Trackday car hire- experience
Discussion
A pal has a couple of ex- race cars (fully caged) he's considering offering for hire at local trackdays (Cadwell/Blyton/Donnington) initially.
Golf Gti and a MG Maestro cup car - both reliable and easy to drive, both fun in a fwd type of way.
Having looked round at current hire costs for trackday type cars (everything from an mx5 to 911 GT3 Cup cars are available) it would be interesting to hear thoughts/ comments/suggestions from anyone who's hired something for trackdays before.
Specifically what did you have to pay as a deposit in terms of write offs, how much for the day etc, and if you think it's worthwhile as a side line for him?
Cars are owned outright probably only worth £5-10k max, and his main business is running a garage building engines/cars/track stuff, so he's already got everything he needs in terms of a company/tools/trailers/skills etc.
A caged westy/caterham is also possibility to offer something a bit more rwd fun.
It would be an add on to what he does already as such and isn't something he'd need to go out and grow massively, it's reasonably low cost in terms of setup really other than specific liability cover etc plus his own time/rebuild costs.
Thoughts/comments appreciated as to expected cost per day etc, £500 plus trackday cost seems to be the absolute bottom end of the market upto £5k per day for the exotics
Golf Gti and a MG Maestro cup car - both reliable and easy to drive, both fun in a fwd type of way.
Having looked round at current hire costs for trackday type cars (everything from an mx5 to 911 GT3 Cup cars are available) it would be interesting to hear thoughts/ comments/suggestions from anyone who's hired something for trackdays before.
Specifically what did you have to pay as a deposit in terms of write offs, how much for the day etc, and if you think it's worthwhile as a side line for him?
Cars are owned outright probably only worth £5-10k max, and his main business is running a garage building engines/cars/track stuff, so he's already got everything he needs in terms of a company/tools/trailers/skills etc.
A caged westy/caterham is also possibility to offer something a bit more rwd fun.
It would be an add on to what he does already as such and isn't something he'd need to go out and grow massively, it's reasonably low cost in terms of setup really other than specific liability cover etc plus his own time/rebuild costs.
Thoughts/comments appreciated as to expected cost per day etc, £500 plus trackday cost seems to be the absolute bottom end of the market upto £5k per day for the exotics
a tricky business as the flow of new offerings and closures demonstrate.
TDO packages tend to survive, but then they've got staff already onsite for the day anyway.
upmarket stuff like Hype do well with corporate events too, but from a pure driving perspective they're pricey and probably wouldn't never survive without the company funded participation (just my feel there, no access to the books). Elsewhere you've got small operations trying to cover costs of racing and that effort is supported by friends and family.
definitely need an introductory session at the start of each hire to assess and reign in the exuberant types...
get contracts and liability sorted.
maybe consider a spare car too avoid a bad reputation when a customer car is off road.
£500 is the absolute bottom that I haven't seen recently. struggling at £750
TDO packages tend to survive, but then they've got staff already onsite for the day anyway.
upmarket stuff like Hype do well with corporate events too, but from a pure driving perspective they're pricey and probably wouldn't never survive without the company funded participation (just my feel there, no access to the books). Elsewhere you've got small operations trying to cover costs of racing and that effort is supported by friends and family.
definitely need an introductory session at the start of each hire to assess and reign in the exuberant types...
get contracts and liability sorted.
maybe consider a spare car too avoid a bad reputation when a customer car is off road.
£500 is the absolute bottom that I haven't seen recently. struggling at £750
CABC said:
a tricky business as the flow of new offerings and closures demonstrate.
TDO packages tend to survive, but then they've got staff already onsite for the day anyway.
upmarket stuff like Hype do well with corporate events too, but from a pure driving perspective they're pricey and probably wouldn't never survive without the company funded participation (just my feel there, no access to the books). Elsewhere you've got small operations trying to cover costs of racing and that effort is supported by friends and family.
definitely need an introductory session at the start of each hire to assess and reign in the exuberant types...
get contracts and liability sorted.
maybe consider a spare car too avoid a bad reputation when a customer car is off road.
£500 is the absolute bottom that I haven't seen recently. struggling at £750
Yea fair points. Hype seem to have a lot of offerings and people like RMA also offer cars to the top end of the rental market. There probably is room for a small reliable operation I guess if the liabilities can be covered ok. TDO packages tend to survive, but then they've got staff already onsite for the day anyway.
upmarket stuff like Hype do well with corporate events too, but from a pure driving perspective they're pricey and probably wouldn't never survive without the company funded participation (just my feel there, no access to the books). Elsewhere you've got small operations trying to cover costs of racing and that effort is supported by friends and family.
definitely need an introductory session at the start of each hire to assess and reign in the exuberant types...
get contracts and liability sorted.
maybe consider a spare car too avoid a bad reputation when a customer car is off road.
