Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!!

Bucky · 01-13-2018, 10:08 AM

Well, you can try it on a smaller scale. Frankly, there were several years when I owned my own business and needed to reinvest the profits to grow it. That left me very little for racing. If I was going to race, it had to mostly pay for itself. It did for the most part. I had a couple of great seasons. I had a lot of motivation to do well. But I had no major breakage. I was constantly on top of maintenance, as letting something go could mean the end of my season. There was nothing new that wasn't consumable. It was very easy to loose your sense of fun with it with that kind of pressure to do well.
I had to be selective about the type of race I would compete at. When you are depending on it, you just can't afford an expensive weekend that ends up a bust. So the big buck weekends were out for me. Statistically I could average out in the 4th or 5th round. Not bad! But if you weren't making money by then, the race simply didn't make sense. I one a couple races per season. So the big gambles just didn't make sense to me. There had to be money early.

So, take this experience, and add the pressure of having to profit...not just break even....and it can be really not fun. What happens if you get sick? What if you have a rash of breakage? It starts to unravel. Tow rig pukes? Can't make it to a race and make money then.

If you can get good sponsorship, the equation can make a little more sense. Just my experience.

6130 · 03-23-2018, 12:15 AM

When I was doing motorcycle road racing, there were a few "bounty hunters" that made a living at sportsman racing.

The cash flow in motorcycle road racing is kind of strange- there is generally no prize money in sportsman motorcycle road racing, but the contingency payments are significant. For example, $2,000 a win from the motorcycle manufacturer, plus $350 from the tire manufacturer, and so on.

A typical bounty hunter would have a motorhome and trailer that he bought with his own money, to carry two motorcycles that were provided by sponsors. The two motorcycles would each be prepared to Supersport specifications, which costs a few thousand dollars each, less sponsor support in that area. Supersport motorcycles are allowed to race in Superbike classes, and motorcycles are also allowed to race "up" a displacement class, so each motorcycle would be eligible to race in up to four classes.

For example, if the bounty hunter was provided a 650 and a 750 by his sponsoring motorcycle dealer, he could use the 650 to race 650 Supersport, 650 Superbike, 600 Supersport, and 600 Superbike, and he could use the 750 to race 750 Supersport, 750 Superbike, 1000 Supersport, and 1000 Superbike...or up to $16,000 a weekend, from the manufacturer, $2,800 from the tire manufacturer, and so on.

Tires are a major component of the expense of motorcycle road racing- a typical pair of race tires costs about $600 or so, with a discount to about $300 a pair for mid-pack experts like me, and free to the truly fast guys. And you get through a pair of tires in as little as a few laps. Guys like me use my shagged tires from last race for practice, then buy a new pair at the trackside tire vendor for race day, and try to manage our tire consumption to get through two 4-lap qualifiers and two 7-lap races. For that reason, the bounty hunters typically sit out the practice sessions and the 4-lap qualifiers, content to start from the back of the grid on a brand-new pair of tires.

Wrenchead · 04-08-2018, 06:54 PM

Several years ago I toyed with the idea of making a living from betting on horses. It is doable but requires a lot of background work. Today, it’s even easier (more convenient) with internet betting (TVG). However, when I took into consideration the cost of health insurance and funding an IRA it didn’t look so lucrative.
I’m sure maintenance and travel costs going to and from drag strips would consume any winnings you would get. Race cars are expensive and they don’t get any cheaper. What ever you decide to do have a backup plan and at least a year of living expenses in the bank to take the pressure off.

cicero819 · 04-18-2018, 10:20 AM

Dis this guy even tried racing yet? never heard from him again.lol

01-13-2018, 10:08 AM	#1
Bucky Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 16 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!! Well, you can try it on a smaller scale. Frankly, there were several years when I owned my own business and needed to reinvest the profits to grow it. That left me very little for racing. If I was going to race, it had to mostly pay for itself. It did for the most part. I had a couple of great seasons. I had a lot of motivation to do well. But I had no major breakage. I was constantly on top of maintenance, as letting something go could mean the end of my season. There was nothing new that wasn't consumable. It was very easy to loose your sense of fun with it with that kind of pressure to do well. I had to be selective about the type of race I would compete at. When you are depending on it, you just can't afford an expensive weekend that ends up a bust. So the big buck weekends were out for me. Statistically I could average out in the 4th or 5th round. Not bad! But if you weren't making money by then, the race simply didn't make sense. I one a couple races per season. So the big gambles just didn't make sense to me. There had to be money early. So, take this experience, and add the pressure of having to profit...not just break even....and it can be really not fun. What happens if you get sick? What if you have a rash of breakage? It starts to unravel. Tow rig pukes? Can't make it to a race and make money then. If you can get good sponsorship, the equation can make a little more sense. Just my experience.

03-23-2018, 12:15 AM	#2
6130 Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 409 Likes: 295 Liked 117 Times in 50 Posts	Re: Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!! When I was doing motorcycle road racing, there were a few "bounty hunters" that made a living at sportsman racing. The cash flow in motorcycle road racing is kind of strange- there is generally no prize money in sportsman motorcycle road racing, but the contingency payments are significant. For example, $2,000 a win from the motorcycle manufacturer, plus $350 from the tire manufacturer, and so on. A typical bounty hunter would have a motorhome and trailer that he bought with his own money, to carry two motorcycles that were provided by sponsors. The two motorcycles would each be prepared to Supersport specifications, which costs a few thousand dollars each, less sponsor support in that area. Supersport motorcycles are allowed to race in Superbike classes, and motorcycles are also allowed to race "up" a displacement class, so each motorcycle would be eligible to race in up to four classes. For example, if the bounty hunter was provided a 650 and a 750 by his sponsoring motorcycle dealer, he could use the 650 to race 650 Supersport, 650 Superbike, 600 Supersport, and 600 Superbike, and he could use the 750 to race 750 Supersport, 750 Superbike, 1000 Supersport, and 1000 Superbike...or up to $16,000 a weekend, from the manufacturer, $2,800 from the tire manufacturer, and so on. Tires are a major component of the expense of motorcycle road racing- a typical pair of race tires costs about $600 or so, with a discount to about $300 a pair for mid-pack experts like me, and free to the truly fast guys. And you get through a pair of tires in as little as a few laps. Guys like me use my shagged tires from last race for practice, then buy a new pair at the trackside tire vendor for race day, and try to manage our tire consumption to get through two 4-lap qualifiers and two 7-lap races. For that reason, the bounty hunters typically sit out the practice sessions and the 4-lap qualifiers, content to start from the back of the grid on a brand-new pair of tires. Last edited by 6130; 03-23-2018 at 12:20 AM.

04-08-2018, 06:54 PM	#3
Wrenchead Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 17 Likes: 2 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!! Several years ago I toyed with the idea of making a living from betting on horses. It is doable but requires a lot of background work. Today, it’s even easier (more convenient) with internet betting (TVG). However, when I took into consideration the cost of health insurance and funding an IRA it didn’t look so lucrative. I’m sure maintenance and travel costs going to and from drag strips would consume any winnings you would get. Race cars are expensive and they don’t get any cheaper. What ever you decide to do have a backup plan and at least a year of living expenses in the bank to take the pressure off.

04-18-2018, 10:20 AM	#4
cicero819 VIP Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Aylmer Quebec, Canada Posts: 1,086 Likes: 31 Liked 69 Times in 30 Posts	Re: Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!! Dis this guy even tried racing yet? never heard from him again.lol