John Shiels

I went from over 40 days some years to ZERO. Near no commercial construction here on Long Island. Did about nothing for near 2 years. I see no relief in sight. I could not run much if at all even if I did spend the week the car needs to be finished. May be I have a mental block to finishing it? I don't want tracking it back in my blood. At $1,200 or more a day I may be to old by the time the economy gets back if ever.

Buying tires for 1200+ lasting 3-4 days didn't look so big. Now if they cost 1,300 or 1,500 it looks HUGE. I am afraid to look. The gas in the car is getting old like me!

rustyguns

me too.......... it sux

joemoia

I used to track the vette 12-18 times/yr. When the economy crashed in 2008 my IRA took a dump and I stopped going to the track. When it became apparant that the Gov. wasn't going to bail ME out, I sold the vette earlier this year.

johninar

It's not getting better for YEARS. I'm scaling back. There has been no effort to get the economy moving. Won't happen until there is a new administration. These clowns are clueless. Never seen such stupidity in my life. I know I won't keep feeding the stock market, nor do I want to keep it in cash. With monitizing the debt you can watch your dollars devalue right before your eyes. It does not look pretty. If I don't have the cash, I don't buy.

You can see the effect at Hallett. The HPDE is doing okay, mostly full. The COMMA racing is HALF what it was three years ago. Not pretty.

froggy47

I am running on scrubs, no new tires in 2 years. Cut back on a lot of expenses but still doing a couple of autox a month & 3-4 DE's. I also do not see any quick improvement to the economy, even if the next election restores some sanity to the country.

The pols have dug us into a huge hole & even if they stop digging it'll be maybe 5 years IMO to get back to even and generations to get the country out of (China) debt.

At Auto Club Speedway you can run with Speedventures, Redline, or PCA for about $200 for a day plus consumables so it's doable if you save up.

Lucky no major breakage on the car 45k miles.

davidfarmer

my industry collapsed a few years before the rest of the economy, so I cut back early. I then was doing DE's with friends that needed by support/instruction, but now they've all ran out of money too. I've been to the track twice this year.

BERETTA

I dont think it is going to get better for a while I think everyone is cutting back here and there, I skipped 1 or 2 over the summer I would have like to have made.
Ran at Nashville Super Speedway last weekend, I think there is one more event there and it is closing down. Tracks are having trouble staying open too

MartyZ51

I calculated my daily HPDE track expense at $700. I purchased a PS3 and built a driving simulator to go in front of my projector. I thought this would take my desire away a little but it didn't.

Newest thing I'm wanting to do is trade my 20' enclosed trailer for a flatbed. I'm having to drive a bit more for track weekends now that MAM is closed. I can cut my fuel costs in half which should give me less pause.

John Shiels

China syndrome, outsourcing and in-sourcing has finally hit the tipping point of cheap products and services vs jobs here in the USA. Labor is like water it will seek level and we are going down. Both parties careless except being re-elected. Slide started years ago. Fighting wars is tough and expensive. I would rather pay more taxes than be borrowing.

Tough to look at the car and not even drive it or finish the work that needs to be done. I really need pocket change in dollars to finish it up few hundred tops.

Few masonry jobs to bid (public works projects) are so ridiculously low it is a joke. Contractors dropping like flies or taking huge hits. I have been in business since 1975 and doing commercial & public projects since 1978.

Moth balled all my equipment and went to work for another larger contractor masonry contractor. Lucky I have no payments and own all the equipment. Still an expense for General Liability and yard to store scaffolding, plank, mixers, tools and 4 rough terrain forklifts. The contractor I went to work for is doing the Freedom Tower and another WTC building with about 1.3 million block in the two projects. Another school in NYC. The HUB project at the WTC site has 1.5 million block in it if he gets it. I am running Canon USA headquarters with about 100,000 block in it. Canon is a 300 million dollar plus project. Only real major project on eastern Long Island. Delayed for 2 years or it would be done already too. I sat home basically two years doing near nothing except yanking money from the bank and bidding jobs and rolling up the plans after they say they got someone for 60-70% of the price. Some even half my price. Nice to break the law and pay cash for some contractors.
From 85 union employees at 35 years old all on my own dime and doing to unemployed at 58 From just about 4 million in masonry at 35 to 5,500 this year

Some masonry contractors who have had 500-600 plus employees now have checks bouncing. They have been in business since 1940's. Some masonry contractors that have had 300+ employees have now 10 men working. Over paid a supplier few grand and it took months for me to get it back. I didn't need the money with no work so I didn't push him when he ask me to wait. Huge supplier in such bad shape is sad.

