Impressive how flat TeamRX8 is in the corners. lot of front camber too!

Here's more pics from a local photographer, Bryan Heitkotter, E-Stock Champ:

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/68080453/original

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/68080454

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/68080455

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/68080456

Yeah... ooops.

I *still* don't know which course was which, but the pics that Mark listed for 'day 2' were definitely day one pics. I didn't wear my orange shirt on day 2.

--kC

Maybe it will get better with time, but I have to think about where the sun was to remember which was east and west. North and south were easier at Forbes because of the orientation of paddock and the courses. The complete seperation of paddock/grid from the courses makes it more difficult at HPT. If we continue splitting the pad at HPT the way it was done this year, calling them "left" and "right" would feel a lot more natural.

Left and right would be MUCH more better easier.

Great thread. The stories about each individual's autox career and when they started Nationals are very interesting. I never considered Nationals until I read some of them. Im with the concensus opinion to go just for the experience. In light of the recent posts, Im wondering:

-What are the costs of a trip to Nats? Im thinking the bulk of the costs depend on proximity.

-Are most of you sponsored in any way? I would think the top 10 or so receive something from the bigger tire companies at least.

from what I've heard, the main costs are getting the cars out to the location, and the cost of hotel stays during the long week of the events.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Somewhere there is an English teacher spinning in her grave... :spank:

Heh.

Mazda and the tire companies do offer contingency money and/or free tires, but typically only to the top two or three finishers in class. However, they also offer limited payouts to top two/three at the National Tour and ProSolo level as well.

Just a quick estimate of our natls cost for this year:

Hotel $1200
gas $950
Plane tickets were free because my flys a lot for work but would have been around $600
Rental car $235
Dog boarding for grandma's dogs $800
Garage at HPT $700
We used two sets of tires, but not sure you can count them because we now have two sets of nearly new tires to start next season and my wife gets them for free, would have been $2000.
Entry fess for all events including practice stiff was like $500
Don't count food because I eat if I am at home also and some meals are included.

Oh I hate you for making me add this up. If we would have paid for everything on my list it is $6985.00.
Now we spent a lot because we flew grandma out with us to baby sit Jessica. So we had to get her a plane ticket, we got a suite at the Marriott so we could have our own room and we had to pay to put her dogs up for the week at a kennel. Just out of laziness, I already had to drive 24 hrs and did not want to go back and forth to the airport so I had them get a rental, did not know they were going to pop for the pimp Chrysler 300 at $235.00. I also got the garage so grandma and Jessica did not have to be out in the weather all week, but I must say having the garage kicked @ss.

Our real out of pocket for the event was:
hotel
gas
rental car
dog boarding
garage
entry fess

$4385.00

On the other hand we did win back $3800 in contingency money.

So I guess it only cost about $585 for a first class natls trip. :Eyecrazy:

Hotel: $325 (Sunday-Thursday)
Gas: $620
Food: $225 (inlc extra ticket to banquet)
Entry Fees: $80? (Can't remember)
Tolls: $57

This was Towing the car out... driving the car out would cut the gas in 1/2, but the other costs would have been just about the same.

--kC

LOL, you forgot to include YMMV of your glamorous contingency pot. The mere mortals are not likely to see a dime as returns. Autox is the wrong sport to make money for sure.

I liked flying in and driving someone else's car. No car prep, no driving to Kansas, and relatively cheap. Total of about $830.

Flight: $300
Hotel: $180
Rental car: $150
Co-drive fee: $100 (a bargain)
Entry fee: $100

Getting your ass kicked at Natls: priceless :mdrmed:

I also did a fly and drive, but just for the Pro. Costs about the same, but I paid for most of it with Kumho contingency money from the two Pros I had run earlier in the year :)

If I look at last year, when I towed the Z06 out from California behind a Suburban, the gas costs alone were near $800. Plus hotel, entry fees, a new set of V710s...it got pretty expensive, real quick.

Next year, the plan is to tow the RX8 behind the motorhome. Gas will be a huge cost, but somewhat offset by the hotel savings.

In 2004, I had a better codrive bargain (thanks Mark!)

That year, I think I had a $180 RT plane ticket, three nights in a hotel room that I split with someone else for a total cost of $90, a $75(?) entry fee, maybe $30 for food above what I would have spent at home, my share of a rental Neon for three days was about $60. So, about $435. Unless you live close by, I'm not sure you can do it much cheaper (and the entry fee is $100 now, or something close to that).

