Jim Sullivan

An important point is that a race car will be much more thrilling, challenging, and ultimately satisfying to drive than a street car.

DRG13

Boqueron,

I feel your dilemma, I have been pondering the same question for some time. I have a modded 996 GT3, I only drive it at the track, it lives there, in a garage fulltime.....My monthly average is 2 or 3 20 minute sessions a month. No racing, usually only 10 cars on track at a time...So I started asking about getting a Cup...the answers are all over the place..talk to a racer and it's terrifying, talk to a billionare and they make it seem like you can't decide to buy a 1988 Hyundai and just pull the triggger already...Based on my estimated 35 hours a year(and that's a high estimate) of driving at my local track, no racing, etc. ,etc. I can't get a clear answer, hell if they were off by $25K/year I could live with that..I know I don't need window tear offs, I don't need carbon fiber doors, I don't need 30 extra air ducts or front splitters laying around, I don't need Penske support, I don't need a trailer and hauler, I estimate a new set of tires every month (same as I do now in my GT3), I have an on-site Cup racing outfit to keep it "maintained"...whatever that means since I cannot get an answer..lol...I just wanna go fast, by myself, on my local track....I've been told factor $500/hr, I've been told $1000/hr...This post is all "tongue in cheek", but if anyone can give me a guesstimate, based solely on a guy who just wants to go fast for 2 hours a month, on how much it may cost yearly, I'd be thrilled....If your off by $25k year, we can still be friends...In the meantime, I'm buying a Cup, gonna see what happens and if it is costing too much I'll sell it and go back to a GT3...

TwentySix

I don't have the answers for you yet, but looks like we're going to find out. Just went through much the same process as you with the same kinds of answers, so we decided to go ahead and do it (see avatar) The car arrived last week, we'll see how it goes... I've been going out and warming it up just so I can listen to it

Beth

Glen

Sweet, loved that car, best handling 6 I had for sure...

jrgordonsenior

DRG13.... After racing my 03' Cup for 2-1/2 years I think I can give you an honest perspective, but it's all relative unfortunately....

I have experienced minimal costs with my Cup. The largest expense I've had to date by far is slicks. Michelin's are about $1,600. per set and there is no substitue. They will be great for the first 4-6 heat cycles, then Ok for the next 10 or so. If you're really only goin to run 3, 20 min. sessions per month then they should last you several months.

If you buy a Cup in good condition with low hours you shouldn't see any major repairs for years with the hours you're talking about. I've now put 70 racing hours on my Cup and it's cost me a clutch and pressure plate for less than $1,000. Rotors every 3-4 race weekends @ $270. each. and Pagid Yellows pads @ $375. per front set. The rears almost never wear out unfortunately. I lost a tranny pount which also ruined a weekend. The part cost $900. and an hour to replace.

My experience is not uncommon with my fellow Cup racers out West. Yes there have been some with more expensive repairs, my best friend's flywheel came off his Cup and destroyed his 20 hour motor.
But if you take care of them, and don't over-rev them or crash them, they can run relatively trouble free for a long time.

Most importantly, buy a good car to begin with. History is paramount. You don't want a straightened car, though a retubbed car is fine. There are several good 03' and 04' Cups available out West right now that I know of. I just got a call yesterday from a fellow racer who just was offered a great position in his company but in Hong Kong. He took the job and called to say his 04' is for sale. Never wrecked, 20 hours on a Motorsports motor/trans rebuild, and all he wants is $95k for a quick sale. He beat me twice last year, maybe I should buy it.....

amondc

You are probably closer to the $500 mark then the $1000. Between 2 cars and 3 drivers we are closer to the $1000 but we also do most if not all of our own work. Our '04 car that we bought new from Porsche has been a great car. In the past 4 years of running it we have only replaced the clutch(aparently these cars dont like 9453 RPM's), brake pads and tires. Like others have said if you don't beat the s**t out of them they will last forever. I am guessing you will be doing member days out at MSR? If so then your car should last quite a few years before needing anything major. Also you probably wont change tires every weekend so that will cut the cost down quite a bit. You can probably run take off's from Glen, Barry, Jay etc and never have to buy a set full price. Don't know if you have talked with Kevin yet but he is selling a very fast and updated 02 car that Todd knows and works on currently so he could tell you what all has been done to it.

