Bloody hell!!! No wonder some teams can't continue to fund it. Its definitely a serious love of bikes and racing to want and to be able to compete. Well done guys.
I love bsb , superb racing and a great show for all ages. I've just bought tickets for Cadwell 2025 and camping. Mountain grandstand tickets for Bank Holiday Monday It will be my 60th birthday, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else
It was, if you watch documentaries you would know even on grand prix level they didnt have sponsors! Drove to the track in the van and mismash of parts bikes.
No. This is not the sixties or seventies privateer Bohemian lifestyle racing. Now the real cream rises, and those with deep passionate pockets make that happen. There's money sloshing out there & as these guys say, those with the dosh are willing to slap stickers on the side. Stop moaning.
wow that is one heck of a lot of money, and all credit to you guys for pulling it off, I can imagine there would be some sleepless nights finding money to pay those bills - good luck for 25, and I hope you get more help, as you deserve it for putting on a great show and entertaining us on and off the track.
An incredible amount of time & money from Matt & the Team absolutely no doubt. Without your continued time, energy & video content Dave sharing every race weekend & preparation this doesn't go unappreciated! Matt, the team, Rob, Pete, Franco & yourself Dave have earned immense respect & appreciation from everyone. Hopefully next season brings continued sponsorship support, winning success & continued action to all of you! Hope we see Franco continues in racing with success too! Thanks 👍
Hi Dave, I just opened up a spreadsheet I did 21 years ago (using a crib sheet from Ray Stringer) to run a two man team in BSB. That came to approx £650K. That was based on something like Kawasaki or other four cylinder bike. I rounded it up to £1M for running 2x Ducatis !! One thing I dont think you mentioned was the transport to get there, ie your tractor unit and trailer. Even if they are leased theres a few K there. I like watching these videos, it reminds me of all the suffering I went through for so many years. Keep it up and all the best for 2025.
Matt bought the truck as an asset, a bargain at £45k. But the running costs soon add up too. Back in the 90's and early 2000's I assume a lot more parts were 'factory' and I assume engines were very low mileage between expensive rebuilds... Some we have made some progress over the years
Yes, the overall cost is huge. Thanks’ for the insight. There was no mention in the totals of the rider costs. Presumably wages, riding gear - leathers, helmets etc. or travel, accommodation Transportation to races, not forgetting pre season testing. My guess the without volunteers you’d need close to £500k to fund a season for one bike! Capital outlay and running costs. Granted, Sponsor contributions and race winnings, if you’re lucky, help, but there is still a huge net funding requirement to be competitive. The worrying thing for the sport is how long can a Privately funded team continue as the funding gap gets ever wider, as they try to match the factory supported teams. It’s much harder now than ever before but what can be done? In my view to be sustainable, the Sports Governing Bodies need to give this issue some serious attention. I’d be interested to hear the team’s thoughts.
Drop the control fuel. Get the tyre companies to actually discount, or make tyres that last longer and it'd make a Hugh difference. Regulations to reduce cost can work, but the teams with money will always find somewhere to spend if they think it gains an edge. Rider didn't get paid, but didn't have to fund the ride, which most do. HJC helmets were free, but all the other kit was paid for. You can spend more, easily...spending less is the challenge
@obsession_engineering Presumably the scrutineers have to check the control fuel already but would require much more sophisticated test equipment to test random BS7070 retail pump fuel, so are not too keen. Hard to see who would want to help on that as there's no supply exclusivety to justify sponsorship.. Can't believe that it's not possible to do a deal with Pirelli-Metzler Europe for the round black things.. Should be an annual MSVR tender process!
And this is without race trucks, garage boarding, laptops, screens, pit wall set up, carry cases, fuel for the trucks, team clothing, workshops, tools, garage flooring, garage lighting and so on and so on, so if a new team was setting up from scratch then you are looking at over £500,000 comfortably. And you'd estimate the top teams in the paddock are spending another 250,000+ on top of that too!
Thanks for an honest breakdown of the costs and I can think of a few that you that you didn't mention as well. I know a lot of components aren't cheap to replace but tbh, I was surprised just how expensive some of them actually are. Generally speaking though, the costs are absolutely staggering and unlike years ago, there's no way a privateer could even afford to enter the series let alone be competitive. Promotors and organizers definitely need to make some changes to make the series more accessible to more riders.
I read the article in Bike magazine, a couple of things you didn't mention here are that there's no prize money and most riders don't get paid relying on their personal sponsors to give them some income. A lot of riders even have to give some of that money to the team to pay for their ride and some even pay for crash damage although I don't think that's the case with Rapid. Us racing fans are really indebted to the sponsors, most of them are in it for passion rather than any benefit it brings to their company.
I have seen a riders fee receipt for the seventies, where the likes of Sheene and Roberts were paid £3000 just for turning up, regardless of where they finished in the race. GP yes but still British tracks, I feel the riders should get a payment from the tv income, and a more transparent audit of where the money goes
Don’t we all know it, cost me over 100k at the beginning this season to put two properly prepared RS660’s on the grid ……….. that was free labour and sponsored deals on spares , not including tyres, fuel, entry fees, crash damage, replacement engine etc. Big bucks but in my opinion with BSB/MSVR it’s all take and no give, entry fees, controlled fuel, public pay to spectate, sponsors pay BSB for sponsoring the championship and for track side sponsorship and the riders pay to race and get a £20 plastic trophy at the end, something needs to be done to make it more accessible to everyone, so many riders are moving to Bemsee, no limits etc for value for money 🙈
Thanks for that insight fella's. Really well presented. I learned very early in my own club racing exploits that the most critical areas to spend money on are bouncy bits & boots. 'tis boots that cost the big bucks. But hey, if you have talent, someone else sorts that. I, like most of us, never had that talent. Kudos for your passion dedication to the sport.