Glad I am not young and saw some great times in this country. Things are getting worse not better.

Doubt I could part with either Vette I would rather let them sit. Like when I use to see a Vette in some old guys garage and you know it never moved in years I would laugh. Now people walk by and ask "Where is the race car?" I say I turned it into a large diecast model car and a shelf as I pile crap on it.

Still paying insurance on car just so I could load it up on the trailer in the street without getting no insurance ticket even though plates and inspection have expired. If they looked at it I doubt they would insure it. Another 1200 per year for nothing. Drove my 96 GS 100 miles of less.


Got into sea kayaking and spent 5-6,000 on boats and equipment. That's 4-5 track days. Nothing is cheap. I do have something left except tire carcasses left.


Just venting!

RacePro Engineering

John S - What - are you kiddin’? Surely this is a rhetorical question. I do not know of ANYONE, at least in our circle of racing friends, and wider circle of track acquaintences, who is not feeling the pinch.

John Tice says, “If I don't have the cash, I don't buy.” This exactly duplicates our philosophy of racing, and of living in general. We do NOTHING on credit. I'll return to this thought in a minute.

Bob speaks of running scrubs for the last two years. With the exception of new bushings and ball joints, virtually ALL of the build we are performing on the C4 is with USED parts. Do we prefer that? Of course not, but the alternative is to put the car up on jack stands for the foreseeable future; or worse, cut our losses by selling it. Do we consider ourselves fortunate? A resounding YES, because we are able to still race on a limited basis. Also because, as Bob alludes to, we have had no major mechanical or driver "failures".

But, John, haven't you heard about the "recovery". Just the other day, there was news of something or other SLOWING the "recovery". And how about "economic growth" there on L.I.? Surely there is not something SLOWING "economic growth" there too??

Bob, I would go a step further with your "hole" metaphor, and assert that we have ALLOWED OURSELVES to be dug in. It took time, and a lot of brain washing, but here we are. We Americans no longer actually MAKE much of anything. Historically, when we as a country had REAL economic growth, we were creating and building tangible THINGS, and usable SERVICES, and selling them. Concepts and intangibles were economically useful only if they led to the creation of THINGS. There was commercial building on Long Island, and everywhere, because business, manufacturing, and education were conducted by real people working in real buildings!

Americans have allowed ourselves to be lured away from creating and building THINGS and real SERVICES, by the prospect of an easier way. What if we could automate much of this manufacturing? What if we had someone else do the "heavy lifting"? What if we were free to deal in concepts instead of actual work. What if we could all be managers, instead workers? What if we outsource the work we do not want to bother with?

But during this shift from making things to not making much of anything, there is a problem, isn't there: if you are not actually making useful things, and selling them at a profit, how will you live?

We'll need pseudo-money - money that is not based on concrete things, but on futures, on speculation, on buying-low-and-selling-high, on leveraging, on initial public offerings, on one's future ability to repay, on one's "creditworthyness". In fact, this will give us the chance to CONSUME many things that we did without when we could only spend what was in our pockets. Now there is ECONOMIC GROWTH at its best.

But I want it to be "painless". I do not want to see those green dollar bills fairly flying out of my wallet. The agony of writing the ever-increasing check to the utility company each month. I want consuming to be fun. NO PROBLEM! Just sign a little form, and we'll do all the work of taking your money for you, and it will be completely "behind the scenes". And here is a little piece of plastic that you can use instead of that old, troublesome cash. We'll let you know how you did every 30 days or so. This way you are free to go back to working on concepts (or browsing the internet.)

We are sinking in economic quicksand, Gentlemen! It is not something that AN administration caused; and it certainly is not anything that AN administration is going to cure. It took decades to get here, and "if WE stop digging", it will take decades to rectify.