Good Luck in your search.

Chris

DRG13

Chris, sent you a PM

TwentySix

Thanks for all your time and advice Glen, we really appreciate it! Can't wait to get out and drive...

blake

DRG - I have the same dilemma. My "street" GT3 is now a track only car, but I have been able to hold off on most of the mods.. It just doesn't seem worth it financially. I would like to buy a Cup, but want to make sure the running costs are in-line with my street "3".

Great posts guys. You have helped me shift back into wanting a 996 GT3 Cup!

-Blake

DRG13

Blake,

I'll keep you posted on how it goes...My garage here at the track in TX is cheap and we have great support/resources on-site...I may just keep it based in TX for a while since I'll be spending 70% of my time here and 30% in the Wasatch

jr,

Thanks for the info., we'll see how it pans out..maybe I'll start a new thread once I get mine and help other newbies..

blake

DRG - MMP has two GT3 "cup" wrenches on site- Air Power Racing and a Synergy outpost. I tried Synergy last summer with the street 3, and will now try out APR this Spring. I'll let you know how that goes...

-Blake

GT3Bob

I'll second John Gordon's comments. The cup cars are bomb proof. I bought a very well maintained '04 a year ago from the national president of PCA (Thanks Tom!), ran 17 races, many coaching days, and did the winter maintenance program in November. Premier in Vegas stripped the car nearly down to the tub (motor and tranny remained), cleaned everything meticulously, replaced wheel bearings, one cracked wheel carrier, rebuilt 4 shocks, rebuilt brake calipers, did a new alignment and corner balance and that was it.

One thing to note when switching to a race car. You need to inspect it after every session, make ntoes on any issues, and inspect in great detail after each weekend. It is not like a street car where you simply keep driving till something wears out. You will also need different set ups for different tracks, so you need to keep far more detailed notes. I've been through 3 different alignment/ride height settings while learning the car and I imagine I'll do the same again again this season.

They are a lot more work at the track, with towing, warm up, inspection checklist, tires, etc. They are much more physically demanding than a street car. You'll be tired! It really helps to pay an assistant at the track (with a check list that you monitor closely). And when the day is over, and you're really tired, you have another hour to load up and get out of town. All that said, I'm not going back to a street car :-)

Johninrsf

A Porsche Owner's Club (POC) member recently posted an Excel spreadsheet he constructed for calculating his cost of racing. The numbers may not apply to you, but the format for calculating your costs could be helpful or at least remind you of something to include. You can change the numbers on this spreadsheet to suit you.
http://www.porscheownersclub.com/mbo...tachmentid=267

DRG13

thanks john, that's a really helpful file...with my inputs and not accounting for catastrophic failures, it's quite reasonable and very close to what I had figured my yearly costs would be..hopefully my journey begins next weekend...

Keith Verges - Dallas

I am pretty new to this and a friend and I went in together on a '00 Cup. We established a joint account to pay for everything, turn-key. To be conservative, we pay $1000 per hour for every hour behind the wheel. After about 30 hours in the last 9 months, we are ahead about $5000. To be fair, we have added AiM data and made a few minotr changes, but have had no huge expenses like engine or transmission.

Tires are a really big deal, if you want to go fast and hard.

FWIW I get NOWHERE NEAR the 15 heat cycles I hear about on tires. I get 4 or so competitive cycles and then I can plink on the tires for maybe 4-6 more until the tires are so bad the car becomes a real handful and is slow to boot.

We are still playing with setup and I am diverging from the norm; I am probably wrong, but I have to try something different.