Hi Dave.could you pass on a message to Matt as thanks for putting his hand in his pocket and helping out young riders and going racing.you have had a challenging year.cheered you on at Thruxton.shame about the crash.good luck next year whatever you do
What, if any advantage is gained from using the control fuel? Is it about consistency and related to engine reliability? Back in the late 90s and 2000s I was club racing and doing some MRO national stuff. Entry fees were anything from £60 to £120 ish and £500 total for the weekend that included running tyres way past their best and turning them around. I knew a good few guys that had more credit cards than they had points in the championship. I daren't think how much it costs today.
The control fuel is barely any better than pump fuel, but it's easier for the organisers to control and makes testing very easy as it has markers in the fuel, saves expensive test equipment
Jesus that’s allot of dosh,I gave up club racing a few years ago as I couldn’t justify 10k a year on a hobby,fair play to you guys for sticking at it,bsb needs teams like you to keep the sport out there
Wow I knew it was expensive but bloody hell ? Been a pleasure to be involved great team, great times, great racing met some fantastic people luved every minute. Hope everything goes fantastic for 2025 goodluck.
Hi. Really great videos, and a good insight into what it takes to run a team and set up a bike for this level of racing. How about making a comparison of the state of tune, "reliability" and the stresses a BSB bike is put through compared to superstock and possibly a standard road bike. You seem to have several have engine and gearbox rebuilds during a season - is this due to the tuning of engine and other components for peak performance or is BSB just so demanding. I live in norway, have a stock 600 and go training and racing with my local club. It seems my stock ZX-6 R will last "forever". It does not have the racing kit, racing gearbox or increased redline so this may be why it just keeps on going. Just wondering.
We had 2 failures, one cracked piston which coinsided with a fuelling issue caused by a motec firmware update, running a cylinder lean. And a big end failure, with no known cause. The bsb stock engines are completely standard, with stock rev limit. We had a gearbox issue on the stocker, and the clutch baskets wear quickly, but the engine itself never had any problems
Yes Mr Hicks … Not forgetting all the 50/60/70’s riders and mechanics / fans who paved the way for the current Bsb classes popularity ( I love it) If some people keeps saying ‘ safety is our no1’ …you know it is not..
Oh my gosh that’s insane. Back in the 90s I was club racing and the odd national race.I probably spent £15 pounds a racing mile witch back then was hard going . My son wanted to go racing I just said no way mate even track days are out of the question.i do think track days have changed the way racing is.hope you all can keep going next season love the content guys 👍
great video and an eye watering amount to find, not whishing to be rude or offensive, but I would have thought you are one of the smaller teams ,lord only knows what the big teams have to find🤔🤔
I know the brake pads are made differently and are illegal to use on the roads as they are so good, but what is different about the discs? Because we can pay half the price of 'normal' discs that cost around £400 a set and you will still get just as good braking and longevity as they are just metal discs made out of certain grades of steel, only they are made in larger volumes saving us money. Those on this bike don't look like carbon ceramic discs so what are you getting for that price, genuinely interested to know as for road bikes a disc is a disc as long as it has sufficient cooling/pad material removing drilled/grooved holes.
The disc is normal 336mm brembo t drive, but the bell (carrier) is bespoke to the Oz wheel which increases cost a bit, but the T drive is always expensive. We ran a different make on the stocker, equally as good, but better value, unfortunately they don't make an option for our fitment. The cost is partly the material, partly the bespoke nature and the 336 mm option is also more than the smaller discs, but they stop better, so worth it
@@rlw85 1 of the T-piece connectors that connects the actual disc to the carrier part of the whole component of a brake disc. The carrier is probably laser cut and cnc'd to an accurate finish. The carrier bolts to the wheel.
Racing Brake pads are not for highway use because they work in a different temperature range than the highway. Specifically when ambient 5°c they don't do much. Racing below 20°c ambient is doubtful as the tyres don't like it, cold tearing. Essential to test your brakes on out lap!
Hi, if the team was in a smaller capacity, cheaper division would you get the same buzz and enjoyment? Also with your expertise and experience would the team be more likely to win a championship? Good on you and good luck to all of the team
Great video, I`ve always wondered how a BSB riders contract works you hear now of riders taking money to a team for the ride, does this happen in BSB? back in the 70s some great start money and bonus money was on offer, does all BSB riders get a salary?? just interested on how it all works regarding earning a living out of racing.
Our rider didn't get paid, but didn't have to bring money to pay for the ride. Even in bsb I'd say half the riders are paying for the chance to ride, and it can be big money. £80k or more isn't unknown for superstock rides
@@obsession_engineering Wow, shocked how things have changed, I recently watched a podcast with Mick Grant and I`m sure he said if you had a great weekends racing in the 70s the top guys could afford to buy a small house with there winnings.
Very interesting and eye watering! Fair play to Matt for having the passion to do it. I do think you could cut down on the biscuits to help out though Dave. 😂 I've no idea how much Eurosport pay to show BSB but i imagine it's not a great deal. It's treated like a second class sport on there though they continually stick the BSB all over the place every weekend, WSB taking precedence and heaven forbid bloody cycling should ever make way for it.