£500 is the absolute bottom that I haven't seen recently. struggling at £750
750 quid does feel a lot plus your trackday tbh
I sold my track car a few years ago because I wasn't using it enough, and thought I'd look at rentals because I didn't mind paying a premium for a couple of days a year if it meant I didn't have the responsibility and expense of my own car anymore, but any I found that felt reasonably priced eventually disappeared. The only one left is Puretrack Racing who seem to be around £750 for a day at Donington, which is about the limit of what I'd pay when you consider cost of the track day itself too. Any other providers seem to be focused on the very high end/corporate type stuff.
It's difficult, because I imagine the expense and work required to run such an operation means it isn't a particularly cheap venture these days (before you even get into the stress and responsibility and not being exactly sure what standard of driver your customers will be!). However, once costs start getting to £1k+ for a single day in a stripped hot hatch, man maths kick in and your average punter would probably look at just buying a cheap Mini Cooper S or Clio or something, which is likely why the high end/corporate day type operations seem to be the most successful.
If your mate can make it work for a reasonable fee though I'd probably happily hire the Golf! Please keep us updated if he manages to make anything of it or not.
It's difficult, because I imagine the expense and work required to run such an operation means it isn't a particularly cheap venture these days (before you even get into the stress and responsibility and not being exactly sure what standard of driver your customers will be!). However, once costs start getting to £1k+ for a single day in a stripped hot hatch, man maths kick in and your average punter would probably look at just buying a cheap Mini Cooper S or Clio or something, which is likely why the high end/corporate day type operations seem to be the most successful.
If your mate can make it work for a reasonable fee though I'd probably happily hire the Golf! Please keep us updated if he manages to make anything of it or not.
The costs should be something like this
1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Burny16v said:
I sold my track car a few years ago because I wasn't using it enough, and thought I'd look at rentals because I didn't mind paying a premium for a couple of days a year if it meant I didn't have the responsibility and expense of my own car anymore, but any I found that felt reasonably priced eventually disappeared. The only one left is Puretrack Racing who seem to be around £750 for a day at Donington, which is about the limit of what I'd pay when you consider cost of the track day itself too. Any other providers seem to be focused on the very high end/corporate type stuff.
It's difficult, because I imagine the expense and work required to run such an operation means it isn't a particularly cheap venture these days (before you even get into the stress and responsibility and not being exactly sure what standard of driver your customers will be!). However, once costs start getting to £1k+ for a single day in a stripped hot hatch, man maths kick in and your average punter would probably look at just buying a cheap Mini Cooper S or Clio or something, which is likely why the high end/corporate day type operations seem to be the most successful.
If your mate can make it work for a reasonable fee though I'd probably happily hire the Golf! Please keep us updated if he manages to make anything of it or not.
Pretty much how I'd see it too. I had a trackday car and trailer for years, really enjoyed it then sold up. I'd happily pay £500 ish for something cheap n cheerful fun. It's difficult, because I imagine the expense and work required to run such an operation means it isn't a particularly cheap venture these days (before you even get into the stress and responsibility and not being exactly sure what standard of driver your customers will be!). However, once costs start getting to £1k+ for a single day in a stripped hot hatch, man maths kick in and your average punter would probably look at just buying a cheap Mini Cooper S or Clio or something, which is likely why the high end/corporate day type operations seem to be the most successful.
If your mate can make it work for a reasonable fee though I'd probably happily hire the Golf! Please keep us updated if he manages to make anything of it or not.
I think because the cars owe him next to nothing plus are cheap to maintain generally that its probably worth doing at local tracks rather than the expense of running around the UK etc. Keep it small/relatively inexpensive and fun still.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
The costs should be something like this
1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Yea I think engine issues from over revs etc probably more likely than a total loss shunt. 1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
The costs should be something like this
1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Who is paying for the tyres/brakes etc in all those numbers? If that’s coming out of the £300 car hire there’s very little left. 1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Give them a free ding or dent and after a few events it looks like a banger so you’ve earned next to nothing and made a mess of your car that nobody now wants to rent.
A proper shunt is a pretty common thing on a trackday, it’s in no way unusual to see a car getting recovered after a visit to the barriers and that’s significantly more likely when the driver isn’t the owner and may not be particularly experienced either. Insurance is a must so you can add a few hundred a day for that, it’s not as cheap for a rental as it is for your own car and there’s still a decent excess.
All in all there’s lots of reasons that the maths for the cheap end of the rental market doesn’t add up.
Steve H said:
Who is paying for the tyres/brakes etc in all those numbers? If that s coming out of the £300 car hire there s very little left.
Give them a free ding or dent and after a few events it looks like a banger so you ve earned next to nothing and made a mess of your car that nobody now wants to rent.
A proper shunt is a pretty common thing on a trackday, it s in no way unusual to see a car getting recovered after a visit to the barriers and that s significantly more likely when the driver isn t the owner and may not be particularly experienced either. Insurance is a must so you can add a few hundred a day for that, it s not as cheap for a rental as it is for your own car and there s still a decent excess.
All in all there s lots of reasons that the maths for the cheap end of the rental market doesn t add up.
