Master budget for a road career

Lot of people here and there is asking me and others what to buy to race some specific car or some specific series. As we are here in Europe, they’re mainly focused on road tracks and road cars. I’ve been thinking a master budget plan to take advantage of all perks and discounts iRacing staff offers to the current and new members.

Starting from the scratch:

• Using some available coupons or promotions to sign up for 1 or 3 months and see if the simulator fits you.
  • As an example, this code should be working, 3 months for 5 dollars: PR-IMSA2015
• Using the current offer: 50% off all new memberships

Renew an expired account:

• Black Friday and July used to be the dates where a half price renewal was offered.
• Wait until iRacing staff send you a 3 months code to renew your expired account.

A nice strategy to start would be trying the service first using the code and having enough luck to extend our membership getting one of the renewal half priced periods. $5 + $49 = $54 for 15 months. Membership solved.

Tracks and content:

Keep in mind you will have to overcome Rookie Class and its unpredictable bunch of drivers. Also in D class could suffer something like this but to a lesser extent. It should be a valuable lesson to learn what to do and what not.

• Couples times a year, a 100×75 offer is shown along with a minor 25×20. You can buy $125 dollars only paying $95. If you buy them both periods, you should have $250 to spend.
• More than cars, you’re going to need tracks. Every 3 items you get a 10% off, every 6 items 20% off. More than 40 items bought gives you a permanent 25% in every item.
  • You can split your purchases in groups of six items or… 13+13+14=40. This would be my preferred method.

This is a list of tracks I’d buy:

1. Imola (next season release)
2. Le Mans (next season release)
3. Monza
4. Interlagos
5. Barber
6. Brands Hatch
7. Canadian Tire
8. Montreal
9. Zandvoort
10. Zolder
11. Spa
12. Donington
13. Mid Ohio
14. Bathurst
15. Oulton Park
16. Philip Island
17. Road America
18. Road Atlanta
19. Sebring
20. Sonoma
21. Austin
22. Suzuka
23. Motegi
24. Watkins Glen
25. Nurburgring
26. Daytona
27. Indianapolis
28. Oran Park
29. Silverstone
30. Nordschleife
31. Virginia

Those tracks would allow you to race any series in road.
Let’s take a look at the cars. First four cars for an open wheel career. Next two for a GT career. Last two cars, whatever you like.

1. Skip Barber
2. Formula Renault 2.0
3. Lotus 79
4. MP4-30
5. DBR9
6. MP4-12C
7. Audi R8 LMS
8. HPD
9. Ruf

Packages would be distributed in the following way:

1. 9 tracks + 4 cars: $182,35 -20% = $145,88
2. 8 tracks + 5 cars: $179,35 -20% = $143,48
3. 14 tracks: $209,3 -25% = $156,975 (we reach 40 items getting extra 5% off)

We already paid $54 for the 12+3 month membership and $190 for 250 iRacing dollars. Three packages total is $446,335 – 250 iR dollars = $196,335 left to pay. This could be delayed to the final months to take advantage of new 100×75.

First year: $54 membership + $190 to pay almost two first packages.
Second year: $190 to pay everything left and $49 membership. $5 left in account.

Total: $434 for almost all road content + 27 months membership.

More things to save. Racing at least 8 weeks of an official series will give you credits. Up to $10 per season. $40 a year.
Member anniversary: 12 months of continual membership gives you $5.

At the end of the second year racing total would be only $350. Not bad for a premium class service. You can sign up using my reference here.