Re Karting, it isn't really easy to compare cost as against racing cars. I was chatting with CT on Saturday about it.
I race karts but I want to win so I spend the coin. Up front investment is the killer, just like racing cars. The difference here is the cost to buy a truly competitive package. It is MUCH lower than buying a car. Fish's car, for example, is apparently a quick car that is ready to win in the hands of the right driver. It is a 2F car so that would make it (theoretically) one of the cheaper door-to-door categories to race (and IMO it isn't fair to compare karting to something like super sprints where there is no real door-to-door involved). He is after $19k and that is a steal.
Compare this to a TAG sprint kart. A race-tested and championship proven package, ready to go second hand, will fetch $6k-$7k tops. In reality, you are paying $1-2k here for the vicarious glory attaching itself to the kart from the previous driver as the exact same package, bought from a mug who never won anything would fetch $4-5k tops. With this, if you are good enough, you could win up to state championship level or perhaps even nationals (the current national champion Cian Fothergill won the Australian Leopard title with an untouched, out-of-the-box engine the same as is on my kart).
A BRAND NEW package can be had for as little as $7.5k for a quality Australian chassis, or up to $9k if you want the shiniest new Italian chassis available. This generally also buys you the extended after-sales setup assistance you need to get up to pace. This is pretty much the most expensive class you can race too, at least until you get into international standard CIK or shifter karts. Buy a Clubman or National class kart and the costs can be as little as half of this (but they really aren't as fun either).
Just like racing cars, you then have to factor in the extras - a trailer, tools, spares, a club membership and license, etc etc. I'd wager though that these costs would be cheaper with karts. Consider a set of tyres - $1000 for decent tyres for your 5, or $230 for the control slicks in TAG karting ($260 for control wets). Crash repairs are heaps cheaper too. Add to this that in NSW alone, I have something like 10 different tracks I can race on, and six of these are within 3 hours of Sydney. You could race every weekend if you wanted to.
It isn't low rent racing either. Come to a meeting and see for yourself (if anyone is really interested, I am racing at Lithgow track on 25-26 February). I run full GPS track mapping and data analysis, and we run 4-5 races in a typical day of racing (around 1 to 1.5 hour of wheel-to-wheel track time on an average race day, plus setup time and practice). Chassis setup is an artform as there are literally dozens of things you can play with. Competition is tough and there are some bloody good drivers doing the rounds.
Finally, what is sometimes important for those of us with little support network in racing, I can go to a meeting and do everything myself. I can load and unload my kart and trailer, do all maintenance, get to the grid, on the track, back in and back to the pits with no pit crew at all. Electric start karts are the best thing to happen to karting for decades.
That said, if I had the money, I'd race cars in a split second. But I could never be competitive on my budget and I am not so interested in just going out and cutting laps in mid-pack or at the rear of the field...
EDIT: If anyone out there is interested in learning more, shoot me a PM with your number - id be happy to talk you through it, warts and all
