MM Does BABE 2011: The Official Discussion Thread

[.RJ]

Just sayin'. Been there done that

[Jake]

Its still a reasonable goal, especially with some big donators in the mix.

See that's the thing... we are planning on talking with some larger businesses in town and nearby to see about sponsorships. We'll happily slap a big ol' vinyl (or paint, maybe) of their logo on the car somewhere, if it means they will support us monetarily.

Just sayin'. Been there done that

Can't fault us for trying. Care to give more details on what you or whoever tried that didn't work out well? I'm assuming it was part of the GRM stuff back in the day.

[.RJ]

Just general motorsports experience of things costing way more than you think they will. I'll mock up quick estimate when I have some time

[Apoc]

We did a 24 Hours of LeMons this year. The car cost was $500, excluding safety equipment, and the event ended up costing $3,000-$4,000. Even if you skimp on food, camp, etc, etc, etc the shit adds up quick. I suspect doing a 4 day trip from NY to NO would be fairly similar in terms of consumables. (How are you going to get home?)

Be very realistic about your costs (e.g. round up) before you spend a dime. A lot of times a project gets started, people bail because it starts costing more and more and others are left holding the bag. We dealt with some "cost resentment" for our car and it was between six middle aged men, not poor college students.

Also be realistic about sponsorship. We asked a bunch of businesses about sponsoring the LeMons car and they basically said hell no. These are companies that we're familiar with and get some sort of sponsorship from for the 944 Cup series. They just don't see the business value in slapping a decal on a "we want to have fun" car, especially in the poor economy. That might be even more difficult if there's a chance you guys would be perceived as breaking the law (car runs have a bad reputation), even if you have no intention of doing so. Sponsorship is likely going to require a good bit of time invested.

I think it's a good idea and would like to see you guys make it happen. If you do, it'll be something you talk about for the rest of your lives.

[HAULN-SS]

I second the notion of only having one team do this

[D_Eclipse9916]

Its still a reasonable goal, especially with some big donators in the mix.

See that's the thing... we are planning on talking with some larger businesses in town and nearby to see about sponsorships. We'll happily slap a big ol' vinyl (or paint, maybe) of their logo on the car somewhere, if it means they will support us monetarily.

Just sayin'. Been there done that

Can't fault us for trying. Care to give more details on what you or whoever tried that didn't work out well? I'm assuming it was part of the GRM stuff back in the day.

Real sponsorships that actually give cash are a huge time investment both up front and continually. I talked to my brother who actually had sponsorships for both his motorcycle racing and on his NSX Year One Lap car. He said it wasnt worth the trouble and you would be better spent just using that time at a part time job to make the money than to deal with most of the BS. He did say one or two sponsors were pretty good, but the good sponsors are looking for previous track record successes and continuing involvement wether they are there or not.

Look around the paddock even at spec miata/time trial etc, they get a whole lot more attention than just a regular person and most of them are "sponsored" by companies that end up being their own businesses that they can write off for advertising media or are their stickers for contingency prizes based on "series sponsorships".


Not saying you cant do it, but I would plan on significant personal investment of time and money from each member. You also have to make a proper business proposal that is based on siginificant research and numbers that are supported by something instead of gusses. I certainly see very little return on my money if I was to spend 1000+ dollars of club/alumni money into a vehicle/trip that only supports this single event. Maybe if it was a car that could have another 500 invested and be a non-competitive GRM challenge car (just to get the naem out there), or club autox car.

But then again, thats how I feel.

[D_Eclipse9916]

PS- When your constructing this budget, make sure your including trips both to New york and back from New Orleans including transportation for the car. Is there any stipulations about a support vehicle? You might just want to budget in someone's SUV and trailer, for if the car breaks you can at least get to the store for parts, and if the car permanently breaks you can remove the vehicle in some way.

[SlimKlim]

Well we'll be asking for donations for our charity event and in return we'll slap a sticker on the car, not really a sponsorship.

The o team is going to sit down when we get to school and logic out a firm budget.

[.RJ]

Well we'll be asking for donations for our charity event and in return we'll slap a sticker on the car, not really a sponsorship

Sounds like sponsorship - the business is going to want a bigger return on their donation than a sticker on the car.

[.RJ]

Ok, i'll split this up -

Car prep - $500 car, no problem. Prep is probably going to be another $1000. A $500 car that you expect to drive to NYC and then to MSY is going to need some stuff. Tires ($300-400), brakes ($200), some engine maintenance - fluids, gaskets, water pump, belts ($200-300). Thats assuming you start with something decent and there are no other surprises. $1500 in and you might want a buffer there... its gotta go 2000 miles.

Travel costs - 2,000 miles of driving - assuming 30mpg thats $200 in gas. I'm assuming 5 or 6 nights in a hotel, thats $600. Gotta eat, figure $20/day. If you donat the car and fly home, its about $200-250 from MSY to IAD. If there's 4 people, $2000 in travel costs.

So we're almost $4k in if everything goes according to plan. Prepping for a road trip is not a huge task but a little money spent up front on the car will keep you from needing an expensive tow in the middle of nowhere.

I'm not trying to discourage anything, I think its a cool idea. Just gotta be realistic about adding up the costs up front. I made the same mistake when I wanted to start racing...

[Jake]

Found the perfect car, and it's already painted MM colors!

[DavidM]

Dude, rip the seats out, thrown in a couple of mattresses...flawless.

[ScottyB]

i bet that bad boy gets a rock steady 8mpg on the highway, woooo!

[Apoc]

Nah it's diesel, you'll probably get 11.

[JustinG]

+1 on a cost analysis and considering a support vehicle. My parents have a 16 passenger van, not sure if they wanna sell it for $500 bucks though. x4 on the crown vic/popo car

[.RJ]

If you guys are serious - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?t=30651">http://roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?t=30651</a><!-- m -->

[ViPER1313]

If / when you guys decide to buy the car and really get rolling with this, please send out a formal request for donations - I (and I'm sure a lot of other alumni) will be more than happy to throw a few bucks your way.

I'm also strongly considering doing this with my girlfriend (separately of the club effort) - it looks like this should be a ton of fun.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Legit my friend would sell his altima for $500 this week if people are really interested. It runs, stereo works, a/c somewhat works (smells), automatic.

[TorinoCobra070]

Police car auction in Harrisonburg on the 25th of August... just sayin.

[Jake]

Police car auction in Harrisonburg on the 25th of August... just sayin.

What time is the auction?