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Race Car
A "rolling chassis" in 2003 starts at $450,000.
A "rolling chassis" is a race car with a suspension and steering system, but without an engine, dashboard,
electronics, turbocharger, tires or extras. The manufacturers are England-based Lola Cars and Reynard Motorsport.
There are variations in price between short oval/road course cars and superspeedway setups. To be competitive,
teams should plan to own two or three race cars in case problems arise, allowing for two cars at the track and a third in the shop. |
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Engine
Engines are not for sale individually, but rather are available through a lease program. Teams pay a fee at the beginning of the season
to lease engines which are good for 13 rebuilds throughout the season at no additional cost to the teams. Each engine must be rebuilt
after 1200 miles of activity and all maintenance and engine rebuilds must be performed by the engine manufacturer. Engine management
systems are also available through the lease program and must be returned at season's end. The exclusive engine in 2003
Champ Car competition is the Ford-Cosworth XFE. |
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Wheels
The "rolling chassis" comes with four wheels. For the season, teams should plan to buy at least 10 more sets of wheels (40) at
about $1,500 each for rear wheels and about $1,000 each for front wheels. |
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Tires
Competition at short oval and road course races carries a tire limit of 28 tires per event, according to CART rules,
while 48 are allowed for 500-mile events. At a cost of $1,200 per set, one car can use more than $150,000 worth of rubber in a single season. |
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Spare Parts
During the season, teams should allow for $150,000 worth of disposable parts, in addition to $350,000 for gearbox parts. |
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Team Costs
In planning a budget, teams must be sure to allow for salaries for drivers, engineers, fabricators, crew, office employees, truck drivers,
costs of travel, lodging, rental cars, and per diem (food allowance) not only for racing events but also for a year round testing and development
program. Many multi-car teams rely on a full time staff of more than 50 people. |
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Transporter
Transporting the race car(s) and related equipment to all events as well as testing sessions must be factored into team financial planning.
Race car transporters are rolling machine shops complete with a inventory of spare parts as outlines above. Teams budget $500,000 for
a correctly equipped transporter. Unlike competition equipment, transporters are used for more than one season. |
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Total
The above fixtures represent what it takes to go racing for a season-with no guarantees. But to be competitive, it is necessary to allow
plenty of testing and development which will have an impact on budget areas such as cars, engines, wheels and tires and team costs.
Putting that in perspective, it takes about $2 million to get into the Champ Car World Series. However, many top flight teams spend
from $5 million to $10 million annually. |
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