Formula Atlantic Operating Costs...

[The Racer X]

I have a few questions below for Atlantic owners if someone could help me understand;

- How much does an FA motor cost?, both the Toyota and Mazda?

- What the costs are to rebuild an FA motor?, both the Toyota and Mazda?

- And at what intervals before the rebuild is needed? for both Toyota and Mazda?

- Who does the rebuilds and where? Is it the same company for both?

- What would the total costs be for an average race weekend?

- Also, what would the tire costs be for an average race weekend?

- How many sets of tires are used, and how long do they last?

- And what are the cost per tire and per set? Is Hoosier the only choice?

Thank you in advance for any of your input.

[JohnPaul]

Here is what I found:
http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...perating+costs

It should answer some questions. Are you set on FA? they are them most expensive of the cars on this forum and require the most experience both to drive and maintain.

[The Racer X]

I'm trying to understand where all the costs are for cars, tires, etc.

[drscope]

In 2006 with our Toyota powered DB-4, it cost us about $4,500 an hour to drive the car. That figure includes travel to and from the track, hotel/motel and feeding the crew, entry fees, fuel and most other expenses.

We tried to have fresh rubber each weekend, and fortunately we never broke anything really expensive, and had no major crashes.

As for tires we ran practice each weekend with rubber from the last race, then put stickers on for qualifying and scuffed them in, then ran the race with the new scuffs.

We did one in-house transmission repair. Parts for the repair and new clutches ran about $700 if I remember correctly.

We did NOT send the engine out to have it rebuilt, so we didn't incur that cost.
10 races, 10 wins.

[Pop Chevy]

Current pricing on Hoosier tires is right around $1500 per set, I am figuring 1 set per weekend but I am cheap.

I bought a used pro (Loynings) engine for $6500 , freshened it up myself and HOPE to run it a long time with proper care and feeding. 1000 mi rebuilds are normal @ about 6k per. Rod bolts alone are $36 ea. I am going to build a spare.

My entry fee alone for Vintage racing is $550

This has been on my bucket list for a looong time , so I am going for it !

[Rick Ross]

Bias ply Hoosiers are around $1000 per set. This is what you will need for a DB4 or Ralt RT-40/41.

[turnbaugh]

In 2006 with our Toyota powered DB-4, it cost us about $4,500 an hour to drive the car. That figure includes travel to and from the track, hotel/motel and feeding the crew, entry fees, fuel and most other expenses.

We tried to have fresh rubber each weekend, and fortunately we never broke anything really expensive, and had no major crashes.

As for tires we ran practice each weekend with rubber from the last race, then put stickers on for qualifying and scuffed them in, then ran the race with the new scuffs.

We did one in-house transmission repair. Parts for the repair and new clutches ran about $700 if I remember correctly.

We did NOT send the engine out to have it rebuilt, so we didn't incur that cost.
10 races, 10 wins.

How much do you figure per hour without the travel?

[Rick Ross]

This subject has been covered here before, but with the exception of the engine, the operating costs are very similar to FC. Engine costs vary greatly depending on how hard you run them, and who does the rebuild. If you keep the revs under 10K you should be able to get 1000 to 1200 miles or so between rebuilds. The rebuild will then cost anywhere from $6k on up, depending upon where you send it and what they do. The important thing is to remove and refresh the engine BEFORE it blows up.....you do not want to run the engine in "FB mode" and leave it in the car until it detonates.

[Purple Frog]

The above estimate of $4,500 per hour is not too far off if you are supported by a crew and buy tires as needed.
I know a few paying more.
And... don't even think about crash damage if the above number scares you.

[Jimmy Simpson]

You could just run with K-Hill motorsports in one of Kris Keiser's Swift 016s. He is extremely fair on pricing as has top notch cars. One of the good guys in the sport trying to built Formula Atlantic racing