@@obsession_engineering It's just wrong that there's no prize money. It's bad enough that a lot of riders have to bring money to a team to ride (I get it has to be, but it really shouldn't have to be should it) I don't think there's been a better moment in sport this year than that final BSB race. I'm biased as a fan of the sport, but that should be mainstream viewing.
Racing has never been cheap, and those costs for a very good privateer team like yours is just staggering in this economic climate. I am amazed that ALL the team principals( private and factory) have not got together and sat down to discuss the rising costs and what the championship and circuit owners are doing/ and could do to support ALL teams across the BSB program. If you had no private teams in BSB Superbike rounds how many runners would you have? 10/12? That’s not going to be a very good spectacle to put on the tv,let alone for the spectators. There needs to be some very serious discussions with the circuit owners in bringing in some serious financial help ie Prize money per race, right down to the last finisher. There should be overall championship place money again for every team. I absolutely except we never go racing to make money ( certainly not in my days) but BSB is a fantastic championship purely due to all those people who dedicate themselves in providing and supporting great teams like yourselves and if the organisers don’t see that they could end up with diddly squat. Great video as always. Thanks.
No wonder some established teams are only running one bike. It’s makes you wonder where all of that gate, sponsorship and TV money is going… BSB can only function on goodwill of volunteers. And only the very very best riders actually get paid.
If I had a shop or motorcycle business in the UK, I would sponsor ya. Love this team. That sure is a lot of money and ... well Dave will probably just have to have McDonald's next year :)
@@obsession_engineering Thanks, im a car racing guy myself but i love to watch BSB, WSBK and i find it fascinating to see the costs between BSB and BTCC or British GT for example. Also find it really cool that you can buy a superbike from the manufacturer but you arent limited to running the exact same parts that they mandate.
I wonder how much the control fuel costs to actually produce per litre. No huge mark up there then. We moan about E10 at £1.32 a litre. Cheap as chips.
Most of the price is tax. The farmers are allowed tax free red diesel so why not red race fuel not for highway use. Alright racing doesn't feed the nation but then mental health is a national interest..
Depends if you want to be the big fish in the little pond, or test your swimming with the big fish. We wanted to see how far we could go with Franco, so superbikes was the way forward
So does any team make a profit from racing? Or would you be happy to break even. £300k going out but how much for winning and any other. income? I also suspect more costs ie entry fees, hotels. Fuel for trucks etc...
No one makes a profit from racing. For factory teams winning leads to sales and for sponsors it's part of their advertising budget. Ultimately it filters right down to á privateer level who might get tires etc from their local bike shop for cost price in return for the shop name on the rider's leathers and stickers on their bike.
Best team in BSB no question , its not the winning etc but it is , we are all along for the ride and I hope you go from strength to strength. I gussed about £300K but Ithink there is proba bly a bit more to addto that . Can I ask if you have a private spondor who pours money into the team as ideally you want a profit at theend of the season not a loss. On the subject of prize money , yes I can well believe it , a few other sports have people who are asked to represent their own country but they have to fund all their own expenses and all they get is a free UK tracksuit .............shocking when this particular sport is dripping in Money , OUT FFIN RAGEOUS!
We have some very loyal and fantastic private sponsors, thought there is no profit to be made, some teams may do but on the whole the bigger teams are still only partially funded by sponsorship, most have very wealthy owners who stump up either personal or company funding to keep the wagon rolling.
@mattb3097 Thanks for taking the time to reply and sorry for my atrocious spelling when using my phone. Be good to hear what the team does in the off season, I guess it never stops but hats off to you all . Oh and that tire bill, that is really something else! Maybe they need to limit the amount of tires a bit as they make all the difference. Cheers
Evening Dave & Matt…what a wonderful season, looking forward to 2025….👍👌🇮🇲🤘 ps , the budget will be £300k , if you remove Dave’s biscuit and ice cream expenditure….lol 👍😜
Realistically it’s a 500k budget for the year all in. It’s an eye watering amount no wonder it’s hard to keep the grid full I thought the tires / brakes / chains and sprockets would be free issue from the manufacturer
That's just for race weekends and testing for the core team and prep between races. Claire, Matt and a few others too don't get paid a penny, just for the love of it. They do get fed and watered though.
Depending upon which side of the fence you sit on and this is my view as a professionnal race engineer, there is no money for a career engineer in BSB/Nationals because there is no money in the national level racing in the motorcycle arena. There a not even a handful of fulltime teams in National level racing, most come together for events and testing. I was on £35k a year working for a Sbk team in Wsbk as a full-time race engineer, which is in the lower tier of wages for that role. Fortunately, BSB teams have plenty of volunteers willing to work for the love of the sport, but unfortunately, that means for anybody wishing to make a living as a professional engineer or mechanic will find it extremely hard. This year I am working in Formula 1 and for a lesser technical role I'm on more money...! There is also less money coming into Wsbk, I know 2 complete crews from 2024 teams who are jobless for 2025 currently, some of those are British guys and can not afford to come to BSB due to lack of wages. In BSB, teams I have worked in the past have charged 60>100k to the rider for the seat in the stock class plus crash damage, but every team is different and depends how they are structured as to how they manage the financial needs. MlThe majority of teams will be relying heavily on sponsorship, something which is becoming harder to come by day by day. So on one hand we need the paddock to be financially feasible for riders to compete and to an extent we need to attract competent mechanics and engineers into the sport we also need to make it financially feasible for them, especially at SBK level where technically the bikes are far More advanced in many respects. International motorcycle level racing is starting to suffer financially, national level racing is really struggling. I think the future of racing is still strong, but it's going to be a tough few years for many, especially with manufacturers changing marketing strategies and sales strategies. The Sbk class as we currently know it does have a short shelf life before sportsbikes become obsolete, as at least 50% of them are now no longer current. Though the FiM homologation list is valid for a few more years before they remove bikes from being eligible to race globally.
