a proper sized helmet!  A lose footing one is almost as bad as not having one and a tight one is so uncomfortable. It might be better to just buy an economy helmet as a starter then can go from under $200 to $300. True a professional carbon fiber helmets with all the bells and whistles can run $5,000 or more but your basic helmet will fit the minimum safety standards and at the beginners level this is adequate. Next come shoes, no flip flops or leather shoes that can slip. You need something not slippery running shoes give traction but you lose the feel of the pedals. A thin rubber sole shoe will work but even better an economic racing shoe which can run under $100 would be the best choice. Finally, you should wear a long sleeve shirt, cotton or wool pants, and socks anything that is fire retardant which is in your wardrobe. If you desire to splurge and get a racing suit, there is also an extensive range for the budget racer to over $2,000 for a professional racing suit.

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Now let’s look at the out of pocket costs for your track weekend. First is the track fee depending on the organization and track they run between $300 and $500. You might also want to rent out a transponder that keeps track of your track time. For TT this is mandatory, so expect to pay another $20 to $30 for a weekend rental, The track generally charges an entrance fee of about $10 for the weekend as well. Now comes the cost of fuel. You are not going to get 20 miles per gallon on the track expect about 6 or even less. So going back and forth to the track therefore one can expect to pay another $200. Now if your risk averse, you might want to consider insurance. Your car insurance does not cover your car on the track but there are insurance companies that will insure your car for HPDE and TT. The rate can vary depending if you want a 10% or 15% deductible but expect to pay another $60 to $75 per $10,000 worth on your vehicle. Add lodging for a night or two and you run anywhere from $600 to $1,100 for a two day track weekend.

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Now depending on what car you are driving and if you can do it yourself (DIY) repairs. You will wear out brake pads, rotors, and tires much quicker when tracking so you need to budget this accordingly along with the standard maintenance of oil change and bleeding your brakes. The point is you need to factor this if you plan on doing this more than twice a year and your car is a daily driver.

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​Finally it all boils down to passion. Those who have it will spend their last dollar to challenge their skills and car to the limit and those who don’t simply will not think it is worth it.