That's a great article, thanks!
Sad to hear that riders are paid so little, or have to bring their own money.
This was funny:
If we win this year, you’ll need to wake me up somewhere at the bottom of Paddock Hill, I’ll have a hangover that’d drop a donkey. Racing is pricey no doubt. Rumor has it that Ducati Seattle (through their Special Projects Group - SPG) spent around $50,000 last season to field a 2 bike team in WMRRA (Washington) and OMRRA (Oregon)...winning the #1 & #5 plate in WMRRA. Not sure exactly how they did in OMRRA, but I think it was similarly successful.
That's of course peanuts in comparison...but this is only club racing in 2 cities a couple hundred miles apart! No rider salaries, they didn't initially buy the bikes for the most part, etc. I think the costs are mainly entry fees, tires, mechanic salary and likely hotels, bike parts, some rider gear. Things like that.
Club racing doesn't have to be expensive, but it can be. I don't add up my receipts...that's the 1st rule of racing!