That seems incredibly cheap for a year of BSB. I wonder how much the teams that finished in the top 3 of the championship spent? 2 to 3 times that amount would be my highly uneducated guess.
It’s a disgusting amount of money but I’m so grateful that people are able to contribute. But also exceptionally jealous that I don’t have that money for myself but also unable to contribute.
There's no prize money, so the teams have to survive on sponsorship revenue. The strength of the series is the quality of the racing and great TV coverage means sponsors can get good returns
The only cash return is the prizemoney that goes to the rider. No one pays any team to be there, the best most teams can hope for is what they get in sponsorship money pays a significant part of what it costs them to compete.
if every team spent half as much the lap times would probably be 0.5 seconds slower but more could afford to race. Thats the stupidity of racing. Its more about all these companies making a profit rather than a competition.
Just watch superstock 1000 then, that’s exactly what you’ve got there. I think you’ll find barely a single BSB team makes any sort of financial ‘profit’ at the end of the season.
How much cheaper would it be if you could buy an ex WSBK bike and run it on free tyres from your tyre sponsor, free fuel from your fuel sponsor, charge more for a ride that would actually lead somewhere, earn more from running WSBK wildcards and generally be able to give global companies more bang for their sponsorship bucks… with BSB there’s 2 people making a lot of cash running bikes to 14 year old rules and a lot of rider with nothing to show for it
A great insight into the costs involved in running in one of the world’s premier racing series. Not a great surprise really. Just hope you are able to continue to raise the funds required.
Bloody hell!!! No wonder some teams can't continue to fund it. Its definitely a serious love of bikes and racing to want and to be able to compete. Well done guys.
I love bsb , superb racing and a great show for all ages.
I've just bought tickets for Cadwell 2025 and camping. Mountain grandstand tickets for Bank Holiday Monday
It will be my 60th birthday, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else
They tell me racing in the past, particularly motorcycle racing was a working class sport. Now it's become a rich man's hobby no doubt.
It was, if you watch documentaries you would know even on grand prix level they didnt have sponsors! Drove to the track in the van and mismash of parts bikes.
No. This is not the sixties or seventies privateer Bohemian lifestyle racing. Now the real cream rises, and those with deep passionate pockets make that happen. There's money sloshing out there & as these guys say, those with the dosh are willing to slap stickers on the side. Stop moaning.
wow that is one heck of a lot of money, and all credit to you guys for pulling it off, I can imagine there would be some sleepless nights finding money to pay those bills - good luck for 25, and I hope you get more help, as you deserve it for putting on a great show and entertaining us on and off the track.
An incredible amount of time & money from Matt & the Team absolutely no doubt.
Without your continued time, energy & video content Dave sharing every race weekend & preparation this doesn't go unappreciated!
Matt, the team, Rob, Pete, Franco & yourself Dave have earned immense respect & appreciation from everyone.
Hopefully next season brings continued sponsorship support, winning success & continued action to all of you!
Hope we see Franco continues in racing with success too!
Thanks 👍
Wow , that’s a massive eye opener! Great that you have a dedicated team and sponsors
Was funny to hear you say Padded Cell did your paint, he's currently got my 1987 RD350F2 bodywork for a full back to factory paint.
Wow 300 k. Fantastic revealing vlog thanks Matt and Dave
The average? What does it Cost to be Competitive, let alone joust for the.championship? BSB is a fantastic show
@@BastardX13add another couple of hundred thousand on. The top teams will have enough spares to build 4 or 5 bikes if they had to
@ls1125 Thanks. Some people wish to play, others seek to win. Cubic Dollars required!
Hi Dave,
I just opened up a spreadsheet I did 21 years ago (using a crib sheet from Ray Stringer) to run a two man team in BSB. That came to approx £650K. That was based on something like Kawasaki or other four cylinder bike. I rounded it up to £1M for running 2x Ducatis !!
One thing I dont think you mentioned was the transport to get there, ie your tractor unit and trailer. Even if they are leased theres a few K there.
I like watching these videos, it reminds me of all the suffering I went through for so many years. Keep it up and all the best for 2025.
Matt bought the truck as an asset, a bargain at £45k.
But the running costs soon add up too.
Back in the 90's and early 2000's I assume a lot more parts were 'factory' and I assume engines were very low mileage between expensive rebuilds... Some we have made some progress over the years
Yes, the overall cost is huge. Thanks’ for the insight.
There was no mention in the totals of the rider costs. Presumably wages, riding gear - leathers, helmets etc. or travel, accommodation
Transportation to races, not forgetting pre season testing.
My guess the without volunteers you’d need close to £500k to fund a season for one bike! Capital outlay and running costs.
Granted, Sponsor contributions and race winnings, if you’re lucky, help, but there is still a huge net funding requirement to be competitive.
The worrying thing for the sport is how long can a Privately funded team continue as the funding gap gets ever wider, as they try to match the factory supported teams.
It’s much harder now than ever before but what can be done?
In my view to be sustainable, the Sports Governing Bodies need to give this issue some serious attention.
I’d be interested to hear the team’s thoughts.
Drop the control fuel.
Get the tyre companies to actually discount, or make tyres that last longer and it'd make a Hugh difference.
