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?

[914werke]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) You sound like youve got the itch to test your mettle.
Like Mark described, Ive done my decades of MC racing at the expert (never Pro) level.
At the pointy end it goes from fun & moderately expensive to.. OMFG!!, all consuming & in some cases fairly hairy.
It'll no longer be just the clock, you will be matching your commitment, skill & pocketbook against the next guy, who may not have the same constraints that you do.
If you cant imagine writing off you teener ... dont do it.

[Type 47]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) You sound like youve got the itch to test your mettle.
Like Mark described, Ive done my decades of MC racing at the expert (never Pro) level.
At the pointy end it goes from fun & moderately expensive to.. OMFG!!, all consuming & in some cases fairly hairy.
It'll no longer be just the clock, you will be matching your commitment, skill & pocketbook against the next guy, who may not have the same constraints that you do.
If you cant imagine writing off you teener ... dont do it.

I do have an itch to do some wheel to wheel racing, yes. Track events are like qualifying with rules but not competition. while i feel i'm at the pointy end of the stick for HPDE/open track events, but I never could get to that point in real racing.

I understand this issue about being willing to write off your racer...I've tracked (HPDE) my Z06 at a dozen tracks and ran about 14k hot lap miles.

I admire you guys that race...cost for doing an HPDE (towing 1k miles, fuel (truck&car), hotel, food, etc.) is expensive. I can only imagine what real racing is like.