How do we, personally, stop digging ourselves deeper into this "hole". I am certain that with the very real brain trust that exists on this Forum, there could be hundreds of valid suggestions. I can think of a couple:

The first one I'll steal from our thread starter John S.'s signature: *** Try to buy stuff that is made right here.
*** If you don't have the CASH to buy it, then save up, and wait until you do.
*** Try to work at building or making useful THINGS, or providing genuine SERVICES.
*** Attempt to deal with REAL companies and REAL people. The "global economy" does nothing for those of us in this hole.
*** Watch your own, personal "balance of trade". Are you consuming more than you are producing?
*** Scrutinize what you purchase - Is it necessary? Does it have lasting value?
*** If you have money to invest, invest in IRON, not in SMOKE.

That's about all the thoughts I have.
Ed

jaa1992

I've only missed two planned events because of a broke power steering hose. And missed one event because of a blown motor.
Its fixed so I'm going to make 12 two day events total for the year, I had planned for 15 - 18 events.

Next year is going to be tough only because my sponsor/employer is sending me to a different location each month and most of the trips match up with an event I would go to Its going to be the year with minimal racing and no vacation

Crepitus

A huge kick in the gut for me too. 09 & 10 I made about 1/3 of a average year. This year is lookin better. I hear you about the gettin old thing. I want to I want to get back on the track in a modifyed or latemodel so bad I can taste it. i still have the shop and most of the support equipment but I dont dare spend the money. I am preping a HPDE C4 cause I just GOTTA slide some tires! Even that project is going a lot slower than I expected.

dvandentop

didnt go as much this year not from being able to not afford it but from being too damn busy with work to take off (computer contractor). Also that our local track MAM (180 miles one way) flooded and was underwater all summer from the missouri river flooding. compared to 5 hours one way to closest other track. Brainerd or Hastings

did end up making it to road america for gt track days 2 day event otherwise only auto x it one time with our vette club and that was it

fatbillybob

This is why you gotta go out and enjoy yourselves and only save prudently. Lets say you save a pile of cash and the bank goes south and the FDIC promises to pay you...When?, can they say too bad we only pay 50 cents on the dollar? You bet. Unless you are stuffing your matress with cash and buying gold and guns that isn't going to amount for much. If you had a million dollars would you really have it all in gold? Where do you put it? There is nothing safe out there. So spend it while you got it. Spend it while you got some purchasing power. This too will pass it may just be a while. Time is ticking and we aren't getting any younger. Spend it!

Sidney004

Better to live rich than die rich!

sperkins

I don't have either one of those.

jd86L98

The first part of the year I was optimistic that the economy would start turning around and I was certain that I would have a Z for So.CA track days parked next to my Vert by now. Unfortunately, it's only continuing to get worse. And like many others I fear making a big purchase right now.

MYRX

In 2010, I was an IE and out of work. My company made wire and cable and the housing market died. I had waited most of my adult life to purchase a corvette and the goal was to get into racing after sending kids to college....

Now, I find joy in Time Trials. I realize I won't be at the top in my class, but it is a blessing to be able to compete. Yes, I run scrubs, Yes, it takes me longer to purchase the brakes, shocks, bushings, larger sway bars, etc. But I will get there.

I just turned 57, I found a new position as an Operations Manager in a different industry and I have started rebuilding my life and setting realistic goals. In 2012, I plan to participate in 6 Time Trial weekend events. That is probably the best I can do with the current times as they are.

jvp

I'm in an industry and an area of the country that really hasn't been hurt too badly by the ****-poor economy. As a slight example, a lot of folks around the country saw their real estate values tank; mine went up. Great in the long run but sucks for taxes. Bleah.

So no, the economy hasn't had a bearing on my HPDE days, thankfully.

jas

CHJ In Virginia

I have had to cut back from the usual 10-12 events to a total of 6 this year. No long distance events were on the calendar, just too big an expenditure with gas at
$3.50 a gallon. Times are tough, we have had a couple of track event organizations go down the tubes in the past two years. Attendance at most events is notably less than in previous years.