Regulations to reduce cost can work, but the teams with money will always find somewhere to spend if they think it gains an edge.
Rider didn't get paid, but didn't have to fund the ride, which most do.
HJC helmets were free, but all the other kit was paid for.
You can spend more, easily...spending less is the challenge
@obsession_engineering Presumably the scrutineers have to check the control fuel already but would require much more sophisticated test equipment to test random BS7070 retail pump fuel, so are not too keen.
Hard to see who would want to help on that as there's no supply exclusivety to justify sponsorship..
Can't believe that it's not possible to do a deal with Pirelli-Metzler Europe for the round black things.. Should be an annual MSVR tender process!
And this is without race trucks, garage boarding, laptops, screens, pit wall set up, carry cases, fuel for the trucks, team clothing, workshops, tools, garage flooring, garage lighting and so on and so on, so if a new team was setting up from scratch then you are looking at over £500,000 comfortably.
And you'd estimate the top teams in the paddock are spending another 250,000+ on top of that too!
Thanks for an honest breakdown of the costs and I can think of a few that you that you didn't mention as well.
I know a lot of components aren't cheap to replace but tbh, I was surprised just how expensive some of them actually are.
Generally speaking though, the costs are absolutely staggering and unlike years ago, there's no way a privateer could even afford to enter the series let alone be competitive.
Promotors and organizers definitely need to make some changes to make the series more accessible to more riders.
Fascinating content, thank you for being open and honest about this secretive subject
I read the article in Bike magazine, a couple of things you didn't mention here are that there's no prize money and most riders don't get paid relying on their personal sponsors to give them some income. A lot of riders even have to give some of that money to the team to pay for their ride and some even pay for crash damage although I don't think that's the case with Rapid.
Us racing fans are really indebted to the sponsors, most of them are in it for passion rather than any benefit it brings to their company.
I have seen a riders fee receipt for the seventies, where the likes of Sheene and Roberts were paid £3000 just for turning up, regardless of where they finished in the race. GP yes but still British tracks, I feel the riders should get a payment from the tv income, and a more transparent audit of where the money goes
Don’t we all know it, cost me over 100k at the beginning this season to put two properly prepared RS660’s on the grid ……….. that was free labour and sponsored deals on spares , not including tyres, fuel, entry fees, crash damage, replacement engine etc.
Big bucks but in my opinion with BSB/MSVR it’s all take and no give, entry fees, controlled fuel, public pay to spectate, sponsors pay BSB for sponsoring the championship and for track side sponsorship and the riders pay to race and get a £20 plastic trophy at the end, something needs to be done to make it more accessible to everyone, so many riders are moving to Bemsee, no limits etc for value for money 🙈
Couldn't agree more. Paying to be the show shouldn't be taken for granted
Thanks for that insight fella's. Really well presented. I learned very early in my own club racing exploits that the most critical areas to spend money on are bouncy bits & boots. 'tis boots that cost the big bucks. But hey, if you have talent, someone else sorts that. I, like most of us, never had that talent. Kudos for your passion dedication to the sport.
Thanks to Matt for sharing the cost, great VLOG as allways !
Hi Dave.could you pass on a message to Matt as thanks for putting his hand in his pocket and helping out young riders and going racing.you have had a challenging year.cheered you on at Thruxton.shame about the crash.good luck next year whatever you do
Thanks Paul, I'll pass on your kind words
Skint myself racing a zxr400 back in the late 90s
Excellent video, very informative and interesting. Keep up the great content ❤ subscribed ❤
Welcome along
Excellent video. However a few more costs to consider unless of course included elsewhere. Series entry and exhaust systems?
No entry fees for the superbike class, and exhaust systems were mostly on a deal from Arrow 🙂
Thanks for doing the vlog Dave & Matt. Have always wondered how much it was for a 1 rider team to run in Superbikes 👍🏻
What, if any advantage is gained from using the control fuel? Is it about consistency and related to engine reliability? Back in the late 90s and 2000s I was club racing and doing some MRO national stuff. Entry fees were anything from £60 to £120 ish and £500 total for the weekend that included running tyres way past their best and turning them around. I knew a good few guys that had more credit cards than they had points in the championship. I daren't think how much it costs today.
The control fuel is barely any better than pump fuel, but it's easier for the organisers to control and makes testing very easy as it has markers in the fuel, saves expensive test equipment
Jesus that’s allot of dosh,I gave up club racing a few years ago as I couldn’t justify 10k a year on a hobby,fair play to you guys for sticking at it,bsb needs teams like you to keep the sport out there
Great video and a real eye opener on the costs involved!
Wow I knew it was expensive but bloody hell ? Been a pleasure to be involved great team, great times, great racing met some fantastic people luved every minute. Hope everything goes fantastic for 2025 goodluck.
Hi. Really great videos, and a good insight into what it takes to run a team and set up a bike for this level of racing. How about making a comparison of the state of tune, "reliability" and the stresses a BSB bike is put through compared to superstock and possibly a standard road bike. You seem to have several have engine and gearbox rebuilds during a season - is this due to the tuning of engine and other components for peak performance or is BSB just so demanding. I live in norway, have a stock 600 and go training and racing with my local club. It seems my stock ZX-6 R will last "forever". It does not have the racing kit, racing gearbox or increased redline so this may be why it just keeps on going. Just wondering.
We had 2 failures, one cracked piston which coinsided with a fuelling issue caused by a motec firmware update, running a cylinder lean. And a big end failure, with no known cause.
