My half arsed F400 nc30

[Zippy]

I'm definitely doing the sub 64 class. I'm only planning on doing 3 rounds as well because money is tight and it's going to take time to get everything in place so I think the plan is that we do Cadwell, Brands and the final Snetterton round as well.

Having said that I'd love to ride at Oulton, Donnigton and Silverstone as well but I don't think the budget will stretch that far.

Out of interest Hodge, how much would you say it would cost per round, ball park?

[28hodge]

Firstly, it can never be cheap, but it can certainly be more expensive than it needs to be!

For me it's not as expensive as people say,especially on a 400, but i come from racing motocross 2/3 times a month for the last 20 odd years where it would be £100-£120 a meeting 3 times a month, so my perspective may be different.

Tyres, to me, are the difference between it being cheap and it not being cheap. Current tyres are so good and built for supersport bikes that create far greater horsepower than 60bhp. If you are really really good and at the front yes new tyres are needed. but i'm 99% sure that if i used a scrub or a new tyre I'd do the same lap time, if i were you and looking at doing the amount of rounds you are I'd get a good set of scrubs and they will do you for 3 meetings.

Bear in mind I do it on the cheap, which basically means I use scrubs, sleep in the back of my van on an inflatable mattress, my Van is a Fiat Scudo so I go in the garages so that I can get the bike in there leaving me room to sleep in the van. I take a cool box full of precooked food so buy little to no food at the circuit, sounds tight but helps keep costs down.

Scrubs are fine, I did 4 meetings this year and used some scrubbed dunlop KR364's that had done 3 laps of the manx that I got from here for £60. I did three trackdays on them I think before I used them to race at Oulton with both Wirrall100 and Bemsee.

I then bought some Supercorsa scrubs from a lad at the front of the minitwins, he did 7 laps on them changed the rear and did another 7 laps on that, then sold the 14 lap old front and both rears to me for £80, I have used these for all of Donnington and one race at Cadwell due to weather, I used the KR364's again in 2 races and quali at cadwell.

Here are my costs from Donington, this was my most expensive round as I bought the Supercorsa Scrubs.

BEMSEE Dono 265.00
Additional class
Van fuel 57.29
Bike fuel 23.10
Transponder hire 30.00
Misc garage hire/tyre changes 25.00
Tyres 80.00

Total 480.39

Main unavoidable cost is the initial entry, the rest is just standard costs.

Heres Cadwell costs to me,

BEMSEE Cadwell 250.00
Additional class
Van fuel 59.11
Bike fuel 40.77
Transponder hire 30.00
Genny fuel no garage hire 15.00

394.88

I would definitly suggest the following.

Buy a transponder, it may be £200 but it is £200 that you will get back when you sell it if you look after it etc, this year in 4 meetings I have spent £110.00 on hiring a transponder!!!

Use scrubs from the paddock rather than eBay, like mine they have done bugger all really and will be fine until I get considerably faster. I plan on using what I have for some trackdays in feb and march plus another meeting then buying another set at Silverstone and using them up to Brands GP then get another set there.

Join the ediAsia f400 facebook group as you will be able to get some scrubs off there or the Bemsee Club riders group.

The main cost is getting all the things you think you need sorted, and trying to accumulate some crash spares, I take a full set of spare fairings rearsets and 3 sets of clip ons with me, all bought 2nd hand off ebay, but things like stands tyre warmers, crash bungs, another set of one piece leathers that you dont mind scuffing if you crash, same for a helmet, it just adds up.

There is prob quite a loy of waffle in there but hope its been of some help, anything thats unclear or ive not mentioned and your unsure of just ask.

[VFRkieran]

That post was really helpful mate, Ive just about budgeted for 3 rounds at 500quid next year so hopefully im in the right ballpark. Still need to buy a van insure it and have got a few more bits i need for the bike yet, but hopefully going to have enough cash for the 3 rounds.

@Si i should be there with you guys at Cadwell and Brands, my 3rd round will probably be Silverstone (just because its 25miles up the road) or Oulton because i really like that track.

Whats bikes are you and Tony riding?

[Zippy]

That's really helpful Hodge. I figured it would be about that figure. Like Kieran I need to get a van as I think Tony's is going soon. I might see if I can attract a sponser for that though lol

Bike wise I'll be on an NC30 which I bought the other day from eBay. It's all there and just needs a weekend spent on it sorting out what problems it does have. I'm not sure about Tony, I think he's going to be on an NC30 as well so there should be a little gaggle of us on NC's which will be a laugh.

[VFRkieran]

Oh cool will be good with all 3 of us riding the little V4's, Tonys not going to cheat and stick a certain F3 spec motor in the bike is he?

Really cant wait now, winter is going to drag on! Time to go out to the garage and have a fiddle with the bike...

[Drunkn Munky]

That's really helpful Hodge. I figured it would be about that figure. Like Kieran I need to get a van as I think Tony's is going soon. I might see if I can attract a sponser for that though lol

you might get del boy to shout you his robin reliant for the weekend

[Drunkn Munky]

Oh cool will be good with all 3 of us riding the little V4's, Tonys not going to cheat and stick a certain F3 spec motor in the bike is he?

Afraid not i dont have it anymore, it also turned not not be F3 spec too

I may take a FZR though

[28hodge]

If its that FZR I have seen on your hiperform sales thread on PBmag forum then I doudt the sub64's will stick with you!

looks nice that FZR, got any details?

Edit, just read the details on the pbmag forum, sounds ossum!!!

[ChowderV4]

bloody hell! my budget for a weekend is near as dammit 600 quid, but then again i probably travel an extra 200 miles every round than anyone else haha

[james66]

To start racing with bemsee they require that you have either raced previously or taken part in a race school of some sort

The bemsee school weekend in febuary does the acu ctc course aswell as a school day which as a rookie is invaluable

Im poping to the rookie info day in dec to say hello to a few people so will see you all there

Zippy is it your bike tony picked up last week? I did convince him to do a few meetings next year then he wasnt sure, saw him saturday + it seems that hes game on again :)

Im going to try get on to instructing next season on the fridays so give me a shout if you need a hand