bader$

What do DE events cost in your area. the PCA here in georgia charges 300 for members and 350 for non-members. Is that in line with every where else.

Palting

That's about right, for a 2 day weekend event. If you want to know the exact prices, you can always go to the region's web sites. You can find the links to the web sites from the PCA web site.

Bill Gregory

Around here (and prices do vary around the country), PCA regions typically charge around $125 per day. Some a little higher, some a little lower. Variables are the size of the run groups (fewer on the track may pay a little more), extra's (free continental breakfast, free lunch, shirts, other trinkets), cost to rent a particular track, etc.

Dbltime

You need to look at the track time. 2 hours a day on the track for $150 +/- is typical but I have driven 4 hours a day track time for $200.. The bottom line is to have $50,000. worth of fun.

A930Rocket

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by bader$:
<strong>What do DE events cost in your area. the PCA here in georgia charges 300 for members and 350 for non-members. Is that in line with every where else.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">You should try one of Road Atlanta's Lapping Days through their Panoz Racing Schools. The cost is about $350 or so, but you get all the track time in one day and it's usually like 175 miles. Towards the end of the day, there's attrition, etc, and it seems like your the only car out there. Lots of wide open track with no rolling chicanes. The downside is that there are no in car instructors. It's really best for people who have some track time/DE's under their belts and are confident in their abilities.

I don't like two day events, as you end up sitting around too much, plus you have the costs associated with hotels, food, etc. I like to drive hard all day while keeping what I did right/wrong fresh in my mind last time for the next session.

Just my .02

BTW. They have lapping days this month on the 24th for beginers and novices and the 25th for advanced drivers.

Jim

kary993

The PCA and POC events I have been attending run about $125 to $150 a day. While I was reading the various posts I began to calculate what my cost per mile is for these events. It seems to work out to be about a dollar a mile. This last POC 2 day event at WSIR I got 268 miles of track time and I skipped one of the 25 minutes sessions. Probably could have had a 300 mile weekend if I had not skipped the session!

trumperZ06

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Road Atlanta may be "too much track" for a newbe!!! Unless you have lots of experience and run in the advanced groups "solo"... I would suggest DE schools with one of the PCA or BMW clubs before trying Road Atlanta!!!

Try <a href="http://www.TrackSchedule.com" target="_blank">www.TrackSchedule.com</a> for DE events in the SouthEast!

sleder

In the NorthEast, well I imagine we are cheap. I do a one day for 100, and a two day at the glen between 180 and 200. Some do run a bit more depending on the region hosting the event.

bader$

I would like to attend something close. What tracks are not too far away from atlanta. I did want to attend a DE event first, beacause I am a newbie. The only ones the PCA in my region shows is road atlanta.

My mistake there is a POC event in
savannah that is much cheaper. and a another in Birmingham AL though no details are given for that one.

Mike A.

Pano has a list of almost all the DE events available. You can log onto the individual region web sites for details.

A930Rocket

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by trumperZ06:
<strong> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Road Atlanta may be "too much track" for a newbe!!! Unless you have lots of experience and run in the advanced groups "solo"... I would suggest DE schools with one of the PCA or BMW clubs before trying Road Atlanta!!! Try <a href="http://www.TrackSchedule.com" target="_blank">www.TrackSchedule.com</a> for DE events in the SouthEast!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">No doubt RA can be intimidating with it's concrete lined walls. I consider it my "home track" since we've driven there so much, but it can scare you easily. Run off room seems scarce also compared to some newer tracks like CMP and VIR.

trumperZ06 is right though. Get some experience with a club of some kind and work your way up before you try driving any events solo.

I started with solo II's 11-12 years ago. Went to solo I's, then Car Guys, etc. It's been an evolution that has paid off.

Now when I win the lottery, I'll be able to afford racing. Until then, it's DE's and that's OK.

Jim

mm86911

Bader$ -Road Atlanta can be intimidating first time out and definitely get great benefit of having an instructor in the car. I remember my first time cresting the hill (under the bridge) and heading down turn 12 - it feels very unnatural until you get it down.

Always consider CMP, or better yet, Barber in Birmingham. I ran Barber a couple of weeks ago and great track with lots of runoff. With 15 turns you can ahve a blast without going too fast - of course once you have the line down you quickly start exploring the limits.

P-on

Trackmasters ( <a href="http://www.trackmasters.com" target="_blank">www.trackmasters.com</a> ) has programs that run more, like $225 per day, but there is more track time, and they have a mechanic on site for unforseen problems. For advanced drivers they have open track which is basically unlimited jaunts out there with the really quick people. All types of cars are allowed, and it's neat to run with Vettes', Mustangs, Sport Racers, Acura's, Ferrari; we even had an old Indy car there.

Z-man

As stated above, the Northeast PCA regions run about $100 - $125 a day. I am uncertain why other regions charge more: perhaps because more NE events are filled, the track costs are covered easier? I dunno.

There are other car clubs that charge similar prices: BMWCCA, Alpha Romeo Club, Quattro (Audi) club...etc Most of these clubs run prices similar to PCA, but they tend to be a little more expensive. The nice thing about these clubs is that you get to play with non-Porsches more! (NNJR PCA has only a few tracks were non-Porsches can participate, due mainly to the fact that our DE's sell out with P-cars alone!) I think that PCA's DE program is the most established in the nation!

There are also profit-minded clubs/organizations that offer DE's. Car Guys, TrackQuest, TrackMasters, PDA, and even NASA (National Autosport Assoication) offer DE's that are, generally speaking, roughly twice the cost as PCA's DE's.

I am not sure if SCCA offers a DE program: I think the next step up from SCCA autocross is SCCA Time Trials, and then right into club racing.

Next on the totem pole are the professional driving schools (Panoz, Bob Bondurant, Skip Barber, Bertil Roos..etc). These schools probably offer the best instruction, but at a greater cost. (Note: the Porsche Driver Experience costs about the same as these pro-schools cost). These organizations cost somewhere around $500 to $1000 per DAY, depending on the program.

Personally, I plan on sticking with PCA's DE program for a while. Part of my "quest in life" is to drive as many tracks in the USA as possible. In order to drive some of the far away tracks, I'll probably do a professional school here and there. (Can't wait to get out to Laguna Seca!) My ultimate goal is to drive a lap or two of the 'Ring in Germany. (I guess LeMans is probably out of the question for me!)

Sorry for rambling,
-Zoltan.

ninefiveone

Those "profit-minded" organizations really aren't so profit-minded. Groups like PCA, Quattro Club and the BMW club have membership fees and extremely large memebrships to help subsidize the costs of DE's.

My experience is that you get similar tracktime/dollar with any organization.