The bsb stock engines are completely standard, with stock rev limit.
We had a gearbox issue on the stocker, and the clutch baskets wear quickly, but the engine itself never had any problems
Quenching my BSB thirst off season. Thanks 🙏 👊
Here I am moaning about my £8600 cost for full season of club racing my R6 ! 😂😂
That's still a lot for one person
Why are you moaning about it? You don't have to spend anything just don't do it? People crack me up !
@@snowalka Because he enjoys racing more than the cost
@@snowalkanot big on sarcasm huh?
I thought it would be more than that. I guess it depends on the number of rounds. Entry fees have got very expensive??
Yes Mr Hicks …
Not forgetting all the 50/60/70’s riders and mechanics / fans who paved the way for the current Bsb classes popularity ( I love it)
If some people keeps saying ‘ safety is our no1’ …you know it is not..
Incredible insight and coverage as usual. Thank you so much. Brilliant work👊✊️✊️😆
Oh my gosh that’s insane. Back in the 90s I was club racing and the odd national race.I probably spent £15 pounds a racing mile witch back then was hard going . My son wanted to go racing I just said no way mate even track days are out of the question.i do think track days have changed the way racing is.hope you all can keep going next season love the content guys 👍
Track costs, tyres, fuel, all too expensive to keep track riding affordable for the masses unfortunately
Looking on the shelf at the end and realising you're using good 'ol hiflo cheapy oil filters! Just like me
Niwt wrong with those filters!!
Bit different to the 1970's when you could race your standard production bike for next to nothing. And the racing was fun and close.
great video and an eye watering amount to find, not whishing to be rude or offensive, but I would have thought you are one of the smaller teams ,lord only knows what the big teams have to find🤔🤔
That's why big teams need riders who come with large sponsorships.
No offense taken at all, we are one of the smaller teams, which is why we try gains with good people, not just more kit
I know the brake pads are made differently and are illegal to use on the roads as they are so good, but what is different about the discs? Because we can pay half the price of 'normal' discs that cost around £400 a set and you will still get just as good braking and longevity as they are just metal discs made out of certain grades of steel, only they are made in larger volumes saving us money. Those on this bike don't look like carbon ceramic discs so what are you getting for that price, genuinely interested to know as for road bikes a disc is a disc as long as it has sufficient cooling/pad material removing drilled/grooved holes.
The disc is normal 336mm brembo t drive, but the bell (carrier) is bespoke to the Oz wheel which increases cost a bit, but the T drive is always expensive.
We ran a different make on the stocker, equally as good, but better value, unfortunately they don't make an option for our fitment.
The cost is partly the material, partly the bespoke nature and the 336 mm option is also more than the smaller discs, but they stop better, so worth it
@@obsession_engineering 😎👍
@@obsession_engineeringwhat’s a t drive brake
@@rlw85 1 of the T-piece connectors that connects the actual disc to the carrier part of the whole component of a brake disc. The carrier is probably laser cut and cnc'd to an accurate finish. The carrier bolts to the wheel.
Racing Brake pads are not for highway use because they work in a different temperature range than the highway. Specifically when ambient 5°c they don't do much. Racing below 20°c ambient is doubtful as the tyres don't like it, cold tearing.
Essential to test your brakes on out lap!
Hi, if the team was in a smaller capacity, cheaper division would you get the same buzz and enjoyment? Also with your expertise and experience would the team be more likely to win a championship? Good on you and good luck to all of the team
At British / national level the buzz of winning is awesome, whatever class you're in. Budgets might be more agreeable though
Great video, I`ve always wondered how a BSB riders contract works you hear now of riders taking money to a team for the ride, does this happen in BSB? back in the 70s some great start money and bonus money was on offer, does all BSB riders get a salary?? just interested on how it all works regarding earning a living out of racing.
Our rider didn't get paid, but didn't have to bring money to pay for the ride.
Even in bsb I'd say half the riders are paying for the chance to ride, and it can be big money.
£80k or more isn't unknown for superstock rides
@@obsession_engineering Wow, shocked how things have changed, I recently watched a podcast with Mick Grant and I`m sure he said if you had a great weekends racing in the 70s the top guys could afford to buy a small house with there winnings.
Very interesting and eye watering! Fair play to Matt for having the passion to do it.
I do think you could cut down on the biscuits to help out though Dave. 😂
I've no idea how much Eurosport pay to show BSB but i imagine it's not a great deal. It's treated like a second class sport on there though they continually stick the BSB all over the place every weekend, WSB taking precedence and heaven forbid bloody cycling should ever make way for it.
Years back the series organisers took away the prize money to get the championship on TV.
Strangely enough the prize money didn't come back
@@obsession_engineering It's just wrong that there's no prize money. It's bad enough that a lot of riders have to bring money to a team to ride (I get it has to be, but it really shouldn't have to be should it) I don't think there's been a better moment in sport this year than that final BSB race. I'm biased as a fan of the sport, but that should be mainstream viewing.
THANK YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
That’s a big chunk of money, but worth it. Cracking team and excellent videos, are you sticking with Franco?
Announcement soon for the future of Rapid Honda... Stay tuned
Great informitive video Dave top job.
stylish vests
I work for an F1 team and I would love to be able to help some how next season. Let me have a think.
It'd be very interesting if we could make something happen!!
Another great video
That fuel is an absolute rip off. Someone is making some serious money from that.
Racing has never been cheap, and those costs for a very good privateer team like yours is just staggering in this economic climate. I am amazed that ALL the team principals( private and factory) have not got together and sat down to discuss the rising costs and what the championship and circuit owners are doing/ and could do to support ALL teams across the BSB program.