Yea I suspect its not viable as a sole business running expensive or valuable cars. Hes had discussions (positive) with one trackday provider so far who covers local venues with easy logistics, plus he's got no setup costs as such as he's already running a garage / engine build service. I think £500 is probably the base cost as a minimum but going more than that brings in the possibility people will just buy a cheap snotter and cane it until it breaks as a cheaper option longer term Give them a free ding or dent and after a few events it looks like a banger so you ve earned next to nothing and made a mess of your car that nobody now wants to rent.
A proper shunt is a pretty common thing on a trackday, it s in no way unusual to see a car getting recovered after a visit to the barriers and that s significantly more likely when the driver isn t the owner and may not be particularly experienced either. Insurance is a must so you can add a few hundred a day for that, it s not as cheap for a rental as it is for your own car and there s still a decent excess.
All in all there s lots of reasons that the maths for the cheap end of the rental market doesn t add up.
Next step really is looking at separate liability cover for injuries etc to paying customers as his current business insurance almost certainly won't include that.
It’s not the expensive end of the market that has the problem from what I have seen. At £500 he still has to prep the car, transport it to the venue, staff it for a day and cover the cost of tyres brakes, fluids, and any mechanical issues that come up.
He would earn more for less risk and in less hours in his workshop without his car taking a battering along the way.
Sorry, not trying to pee on bonfires but I run a workshop myself as well as running other people’s track cars and working for a TDO so I understand how good it looks and how it actually tends to pan out.
He would earn more for less risk and in less hours in his workshop without his car taking a battering along the way.
Sorry, not trying to pee on bonfires but I run a workshop myself as well as running other people’s track cars and working for a TDO so I understand how good it looks and how it actually tends to pan out.
Steve H said:
It s not the expensive end of the market that has the problem from what I have seen. At £500 he still has to prep the car, transport it to the venue, staff it for a day and cover the cost of tyres brakes, fluids, and any mechanical issues that come up.
He would earn more for less risk and in less hours in his workshop without his car taking a battering along the way.
Sorry, not trying to pee on bonfires but I run a workshop myself as well as running other people s track cars and working for a TDO so I understand how good it looks and how it actually tends to pan out.
No its fair comment. Its not something to rush into anyway without proper cover in place and he doesn't as yet know what that will cost.He would earn more for less risk and in less hours in his workshop without his car taking a battering along the way.
Sorry, not trying to pee on bonfires but I run a workshop myself as well as running other people s track cars and working for a TDO so I understand how good it looks and how it actually tends to pan out.
Steve H said:
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
The costs should be something like this
1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Who is paying for the tyres/brakes etc in all those numbers? If that s coming out of the £300 car hire there s very little left. 1 day labour prep - £300. Might only take. Couple of hours though.
Car hire on the day - £300
1 person looking after the car on the day £300.
Entry fee £150-£650
Accident damage . A ding or a dent probably no charge as that comes under the 1 day labour prep
A proper smash, you could add insurance , be self insured, take the risk, or ask for a £1000 deposit.
A proper shunt on a track day is a rare thing.
Give them a free ding or dent and after a few events it looks like a banger so you ve earned next to nothing and made a mess of your car that nobody now wants to rent.
A proper shunt is a pretty common thing on a trackday, it s in no way unusual to see a car getting recovered after a visit to the barriers and that s significantly more likely when the driver isn t the owner and may not be particularly experienced either. Insurance is a must so you can add a few hundred a day for that, it s not as cheap for a rental as it is for your own car and there s still a decent excess.
All in all there s lots of reasons that the maths for the cheap end of the rental market doesn t add up.
There's a reason that the fastest cars are hire cars.
I think you need to look at alternative pricing models here. £750 for a full day seems expensive and likely won't generate much profit, as some have already pointed out.
Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
paddy1970 said:
I think you need to look at alternative pricing models here. £750 for a full day seems expensive and likely won't generate much profit, as some have already pointed out.
Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
Yes had thought about 1/2 days/ shared drives etc or sessions, all feasible I imagine Subject to agreement with organisers etc. You are right it would probably appeal more than committing to a full day. Probably a bit more work with signing on and track briefing but doable. Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
paddy1970 said:
I think you need to look at alternative pricing models here. £750 for a full day seems expensive and likely won't generate much profit, as some have already pointed out.
Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
Father and son days / Family days. I know that I'd pay £750 to have a shared day with other family members.Have you considered a session-based model instead? For example, you could rent the cars for £250 per two-hour session. This makes it more accessible to people who want to try track driving without committing to a full day and the associated costs. Then strike a deal ( packages for up to 4 drivers per day ) with the venue for special rates during quieter winter months.
The key is reducing costs and increasing revenue through a novel approach. With the current £500-750/day pricing in a competitive market, you're fighting on price alone in what's already a niche market. Without a differentiated model like subscriptions, flexible session pricing, or value-added packages, I think this could be a challenging business model to make work profitably.
Your mate has all the infrastructure already, which is great, but the pricing strategy needs to reflect what will actually generate sustainable income rather than just matching the bottom of the current market.
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