Like most car enthusiasts without an unlimited budget to blow on cars and track days, I like to daydream about what I’d have if I ever had a bunch of money in the bank. Every day it’s different, but the concept is the same. Sometimes I think about what I’d get if I could only ever have three cars, or what I’d do with a budget of one million dollars.
Other times, I like to daydream about doing a full season of racing. If you’ve never looked into how expensive any form of racing actually is, I’d recommend staying away from that Google search, because it’ll leave your soul crushed. Even the most amateur, low-cost, no-budget, run-what-you-got series will bankrupt the average American after just a couple of seasons.
For people like me, who can barely afford to keep a shed of shitboxes running, participating in any real racing is a pipe dream. Yet, I still have trouble deciding what kind of racing I’d do if I had the money.
There are so many different types of race cars in the world. Beyond the truly popular stuff, like NASCAR, Formula 1, IMSA, IndyCar, and drag racing, you have stuff like stage rally, club racing, circle tracks, time attack, karting, desert racing, autocross, and hill climbs. No matter your taste or skill level, there’s a series or championship for you out there.
Personally, I’d love to race a Legends Car, as the racing itself seems pretty pure and very competitive. That sort of racing is a good way to hone your skills if you want to climb up the ladder to the truly fast stuff. The same goes for something like Spec Miata or MX-5 Cup, where the cars aren’t all that fast, but they’re all identical, and the drivers are all top-notch. If I had the time, I’d probably also buy a high-level stage rally car, like an old WRC car, and take it rallying across America.
While I don’t think I’d ever be fast enough to earn a paid seat in a series like IMSA, if I had the money, I’d probably consider being a gentleman driver for one of the GTD squads. Racing in the Daytona 24 sounds like a dream come true, even if I’m the slowest person on the grid.
Your turn:
You’ve Got All The Money You Need To Race Anything You Like. What’s It Gonna Be?
Top graphic image: US Legends Cars International
I’ll keep racing my Ultimate 20, thanks. But it would be nice to be able to afford a new suit of sails every year. https://www.u20class.org/
I really think I’d want to get into hill climbs. Me and car vs. course and clock.
I would have to go with a GMA T.50s Lauda…
A vintage Bugatti Type 35 in some antique racing circuit. You need big brassy ones to drive those old open cockpit, no roll cage, beer cans with engines. And the type 35 is just beautiful.
WRC… Ridiculously cool cars and courses. And it would help keep me and my adrenaline junkie best friend out of trouble.
Dirt Super Late Model or IMCA type modified. You can race all year round, the rules are pretty universal every where you go, and the amount of legendary races anyone can just show up and try to compete in is crazy. World 100? Sure, why not start there on the Eldora High Banks. I often romantacize buying at Toter Home and just heading to races across the US.
I’m going to start an entire new racing league known as “True Stock Car Racing”. Each weekend, a batch of models of the same car and trim level, are purchased from a local dealership. A roll cage and fuel cell are added for safety, but nothing can be removed. Can’t strip seats, interior, stereo, A/C, etc to save weight or power. They have to be driven “As Is” save for the added two safety measures.
Prior to qualifying, all the drivers draw a key/fob from a bowl at random. That’s their car for the weekend. They get a 2-hour practice. Then a best of 3 lap qualify. Then the featured race.
For the entire season, all vehicles chosen have to have a MSRP under $50K.
Let’s see what happens when you take regular Ford Escape, Hyundai Elanrta’s, Toyota Corolla’s, etc and run them hard and fast.
Let’s actually go back to the earlier days of racing, when it was a way to show off and prove who built the strongest and most durable cars that the public can buy. (You know, like the original point of Le Mans, prior to it becoming a multimillion dollar showcase of prototype racers.)
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!
I’d start a brand-new Group B rally series for all these nihilistic Gen Z and Gen Alphas. Better than a sideshow!
If I had the coin and time, LeMons. I know it’s supposed to be a low-budget prospect, but I work for a charity. “Low” doesn’t begin to describe my budget.
something low key, like formula vee or vintage racing. Probably at Waterford Hills, just because I like that little track.
I would start a proper wrc rally team with two drivers and myself in a third car.
Unlimited budget you say? I’d go to regional rallycross events in auction house hero trailer queen exotics to put some damn PATINA on them. As a public service.
For me, the journey would be more important than the destination. I’d start with a stock car and learn to convert it to a race car over time. Strip the interior, install and tune coilovers, brakes, engine upgrades, roll bar etc. Then get to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Which car to choose would be less important, but I’d think maybe a Corvette or an Acura TL SH-AWD to be a little different.
The only racing in the past 10 years has been on a fat tire bicycle. If I could be 40 years younger, 8 inches shorter, and a hundred pounds lighter then there could only be one choice: bicycle stage racing. Think the tour, the girl, and the Vuelta.
Probably the most physically demanding and dangerous event you can run. But I am not 30, and I am far too big so I would have been relegated to being a sprinter with zero chance of taking the overall win.
With an engine? Motocross. I’m moving to a place 5 miles from a national championship caliber track. Maybe? If they run an over 70 class.
A Piaggio Ape
Spaceships. I want to get to Warp factor 9 and go elsewhere. I figure regardless if I’m the fastest or not, I gain the benefit of being parsecs away from what has to be the trailer park of the Milky Way.
You mean Ludicrous Speed
PGH Vintage Gran Prix… a few years ago Mini was the featured marque. Watching a herd of Mini Coopers (and modified) buzz around a race course at 10/10ths (but still at relatively slow speeds) was an absolute hoot. Looked like the life to live.
When I was a kid, my family used to go the the local dirt track and watch the races. My favorite was the VW Beetle one-make series. That just looks like a low-risk ball of fun. Anything faster and it will hurt too much when I inevitably crash the thing. 🙂
If I had the talent and money I would have loved to race either Desert Trophy Truck or MX Nationals.
Back in my yout I co-drove, crewed and co-owned a couple of Datsun 510 rally cars. These were pure weekend warrior budget cars. Great fun, cheap and mostly reliable. Also autocrossed my 240z and tr6. Again fun, but because they were modified I was in a class that had faster bigger money cars so I wasn’t that compressive. I crewed on a street stock class claimer dirt track car. Again lot of fun. I ran my olds 442 and Dodge Challenger in drags occasionally. Again fun, but a few broken major parts like engines and transmissions made it an expensive hobby. I also raced in a few motocross classes when I was an under 16. As I grew into a six and a half foot tall defensive tackle my competitive edge diminished against lighter and smaller riders.
Budget racing is the way in my opinion. Anything more and it becomes a business.
Citroen C1 endurance racing, including a 24 hour race as Silverstone
A great example of “slow car fast”
https://c1racing.club/