Hi RScR!
I am highly interested in learning everything I can about owning and maintaining and RACING a Radical SR3! I have very limited racing experience, but after a day of racing school at Laguna Seca you could definitely say I'm hooked. I live in Nevada and was pleasantly surprised to learn about Spring Mountain only 50 minutes away... until I heard about the massive $60,000 membership costs. Which leads me to my numerous questions...
I love the idea of having a car and doing the year long weekly/monthly races, time trials in a club not so much. I understand Spring Mountain has a year long championship...Awesome! But having limited racing experience should I spend a year learning the car first? I fly airplanes for a living so speed isn't an issue, but safety and not wrecking my car is.
To start I know you obviously need a car: $25,000 to $125,000 (interested in sr3's)
Membership at SM: $60,000
I saw that Spring Mountain offers a radical school - which I would definitely want/need - but it doesn't look like they have any in the foreseeable future. Do they offer lessons? cost??
Weekly racing costs?
helmet/suit/shoes/gloves?
fuel?
tires?
entry fees?
maintenance - refresh?
garage fees?
wrapping/painting costs?
can you sell back the membership in a year or two if its not the right fit?
anything I forgot?
I make decent money, but in one of the videos I saw from Spring Mountain the guy said he's literally racing against millionaires and billionaires... this I am not!
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your responses.
KH
Dear Kevin
Welcome to the group!! I am a member of Spring Mountain and can assure you that I am not a millionaire or billionaire! I purchased my membership from a member that was moving out of the country and offered a heavy discount. Occasionally, members will list their membership for sale. There is an annual due of $6K. Your can not sell your membership back but if there are over 500 members, sell it on the open market (don't expect 60K) There are no cost for track days at Spring Mountain. Condo's are for rent on the property for approx $300 per night and most meals are included. There is a charge for club races which I don't recall.
There are alternatives to Spring Mountain. I live in Salt Lake and race at Utah Motorsports Park with NASA. I am the only Radical but can keep up with most of the car in my class. Entry fees are approximately $400 to $500 for two days of racing.
Here is my shot at cost but others will chime in
Race Entry fees = $400 to $700 depending on racing org and track
Helmet/Suit = www.saferacer.com racingdirect.com pegasus, summit racing (there are tons of sites)
Fuel = $8 to $10 per gallon (approx 1 gallon for 6 to 10 minutes racing) most races are 30 to 40 mins with 2 to 3 practice sessions per day
Tires = approx $1,500 per set (they last as long as you want to be competitive)
Engine refresh for 1,500 cc every 40 hours - wide range Spring Mountain quoted me $7K to $10K
Hope it helps!!
Hi Kevin, Welcome! I am glad to hear that you are considering a Radical, They are amazing cars!
A good place to start learning about these cars is the read the "SR3 Buyers Guide" in the Registry Resource Library. Here is a link: https://radicalsportscarregistry.com/radical-sr3-buyers-guide/.
You have a lot of questions in one post so I will do my best to answer them. To start with, since you are considering racing at Spring Mountain which could lead to competing in the North American Radical Cup series I would recommend limiting your car search to chassis number 400 or newer because only Gen 2 (SR3RS) and Gen 3 (SR3RSX) cars are eligible to compete in the Radical cup series. If your plans don't include eventually participating in some of the Cup races you can expand your search to first Generation (RS3 Supersport) cars.
Radicals are extremely capable cars and I would highly recommend spending a year learning the car and getting experience before jumping into the SM racing series. You are very lucky that you are in close proximity Spring Mountain, because it is really the epicenter of the Radical world in North America. As you mentioned they do offer a Radical School but the also offer private instruction that will help in your skill development. If you have the proximity and resources to be a member of Spring Mountain I highly recommend it! I have spent a good amount of time at Spring Mountain and it is an AMAZING place. It is a real Country Club atmosphere and the service is fantastic. They treat you like a king. Also, I have to say that the member community is fantastic. I have been to several races there (as a spectator) and the level of comrade is fantastic. Yes, there are plenty of wealthy people there but they are all extremely friendly, accepting and nice.
Another thing that is great about SM membership is that in addition to the monthly race series (which is a great group of people), is that you can take your car out on the track at just about any time. They can brake the track into multiple tracks so they can be running a Corvette school on one track, while a Radical class is on another track, and there is still separate track space available for members. So you have the ability to run with your friends, or you can be out on the track by yourself.
Charley
John, I think you have a typo on your tire price. Isn’t it about $1,500 for a set of tires?
@charleyhradicalsportscarregistry-com
correct, I ordered two sets last time and that is what stuck him my mind!!
Hey guys curious about financing a radical? Is it hard to find banks to finance a race car? Rates?
Thanks for all the great info so far.
Hi Kevin, I am not aware of anyplace that will are a loan on a race car. There may be someone out there That will, but I haven’t seen it.
Charley
Can you email me. I have some questions about Spring Mountain. Thanks!
kevinhaskins@yahoo.com
Costs depend hugely on how strictly you maintain the car. If you want to follow factory recommendations, the costs really add up and I have yet to see anyone post a full accounting of this.
If you are able to do the maintenance yourself, like remove the engine, crate it up and send it to SM for rebuild, you will save a lot in labor. Yes, it is 7-10k to rebuild, actually the range is greater and depends on 1340 vs 1500, number of hours, and how "hard" it is driven, but this is the parts/labor cost for just the engine out of the car.
Chassis parts are timed out by mileage. Engine maintenance is by the hour. Hours are "on" hours, not "track" hours. Big difference.
