Lets face it, nothing in racing is free, and race fees are just one of the many expenses that are part of karting. With that said what is a reasonable fee to race your kart? I have been doing some searching on this topic and would like input.
My local track is Lafayette Motorsports Park in Lafayette, NY which is a business (not a club) and charges $65 for race fee ($55 for track members). A typical race day is practice from 10 to 11:30 which is usually 2 rounds for all classes. 1 - 5 min organized practice by class to check in transponders, 1 - 5 min qualifier, a 15 lap pre-final and a 15 lap final. A lap is about 32 seconds so the race is over in about 10 min. A practice day $45 and is usually broken up by classes and sometimes includes motorcycles.
My thinking initially was this is a little high, but in looking around at tracks in the northeast, its actually on the low side.
My son’s club charges $65 for a race for club members, or $85 for non members, which consists of 2 practice sessions, a qualifying session, a pre final and a final, or 2 practices, 2 heats, and a final, and they grid up based on points.
$40 Race Day, $4 For Spec 4 cycle fuel, $8 spec 2 cycle fuel. $10 transponder rental (if you need to rent)
Practice days, from sun up to sun down any day there isn’t an event. $10 for all day. first 15min for kid karts, next 15min for motorcycles if they are there. Last 30min any kart can go on track.
NTK - Member Owned Track
Member Annual Dues - $395 (includes: Household Members only)
Unlimited practice (except for event days or work days) however a board member must be present to turn the track lights on after dark. Common practice on Friday and Saturday nights.
Member race fees $45, Non-Member race fee $80
Pit pass (spectator/mechanic) Adults $10, Kids $8, Kids under 5 yo $0
DKC - Rental Kart Track with onsite Pro-Shop
Platinum Annual Family Membership $1000 / Gold Annual Family Membership $500 (includes: Immediate Family Members, ie. Parents, Children, Siblings & Spouses…sorry cousin Eddie)
Daily Practice - Platinum $0 / Gold $25 (both have a $10 daily insurance fee)
Saturday Practice is discouraged due to high Rental volume.
Race Day Fees - Member (Platinum or Gold) $55 / Non-Member $75
No Pitt Pass fees as races are often run between Rental Sessions.
I rent a garage at my track, and with it I get 4 free practices a month ($56) each practice. So the track Fee is $56 per driver $15 for spectator/mechanic access to grid/paddock.
Club races at New Castle pre-registration fees are $42 plus $12 pit pass so $54 total. 2 cycle gas is $10 gallon, practice days are $32. These are all non-member fees it’s a few bucks cheaper if you are a member.
GoPro Karting challenge is $75 race fee for pre-entry. Practice days there are $45-60 depending on the day. 2 cycle gas is $10 / gallon.
MCC ProAM is $55 for race with pre-registration, practice days are few and far between because it’s a private club but when they are made available they are $45-55. If you buy their VP spec fuel at the track you purchase a 5 gallon drum for $85
Are there any racers from OVRP? I have seen a fee of $100 for their night race and it looks like $80 for day races, do I have this correct? Either way that seems high.
ADULT DRIVER “BASE LEVEL” MEMBERSHIP (Single driver 18 yrs + older) • $45 Test & $60 Race Fee. $20 savings every time you are on the track! • Able to store Karts or Trailers at OVRP (additional fees apply – see below) • Eligible for points towards Club Racing Championships
Well I just lent my kart to a friend who did a race there as non member and he said it was 100 fee to enter race. So for 200 annual membership it drops to 60, it seems.