If you had no private teams in BSB Superbike rounds how many runners would you have? 10/12? That’s not going to be a very good spectacle to put on the tv,let alone for the spectators.
There needs to be some very serious discussions with the circuit owners in bringing in some serious financial help ie Prize money per race, right down to the last finisher. There should be overall championship place money again for every team. I absolutely except we never go racing to make money ( certainly not in my days) but BSB is a fantastic championship purely due to all those people who dedicate themselves in providing and supporting great teams like yourselves and if the organisers don’t see that they could end up with diddly squat. Great video as always. Thanks.
Some good points there, we should definitely get more back, after all, we're putting on the show
Strange how nothing comes in under the price cap...that was a great insight.
Mother of God how do ye do it best of luck for next year and great content ❤
Great insight 👍
No wonder some established teams are only running one bike. It’s makes you wonder where all of that gate, sponsorship and TV money is going… BSB can only function on goodwill of volunteers. And only the very very best riders actually get paid.
If I had a shop or motorcycle business in the UK, I would sponsor ya. Love this team. That sure is a lot of money and ... well Dave will probably just have to have McDonald's next year :)
Can't stand maccies... Tastes like plastic.
I'll just cut back on the biscuits, should save quite a lot 🤣
Does that also include all of the testing and travel?
Testing, yes.
Only the lorry travel is included
@@obsession_engineering Thanks, im a car racing guy myself but i love to watch BSB, WSBK and i find it fascinating to see the costs between BSB and BTCC or British GT for example. Also find it really cool that you can buy a superbike from the manufacturer but you arent limited to running the exact same parts that they mandate.
I wonder how much the control fuel costs to actually produce per litre. No huge mark up there then.
We moan about E10 at £1.32 a litre. Cheap as chips.
Most of the price is tax. The farmers are allowed tax free red diesel so why not red race fuel not for highway use.
Alright racing doesn't feed the nation but then mental health is a national interest..
great vid dave keep up[ the greaty vid thanks lee
When I win the lottery you will be on my list 👍👍
I have just paid £27 for a new fuel pump and £15 for a CDI unit. Ridiculous contrast.
Stock Honda fuel pump £645 Pattern part £87 so shopping around is essential.
Wowzeers and Did I miss Chains and exhausts bill
Wow 😮 plus the cost to get to the track lorry etc 🙈
you were winning in superstock why go to bsb to run near the back ?
Depends if you want to be the big fish in the little pond, or test your swimming with the big fish.
We wanted to see how far we could go with Franco, so superbikes was the way forward
@@obsession_engineering ok good luck next year
So does any team make a profit from racing? Or would you be happy to break even. £300k going out but how much for winning and any other. income? I also suspect more costs ie entry fees, hotels. Fuel for trucks etc...
No one makes a profit from racing.
For factory teams winning leads to sales and for sponsors it's part of their advertising budget.
Ultimately it filters right down to á privateer level who might get tires etc from their local bike shop for cost price in return for the shop name on the rider's leathers and stickers on their bike.
@@peterfalconer-h3kThe circuit owners MSV seem to make a healthy profit every year.
@@bryann1119your absolutely right there. And after that amazing final weekend, I’m sure they will make even more, ( bigger gates etc).
It seems like the circuit owners are making all the money as, unlike in the past, they don't pay start or prize money?
If Bernie was still in charge the Promoter would have to pay the broadcast media with their gate receipts. No wonder Dr Palmer loves BSB!
Insane amount of money.
Really needs to be less than half of that cost for a healthier championship
It can only be assumed the rider didn’t pay to ride which is as it should be. Hats off to the team if this is the case.
Wow it adds up 😬😎👍
Here I am complaining at the cost of a trackday - last one was 2 years ago!!!
I'm in exactly the same position 😂
Best team in BSB no question , its not the winning etc but it is , we are all along for the ride and I hope you go from strength to strength. I gussed about £300K but Ithink there is proba bly a bit more to addto that . Can I ask if you have a private spondor who pours money into the team as ideally you want a profit at theend of the season not a loss.
On the subject of prize money , yes I can well believe it , a few other sports have people who are asked to represent their own country but they have to fund all their own expenses and all they get is a free UK tracksuit .............shocking when this particular sport is dripping in Money , OUT FFIN RAGEOUS!
We have some very loyal and fantastic private sponsors, thought there is no profit to be made, some teams may do but on the whole the bigger teams are still only partially funded by sponsorship, most have very wealthy owners who stump up either personal or company funding to keep the wagon rolling.
@mattb3097 Thanks for taking the time to reply and sorry for my atrocious spelling when using my phone.
Be good to hear what the team does in the off season, I guess it never stops but hats off to you all . Oh and that tire bill, that is really something else! Maybe they need to limit the amount of tires a bit as they make all the difference. Cheers
Evening Dave & Matt…what a wonderful season, looking forward to 2025….👍👌🇮🇲🤘 ps , the budget will be £300k , if you remove Dave’s biscuit and ice cream expenditure….lol 👍😜
But I like biscuits and ice cream!!!
Realistically it’s a 500k budget for the year all in.
It’s an eye watering amount no wonder it’s hard to keep the grid full
I thought the tires / brakes / chains and sprockets would be free issue from the manufacturer
Mickey Dunlop could tell you a thing about tyre bills. Big bucks
Tires free? Hahahaha, right!
