http://www.professionalsportscar.com...02/021202c.cfm

So .. that leaves who in Touring to drive for RTR if the rumors of PK moving to GT in an NSX are true?

 

I nominate Shultz and Giles.

Jon

 

Why would he have to leave Speed Cup because he is doing ALMS? P.D. Cunningham does/did both. Terry Borcheller does both. Bill Auberlein did both for some races, etc.

Most of the Speed Cup races this year are warm up races for ALMS anyway, so the drivers will already be there. I bet you he does both...

Matt

 

He might be tired of having his RTR teammates punt him....
I think he is a pay to play guy, so he might not have the finances to do both.

 

And considering a driver needs to come up with about $105K to race one full season with Realtime, finances may be a good reason.

I have a feeling Kleinubing is the only Realtime guy who has it easier.

 

$105K?!? Where did you get that figure from? Holy ****!!!


Matt

 

The car runs about 85k last I heard. Another 20k or so for fuel, brakes, transport, and tires doesn't sound THAT out of line...


[Modified by madhatter, 9:58 AM 2/13/2002]

 

This is coming from a guy I know (he's an instructor at the panoz school) who was very close to driving with Realtime a couple of years back, but he unfortunately couldn't find enough sponsor money in time. To rent a WC Touring race with Realtime it costs $8K per race weekend. There are ten races (I think), that's already $80K. If you travel, eat with the team all year long, these are some more additional expenses. I heard the figure of $100K per year from someone else who used to run pro races in the Motorola Cup. The season price also includes private test sessions during the winter to get comfortable with the car, etc. This IS a lot of money folks. Don't forget that the maintenance costs for running a $90K Touring are also proportional, so a yearly IT budget might cover maybe just 2 races for a Touring car. Also factor in the maintenance and travel costs for a full size car transporter (or two?), not just some open trailer towed by a pick-up. Mechanics are another big expense, since they have to be paid and also provided with hotel, food and accommodations at every race.

But now sit down for this one: To run just the Petit Le Mans in the GT class (ALMS, not WC), you'll need to come up with $40K just for that one weekend. If you want to buy insurance for the car, that's extra (and a lot of money). To run the just Daytona 24 hrs it's around $50k. You get a two race stints plus some practice time before the race for a 12 hr race, more stints in a 24 hrs. The catch is that if the car you're driving breaks down on the pace lap, you won't get a penny back. (because the mechanics, parts, tires, etc... had already been paid before the race.) That's how these deals go. This all came from a buddy of mine who came 2nd at the Petit Le Mans last year in SRPII with Arch Angel motorsports. Another thing to keep in mind, prices do vary a LOT with experience and based on your resume. So if you're really good and people know your name, it won't be nearly as much to run pro races.

It really makes you appreciate our low buck IT/Honda-Challenge endeavors, because if you're not full of money, you have to be lucky and find some good healthy sponsors to pay for running that Touring car or Porsche. That's reality my friends.


[Modified by Hracer, 12:51 PM 2/13/2002]

 

i agree with that number. i did some work with the duPont BMW team up at Lime Park in May. those numbers sound about right for a full season.