Last year, John and I drove the RX-8 out and burned through 120 gallons of gas at about $3.25/gallon in the post-Katrina spike. Registered for two days of the warm up, cooled my heels in a hotel room a couple extra nights while waiting for BS to run Thu/Fri, bought a set of tires, and I spent a lot more on food. John can correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm not looking it up, I think that we spent about $3200 combined (plus whatever his RT plane ticket from KC to DC and back between the warm up and competition).

I haven't totaled it up for this year yet, but we didn't have to buy tires out of pocket this time and gas was nearly a buck cheaper per gallon. I'd guess that (again, not including his plane ticket for our different arrival and departure days to/from Topeka), my guesstimate is that our combined cost may have been as little as $1,500 this year. Maybe a little more....but I'll be really surprised if it comes out to over $2000 combined.

The first year I went will be the cheapest I'll ever see - flew in Wed., flew home Sat. Free Southwest roundtrip, $150 hotel, co-drove another car & all the owners wanted as reimbursement was dinner out - $40. Rental car from KC, about $100 for 3 days. I think the entry fee that year was $75. Maybe $20 for other costs. Less than $400. Best autox experience ever (up to that point), and I knew I wanted to return the next year and go all out.

The next year was another fly-n-drive deal, but I also brought my daughter and we stayed 8 awesome days. The expenses went up, but so did the fun! We drove in the ProSolo (in 1-timers class), toured the SCCA Corp. offices, went to the Monday Town Hall meeting, the Monday night Evolution seminar, the Monday night Kansas Region welcome party, the Wednesday and Friday night banquets, the talent show on Thursday night, got a boatload of freebies & giveways to take home (whatever happened to those?); toured the Air Combat museum, did the whole nationals shebang (except earning wood).

This was my 3rd year at Nats, and let's just say the trip was again, another level up, and filled with valuable 'learning experiences'. And I got to bring home some marble! (Thanks to some herculean efforts on Mark's part.)

gas $95
hotel $239
Entry fees: $200
New hat: $18
SCCA Nats garb: $69
Food/drink: $200
New shoes and treatment for blisters $60
Lightweigh sweatshirt from Walmart $11

Pretty cheap for us Midwest folks.

BTW, I had the best work assignment EVER. I checked the FM and DM cars for Hoosier tires and stickers.....and after that 5 minutes of pain and misery, I was allowed to leave.

I don't even want to think what DKNV and I spent, probably more than Uuloser and with such awful results (at least for me :spank: :crying: :crying: )


but at least I didn't make bold predictions about kicking everyone's @ss :rofl:

Hmm... I’ll bet I spent more than all of you!

$500 to split a set of tires with car owner
$110 to split a hotel room with car owner for 3 nights
$100 entry fee
$150 on gas, food, and “entertainment” in Topeka
$30 for puke orange hooded sweatshirt from vendor
$20,000 for 1 low mileage, decal-covered cone magnet that couldn't even finish in the money ;)

So, $20,890 total for the trip, including splitting a new set of tires. Hopefully next year’s trip will be a little cheaper, but at least I brought a car home with me!

There is always a bigger sucker out there.... Guess KC found his. :mdrmed:

I spent $186.20 on plane tickets, $40 for the warmup, $75 for entry fees, zero dollars more than a normal week on food and $11.49 for a pair of sunglasses, plus a tankful of 91 octane for the RX-8.

When clyde sends me the bill for my share of the hotel and the rest of the year, I'm gonna be hurting. :D

Did I mention having a co-driver is by far the way to go? Even if they snore. Loudly.

I guess some of you found my question about sponsorship amusing :mdrmed: Well, I only asked because everyone covers their car in stickers. :bootyshak Plus, I wouldnt think these big companies would be so cheap as to only offer stuff to the top 3 or even 2. These are the "Nationals" after all. Guess maybe because its not on TV? Then maybe they'd have more incentive.

No bill before video...I promise. :eeps:

Thankfuily, I don't have that problem.

:eyetwitch

Sponsors...

Mazdaspeed Motorsports (2 Mazda Decals and a Mazdaspeed decal if you want Mazda Contingency)
Kumho Or Hoosier - Need to run those for contingency
Tire Rack... required winshield banner.
4 other required stickers for Nationals.
Hawk Brakes? Yep, need them too.

Anything after that is what the driver set-up.

Like the 'Rallydecals.com' that was on the side of my car is *my* decal company. I sponsored myself! :)

--kC

Sponsorship? Did someone say sponsorship?

CUSTOM ALIGNMENT OF MT. VIEW, CA :ylsuper:

THE BEST!!!