Race car hire- feasible?
Discussion
Evening all, looking ideally for some feedback on someone who’s tried out hiring out their race car before- or anyone who is looking to arrive & drive as their method of getting on track.
The question is raised by an errant listing on racecarsdirect.com that I opened by accident. It’s for a TVR Chimaera racer that was top of my want-list a matter of months ago but I couldn’t make the money make sense, instead I bought a Jaguar saloon which I race with the CSCC/JEC Saloons & GTs, already won its class twice and it’s a great car. Well now the TVR is listed at a different price, which suddenly makes a lot of sense indeed.
If I was to buy the TVR I would hit the Dunlop TVR Challenge, and be loving life running two great cars in two great enthusiasts series. But- I would have two race cars sat dormant for large periods of the year, it would make sense to hire them out. I’ve already invested in the kit to run a race car, have a great rig for transporting and fettling the car as well as providing accommodation for the weekend. I’ve done a bit of research and the going rate for arrive & drives for similar cars/series would easily cover my running costs, as my setup would be pretty low-fi and down to earth I’ve a lot of margin to compensate for not providing superstar service as an established team might.
My concern is- every weekend the cars aren’t out racing, they’re not earning. Is the market there? Especially with the Jag and TVR being a bit niche. If I’m going to make a go of it I know of a good MGZR for sale which I’d also snap up to keep things rolling on weekends where the big brutes aren’t out. Attracting drivers is my main concern and my big question, below is a summary of the series I’d be marketing at. I’d love to know, would these be attractive? I’ve included the CCRC series as I’m only down the road from Combe. I’d aim for the costs to cover my overheads plus some change for my time, and like to think I could undercut the going rate for a car run by a large team- with no bones made about the fact it won’t be the same level of service; I just don’t have the facilities to provide what a full team would. Putting a driver in a race car which I’ll transport, keep going and repair, and putting him up for the weekend in heated accommodation with catering facilities, that’s the long and short of it.
TVR Chimaera 4.0- DTEC, CSCC Modern Classics, Castle Combe GT
Jaguar XJ40 4.0- JEC S>s, CSCC Future Classics, Project 8 Saloons, Castle Combe Saloons
MGZR170- MG Trophy, CSCC Tin Tops, (any number of hot hatch series), Castle Combe Hot Hatches
Marketing would be largely Facebook, word of mouth and hopefully a bit of club exposure when I’m racing (but working towards a well produced website if it gets off the ground). So the first question is whether I could keep a consistent cycle of hires going, the second is insurance- what would be the most efficient basis to insure, and how much would this likely add to a race weekend? And failing that, could I self insure on an excess/deposit basis?
I understand wear & tear on the cars to also be an expense. Apart from the TVR in DTEC (which to be honest I’d probably race myself), tyres would be MSA list road tyres some of which I get a bit of a discount on, I’m comfortable with this expense. In terms of mechanicals, I assume a contract clause for driver-induced failures is appropriate? Has anyone ever had problems trying to recoup costs from a driver who’s battered one of their cars? One of the big attractions of running these three cars is that they run relatively ubiquitous engines in fairly standard fettle, the RV8, AJ6 and K series respectively. Should an engine failure occur, I think getting the car back together as it was shouldn’t be too challenging or expensive.
Am I living in dreamland here? I have no idea! If it keeps me racing, playing with big boys toys and works towards earning back my initial investment then it’ll be all I could have hoped for. It’ll be run outside of a full time job so doesn’t need to pay me a salary! I can enlist help at short notice when work doesn’t allow me the time required. Anyone who can advise, whether you’ve hired cars out yourself, or you’re a budding racer with some feedback on whether it would be attractive to you, it’s appreciated. Also, if you’re in and about club racing, if you give me a fair assessment of what you’d be willing to pay for any of the drives listed above, it’ll help my man maths out and earn you a virtual beer
The question is raised by an errant listing on racecarsdirect.com that I opened by accident. It’s for a TVR Chimaera racer that was top of my want-list a matter of months ago but I couldn’t make the money make sense, instead I bought a Jaguar saloon which I race with the CSCC/JEC Saloons & GTs, already won its class twice and it’s a great car. Well now the TVR is listed at a different price, which suddenly makes a lot of sense indeed.
