All you hard cores out there - how much will I need for nationals?

[neil_cb125t]

Hey all,

I am going to be doing nationals in the summer of 2011 - starting the saving now ( while racing ) this year and then next year hopefully save bit more seriously ( after the big W )

Whats the "general" consensis on the total budget needed - at this stage im looking at going with a mate ie 2 guys with 2 bikes.

Im riding in F3 - on a fairly " non standard " ZXR400, ill be doing all the practice days before ( hear its friday but you have to pay ) then 1 race sat with some big ones on sunday.

Been told you use 1 frt and 2 rears per weekend on such a machine ( F3 )

any pointers would be sweet spec as we is based in pamly and will need to get reemed from the price of getting iver that 12ks of cook straight.

at this stage im looking at around the 7k mark?? am i close??

chappy

[k14]

I used to budget for 7k all up on my 125, and that included pistons and a rebuild. That would roughly translate to tyres for F3. So I would say you are close to the mark. Helps having someone to stay with in SI in the week before each meet, that would save you a few dollars.

If you are happy to slum it then you can camp at Teretonga and Levels (pretty sure anyway), ruapuna camping was banned a few years ago iirc.

[codgyoleracer]

Yeah sleeping in the van & camping does make a big difference to the cost. Assuming you have plenty of spares for the bike to keep you going - your extimate on tyres is about right - with the only thing that can screw that up being if it rains at a lot of the rounds & you have to invest in more wets than you first thought.
Keep in mind that a full day at levels costs nigh-on a couple of hundy as well.
Overall though for the south island only with accomodation, and food kept to at minimum cost - then i would expect to spend about 4k. This still allows a bit of fun & beer.
(I am assuming you are either on your own - or taking a helper that will be covering their own costs)
Glen

[feral1]

Hi Neill,

Your pretty close to the mark.
I am based on the West Coast of the Sth Island, so quite a bit of travel even for getting to the Sth Island rounds, gotta get over the alps first.

I'd budget $7k for the actual three months of racing and travel (good you got a mate to share it all with, makes it heaps more fun) and $3k for Oct-Dec bike set up, few local praftice rounds, last minute dyno'ing, parts for final refresh (head gaskets etc etc)
$10k all up. You'll be fine.

Good luck, have fun

Eric

PS. If you do a search, I am sure there will be previous threads talking in more detail about costs.
Good luck on saving, its worth it.

[Shaun]

sorry mate, NO real idea, I just did it, and borrowed through the bank when funds got low, because it was all I ever really wanted to do with my life.



I Remember one year, NOT eating anything fot 3 days whilst in the south Island, ( Pride would not let me borrow $10 of a mate) untill I won some prize money---- O, thats write, there is non of that now?

[Whitebait]

Whoa thats a lot of money!

How come you guys are using so many tires???

2 rears for one weekends racing??

I'm planning on heading down South this year on the mighty 250 but it won't be on a budget like you high rolloing ZXR riders!!

I've put on a couple of Kg's over the last couple of months so the Harris diet might help my lap times!!! 3 days without eating.............

Eric you stayed in a tent at Manfeild and Puke so your booze intake must have offset the cost for accomodation.......

[svr]

Neil, you could do it a lot cheaper if you treated the first year as learning experience. With Dunlops, and not realistically chasing wins, you could get away with 2 fronts and 4 rears for the whole series. Or make a a deal with someone to use their used once `castoffs'. You'd only be half a second slower on `old' tyres, and it wouldnt detract from the learning curve at all.
Then, having learnt the tracks (and if your still keen) have a serious crack at the nats the next year with a competitive bike / new tyres?

[neil_cb125t]

Hey mate,

All very great advice - What ever do you mean a more competitive bike.....
ha im def considering all options at this stage..... These dunlops are lasting so long the front is not wearing at all!!

even if i dropped it to 5k ( tyre saving ) its still something i need to save for,

i have a few hurdles in the way before then but basically need to what how much to tell the mrs im going to blow!!

[Whitebait]

Thats my kind of think SVR!! Cheers! I was getting a bit worried for a minute!!

I'm sure you know what us young fellas are like at saving.....

[zxr400#150]

Hey mate,

All very great advice - What ever do you mean a more competitive bike.....
ha im def considering all options at this stage..... These dunlops are lasting so long the front is not wearing at all!!

even if i dropped it to 5k ( tyre saving ) its still something i need to save for,

i have a few hurdles in the way before then but basically need to what how much to tell the mrs im going to blow!!

You Mean laurens gonna let you do it??? lol i take i u havent told her your gonna be using the W funds??? lol

[feral1]

Hi Neill,

I agree with SVR and 'bait; you could do it cheaper too. The good thing is that if you buy a some tires and a whole lot of other stuff early, it doesn't seem like that much cash over the Jan-Feb-March period. But the figure I gave you is a 'all-up, all inclusive' what i'd think I calcullated as a spend over the season, you know, diesel k,s van insurance, all the little things included.

Whitebait; yeah the last season I did (when I met you), I had less money, just bought my first home recently, nice feeling tho, having your own pad. We camped everywhere at all tracks, but at Chch we had a friendly mate who offered us his house for a bit of a shower and a meal at nights.

Good luck Neill, Have heaps of fun

[Sparky Bills]

Camping is all good.
Chch wont be an issue for us Neil. As you know Anja has people who know people who can talk to people down there.

Now go and do some real work!

[Whitebait]

Well ya better get stuck in with the Hydros this year then aye Neil.....

I can't work out weather to do the National or buy this

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...-211133413.htm

I reckon that'd do better wheelies than the 250.....

But on a slightly more serious note I'm working on the idea if you want something bad enough you make it happen!

Hopefully head down this year coming and sort it as we go! It's all good asking a hundred questions but you'll never really know till you do it yourself.

P.S ERIC are we gonna see you up here for some winter series action?? There's another 2 day event coming up later in the year!

You'd be more than welcome to crash at mine.....as long as your buying the beers....

[feral1]

Well ya better get stuck in with the Hydros this year then aye Neil.....

I can't work out weather to do the National or buy this

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...-211133413.htm

I reckon that'd do better wheelies than the 250.....

But on a slightly more serious note I'm working on the idea if you want something bad enough you make it happen!

Hopefully head down this year coming and sort it as we go! It's all good asking a hundred questions but you'll never really know till you do it yourself.

P.S ERIC are we gonna see you up here for some winter series action?? There's another 2 day event coming up later in the year!

You'd be more than welcome to crash at mine.....as long as your buying the beers....

Thanks mate, however, looking unlikely. I may do one or two rounds of our local sth island series, when the weather clears up. Would like to come north again one day in the future tho. Maybe in a year or two and cehck out the new circuit at Auckland.

'bait: If you do the nationals next year, i'll sponsor you 500-700kms of diesel travel. I.e. if your van is diesel and runs one on ten k's, I'll give ya a hundy bucks towards filling the tank. Small price to pay to see some F3 grids down south. Good on ya fella

[Whitebait]

Sounds like a plan to me bud!

In the process of putting a little team together and getting some fliers made up to try and attract a bit of support from local businesses.

I'm sure a lot of people are gonna use the ressession line but gotta try everything to eas the load off my already bruised bank account........

Maybe I should join the Airforce and get them to help me out as well....