[Outlaw 06]

I’ve been doing some research on entry-level racing and the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge seems pretty cost effective to me. Especially when factoring time as money into the equation.

As an amateur with no professional racing aspirations, I figure 3 local race weekends a year and some lapping sessions would cost well under $15,000 to show up at the track, qualify and race. That's a lot less than buying your own race car, storing it, transporting it (tow vehicle and trailer), maintaining it, repairing it, entering it, and racing it.

I also like the Skip Barber race series because the cars are calibrated/equalized so the race results are based on driving skill rather than the car. That means a person with a $15,000 annual racing budget has a shot at mid pack+ finishes or maybe even a podium finish in a year or two. I doubt that’s possible with a $15,000 racing budget in NASA or SCCA races.

For those of you who've raced in the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge, what is your opinion?

Thanks.