If I was to buy the TVR I would hit the Dunlop TVR Challenge, and be loving life running two great cars in two great enthusiasts series. But- I would have two race cars sat dormant for large periods of the year, it would make sense to hire them out. I’ve already invested in the kit to run a race car, have a great rig for transporting and fettling the car as well as providing accommodation for the weekend. I’ve done a bit of research and the going rate for arrive & drives for similar cars/series would easily cover my running costs, as my setup would be pretty low-fi and down to earth I’ve a lot of margin to compensate for not providing superstar service as an established team might.
My concern is- every weekend the cars aren’t out racing, they’re not earning. Is the market there? Especially with the Jag and TVR being a bit niche. If I’m going to make a go of it I know of a good MGZR for sale which I’d also snap up to keep things rolling on weekends where the big brutes aren’t out. Attracting drivers is my main concern and my big question, below is a summary of the series I’d be marketing at. I’d love to know, would these be attractive? I’ve included the CCRC series as I’m only down the road from Combe. I’d aim for the costs to cover my overheads plus some change for my time, and like to think I could undercut the going rate for a car run by a large team- with no bones made about the fact it won’t be the same level of service; I just don’t have the facilities to provide what a full team would. Putting a driver in a race car which I’ll transport, keep going and repair, and putting him up for the weekend in heated accommodation with catering facilities, that’s the long and short of it.
TVR Chimaera 4.0- DTEC, CSCC Modern Classics, Castle Combe GT
Jaguar XJ40 4.0- JEC S>s, CSCC Future Classics, Project 8 Saloons, Castle Combe Saloons
MGZR170- MG Trophy, CSCC Tin Tops, (any number of hot hatch series), Castle Combe Hot Hatches
Marketing would be largely Facebook, word of mouth and hopefully a bit of club exposure when I’m racing (but working towards a well produced website if it gets off the ground). So the first question is whether I could keep a consistent cycle of hires going, the second is insurance- what would be the most efficient basis to insure, and how much would this likely add to a race weekend? And failing that, could I self insure on an excess/deposit basis?
I understand wear & tear on the cars to also be an expense. Apart from the TVR in DTEC (which to be honest I’d probably race myself), tyres would be MSA list road tyres some of which I get a bit of a discount on, I’m comfortable with this expense. In terms of mechanicals, I assume a contract clause for driver-induced failures is appropriate? Has anyone ever had problems trying to recoup costs from a driver who’s battered one of their cars? One of the big attractions of running these three cars is that they run relatively ubiquitous engines in fairly standard fettle, the RV8, AJ6 and K series respectively. Should an engine failure occur, I think getting the car back together as it was shouldn’t be too challenging or expensive.
Am I living in dreamland here? I have no idea! If it keeps me racing, playing with big boys toys and works towards earning back my initial investment then it’ll be all I could have hoped for. It’ll be run outside of a full time job so doesn’t need to pay me a salary! I can enlist help at short notice when work doesn’t allow me the time required. Anyone who can advise, whether you’ve hired cars out yourself, or you’re a budding racer with some feedback on whether it would be attractive to you, it’s appreciated. Also, if you’re in and about club racing, if you give me a fair assessment of what you’d be willing to pay for any of the drives listed above, it’ll help my man maths out and earn you a virtual beer
Thank you for the responses- no I’m definitely not expecting to make a living, just to cover my racing and to spend more of my time around motorsport.
I think I’m a bit too optimistic and have envisioned my market being sensible drivers who don’t think they’re Senna, just want to do it for the love of it and share the same passion for the cars as I do. In the cold light of day that’s probably very unrealistic!
More time around the paddock will probably give me a better idea, I’m still a newbie really and should earn more experience before making grand designs.
Plus I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t all really a man maths exercise to try and justify more toys
I think I’m a bit too optimistic and have envisioned my market being sensible drivers who don’t think they’re Senna, just want to do it for the love of it and share the same passion for the cars as I do. In the cold light of day that’s probably very unrealistic!
More time around the paddock will probably give me a better idea, I’m still a newbie really and should earn more experience before making grand designs.
Plus I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t all really a man maths exercise to try and justify more toys
Gassing Station | UK Club Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff