utkinpol

Hi,

Could anybody who races 996 cup cars post here your average annual budget?
I am trying to justify for myself if I am able to pull the plug on one of those and even if I can swallow initial purchase price I am very concerned about ongoing expenses and naturally I have no idea of what they could even be.

I am really torn between real cup car or GT3. I got '06 997 C2 last year as I found one quite cheap and I was thinking to get it to play with 997 platform for a while just to get feel of it, then put more or less adequate suspension together like motons/ohlins/GT3 parts, get engine redone to racing specs, strip interior and just start taking it out for fun but it is really questionable strategy as I can see it now and it seems that even with considerably higher initial costs going after 996 cup car is in the long run cheaper and more productive way, isn`t it?
DEspite how I like to rework cars I own myself it is quite silly to try to compete with Porsche engeneering plus when I was just 'thinking' about all that I wasn`t even aware of classifications, etc.

PedroNole

Depends... How much do you want to race? Do you want track support or are you going to change all your own stuff and run out of your trailer? How often will you use new tires? There's just so much that goes into it..... I don't think Cup guys on here will honestly tell you what their costs are because (a) it's a bit embarrassing and (b) then we'd have to know....

Again, it depends on what your goals are. I've built a car from scratch and have WAY more into it than my 996 Cup initially cost. Also, the running costs aren't THAT much different between my "hopped up" GT4S car and my Cup. However, my Cup is a WHOLE lot more reliable. If you're choosing on a budget between the Cup and say a Spec Boxter, go with the Boxter. If you're choosing between the Cup and a street GT3 turned into a race car, it's not even close....GET THE CUP. That said, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Not all Cups are created equal...

Happy hunting.

RSRRacer

I'll make is simple.

$2000 per hour on track shoud cover transport, support, consumables, etc.

Don't kid yourself into trying to do it for less. You might defer some costs, but you should accrue for them.

PedroNole

Sounds about right....

utkinpol

it is including seasonal transmission/engine rebuilds or not?

I know about race teams budgets, so I assume individual expenses should not be in same ballpark but somewhat comparable, that is why I not asking on per hour basis but generally on annual basis considering, say, 15 racing days per season.

RSRRacer

15 racing days = say 7 events - $80-90K budget if you want new tires for every race.

Does NOT include cost for rebuilds. Just transport/support/fuel/consumables.

ZSA Motorsport

for events, my estimate would be around that $2k, probably because tires are the most expensive of the consumable at 1400 to 1900 per set.

yet, its also important to remember, because its consumable, dont presume that a GT3 vs a cup, or any other car versus a cup is that much more expensive. consumables are consumables whatever car you slap them on.

analogmike

I don't see how $2K can cover much...

Front Brake rotor$ last just a few events, pads about the same.
Clutch maybe several races
Axles, Engine, and transmission hours need to be added in for rebuilds
Fuel alone can be about a grand for a race, double that for Canada.
transportation to the average race is about $2K
track support maybe $1K

I don't like to figure out how much I spend, but it's way more than the above estimates. An average race that's far away is at least 5 figures including flights, hotels, etc.

claykos

A lot of the costs quoted in this thread apply for any car - cup car or not. If you want to have full trackside support and transport, and a mechanic looking after your car - much of these costs will be the same whether it is a Cup, an air cooled 911 race car, or whatever. Any race car will also go through consumables such as axles, clutches, brakes etc. The rate at which it goes through these parts is directly proportional to how much power the car has, how much it weighs, and how hard it is driven.

I think people get the impression that cup cars are much more expensive to run than other race cars mainly due to the fact that most cup cars are maintained to a much higher standard than a lot of other race cars. A lot of this is due to the fact that the cars come with a service manual that tells you the recommended hours for a lot of parts. Any "GT" type car will have similar life on these parts, its just that while many owners of converted street car type race cars will simply wait until something breaks to replace it, most cup cars get many components placed on an hourly basis.

If you run any race car with ~400 hp and 2700 lbs, on slicks, drive it hard, and have full time support for the car it will cost approximately the same.

The main expense on a cup car that can be higher than comparably quick cars are the engines/gearboxes. A lot of that can be avoided if you have a good independent that can do your engine work rather than sending it to PMNA. PMNA prices are pretty outrageous for engine rebuilds, but that is up to the owner to decide if they want to go down that road or not...

tcsracing1

running a 996 CUP car is not necessarily more expensive than any other car.

CUP cars have scheduled maintenance requirements to ensure safe competitive operation. It is standard procedure to replace these items on a time basis vs. ignoring them.

Street cars that are raced on a track should also have the same schedule but normally don't because they are usually not raced as often and owners are not as concerned for the level of competition they run.

IMHO, do not cut up your 997. Keep it stock as a D.D.

As to a track car.

(1)
look for 996 GT3 street car that has already been set up for track duty. (seats, suspension, safety equipment)

You can than further strip it and modify it as need be , but you still have title and road worthiness for any potential future buyer if you decide to sell. Flexibility is nice.

You can choose to drive this car to the track, or use a truck and trailer to get it to the track.
Depends on your resources and level of competition. It only requires pump gas which is nice for ease of ownership. But of course it will not be as light and quick as a CUP without spending lotsa money.

(2)

OR
find a nice clean 996 CUP if are prepared to deal with trailering the thing everywhere you go.

Engine and tranny rebuilds on either car will be warranted depending how much you use them.
Find a shop in your surrounding area that run CUP cars and have them perform the necessary maintenance or recommended.

A 996 CUP used for D.E, track days and light racing duty in theory should offer reliable service other than tires, oil, race fuel and brakes.

GTgears

The same holds true for the gearbox. I cannot believe that people pay PMNA prices for gearsets on these cars. I saw a 2nd gear recently advertised for $1800. That's almost twice what our sets cost. And since the 996 Cup Car is still synchronized, if your mechanic can rebuild a GT3 or any other G50 based gearbox, he can service this gearbox as well. While Brian Copans is a phenominal gearbox mechanic, because these aren't sequential boxes he's not the automatic go-to guy for gearbox work. Your local shop who is supporting your racing efforts can do your gearbox for you.

fryd

Yep...if you get a PCA race done for less than $10k, you're on a budget!

RSRRacer

Come on I was trying to convince my self that it was only $2k per hour.

OK more like $2700 per hour now that I think of it.

Average 3 day PCA race with no damage or breakage is $12-15K all in.

malmasri

....I was way off

utkinpol

can you itemize this $15K expense is you don`t mind? just curious.