What brand is the screen please
Puig
So only £32000 in wages across the whole team? Thats for mechanics, etc? just shows, most of us couldn't afford to work in the bike industry.
That's just for race weekends and testing for the core team and prep between races. Claire, Matt and a few others too don't get paid a penny, just for the love of it. They do get fed and watered though.
Depending upon which side of the fence you sit on and this is my view as a professionnal race engineer, there is no money for a career engineer in BSB/Nationals because there is no money in the national level racing in the motorcycle arena. There a not even a handful of fulltime teams in National level racing, most come together for events and testing.
I was on £35k a year working for a Sbk team in Wsbk as a full-time race engineer, which is in the lower tier of wages for that role.
Fortunately, BSB teams have plenty of volunteers willing to work for the love of the sport, but unfortunately, that means for anybody wishing to make a living as a professional engineer or mechanic will find it extremely hard.
This year I am working in Formula 1 and for a lesser technical role I'm on more money...!
There is also less money coming into Wsbk, I know 2 complete crews from 2024 teams who are jobless for 2025 currently, some of those are British guys and can not afford to come to BSB due to lack of wages.
In BSB, teams I have worked in the past have charged 60>100k to the rider for the seat in the stock class plus crash damage, but every team is different and depends how they are structured as to how they manage the financial needs. MlThe majority of teams will be relying heavily on sponsorship, something which is becoming harder to come by day by day.
So on one hand we need the paddock to be financially feasible for riders to compete and to an extent we need to attract competent mechanics and engineers into the sport we also need to make it financially feasible for them, especially at SBK level where technically the bikes are far More advanced in many respects.
International motorcycle level racing is starting to suffer financially, national level racing is really struggling. I think the future of racing is still strong, but it's going to be a tough few years for many, especially with manufacturers changing marketing strategies and sales strategies. The Sbk class as we currently know it does have a short shelf life before sportsbikes become obsolete, as at least 50% of them are now no longer current. Though the FiM homologation list is valid for a few more years before they remove bikes from being eligible to race globally.
I wonder how many people realise the astronomical costs involved. That said, if I was a rider, I'd happily run with you guys. Top team, top people.
Just imagine what it costs for a top performing team
That seems incredibly cheap for a year of BSB. I wonder how much the teams that finished in the top 3 of the championship spent? 2 to 3 times that amount would be my highly uneducated guess.
And more... I think the honda budget probably put an extra zero on
It’s a disgusting amount of money but I’m so grateful that people are able to contribute. But also exceptionally jealous that I don’t have that money for myself but also unable to contribute.
Dear lord! . An incredible amount of money, I for one didn’t appreciate just how much it was. 😮 . Please keep up the great work though guy’s.
wish we could watch BSB in the states. the bike looks great, but the racing looks so much better. GL for 2025!
As they say, how do you make a small fortune from racing...... Start with a large fortune...
WOW !!!!!! So what can you earn compeating in BSB there has to be a cash return of some kind ???
There's no prize money, so the teams have to survive on sponsorship revenue. The strength of the series is the quality of the racing and great TV coverage means sponsors can get good returns
The only cash return is the prizemoney that goes to the rider.
No one pays any team to be there, the best most teams can hope for is what they get in sponsorship money pays a significant part of what it costs them to compete.
@@obsession_engineering thank you for enlightening me on that and i wish you all the best for nxt year.
Does bsb give any prize money out to anyone?
you gotta love it
I'm not sure where I heard it, but "the fastest way to become a millionaire, is to become a billionaire and own a racing team" comes to mind here.
Would love to get involved. Email to Matt sent!
Is the rider's pay included in these figures?
Franco didn't get paid, but also didn't have to contribute unlike the majority of riders in privateer teams
800 pounds for a fuel pump and 2 have failed? Surely the stock pumps would work, be cheaper and not fail.
That was stock pumps 😳
@@obsession_engineering WOW! thats very suprising!
if every team spent half as much the lap times would probably be 0.5 seconds slower but more could afford to race. Thats the stupidity of racing. Its more about all these companies making a profit rather than a competition.
Just watch superstock 1000 then, that’s exactly what you’ve got there. I think you’ll find barely a single BSB team makes any sort of financial ‘profit’ at the end of the season.
it’s a lot ,, my tyre bill 1000 a round so my dad says 😂
How is this even viable .. how much does sponsor cover ?
Not enough if we're honest. So more work is needed in the back ground
How much cheaper would it be if you could buy an ex WSBK bike and run it on free tyres from your tyre sponsor, free fuel from your fuel sponsor, charge more for a ride that would actually lead somewhere, earn more from running WSBK wildcards and generally be able to give global companies more bang for their sponsorship bucks… with BSB there’s 2 people making a lot of cash running bikes to 14 year old rules and a lot of rider with nothing to show for it
Wow that’s a lot of money
Ducati probably double that🤦
GBP316000 wow
A great insight into the costs involved in running in one of the world’s premier racing series. Not a great surprise really. Just hope you are able to continue to raise the funds required.
What about a go fund me page
Holy shit
How much of that actually comes out of matts pocket is the real question? Is sponsorship covering most of the 330k?
Thanks dave!
Club racing won't be viable to most very shortly.
Someone is making a lot of money out of BSB and it's not the riders or the teams. So who is it?
You don’t eat that much Dave!!! I’ve only ever seen you eating bananas and protein bars!
But matt buys excellent shortbread biscuits, so it'd only be rude not to eat them
@ you know where to pass them when you’ve had enough!
I'll bet some teams are spending a lot more.