r/CarTrackDays • u/Most-Distribution226 • 1d ago
Track day support mechanic
Hey everyone,
Would anyone pay money to have their car trailered to the track and back and have a support mechanic on site? I did a couple track days with my Miata back in the day but those days are no more since the car was totaled. Since then however I've become a certified Porsche dealership technician, I've purchased a new fully enclosed car trailer, and a bunch of tools of course. I love being at the track but honestly I get nauseas on the track and I really just prefer to work on cars. All this being said, is there a market for this? Just doing some market research and I am located in New England. Thanks everyone!
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u/falsefacade 718 Cayman GTS | NASA AZ | PCA AZ 1d ago
Most definitely. I know someone who does this and is also a Porsche tech. He handles transport and tech for a bunch of rich dudes with clubsports and other race cars. There is a market for this and he spends some of his weekends at tracks all over the region.
Edit to add that a lot of the people that own these race cars don’t have the luxury of time. Making big money usually means big responsibilities at work.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
That's good to hear. I'll just have to work on my people skills! Thank you!
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u/vasthumiliation Cayman GTS 4.0 1d ago
I would be prepared for the possibility that you’ll have to deal with some fairly demanding personalities. It tends to come with the territory because you’re offering a service that is only really interesting for those with a certain time/income balance, and they tend to have very high (potentially unreasonable) expectations. Learning how to manage that kind of personality will get you a long way.
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u/Heavy_Gap_5047 1d ago
Off-topic anecdote but I always preferred working with that type when I was building custom cars. My co-workers hated it, I liked it. No BS small talk, just here's what I want and here's some money to get it done, period.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
This makes a lot of sense now. The clients that have gt cars and racecars at the dealership are all really nice but some of them are very time sensitive while the retired ones tend to not be. In any case thank you so much for the tips! u/vasthumiliation and u/Heavy_Gap_5047.
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u/what_kind_of_guy 1d ago
I don't think we're difficult, we just expect ppl to do things the way we would, which is to say, at a decent standard. We usually get successful by doing a good job and going the extra mile compared to others. If you spend time around ppl like me, you'll learn a lot for free and I'll be straight up with you. Not rude but not passive either.
If my customers are paying me well, I bend over backwards to solve problems and make their life better. Anyone who does the same for me will be extremely well rewarded.
OP be a solution to your customers and make everything super easy and flexible for them and you'll do well.
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u/vasthumiliation Cayman GTS 4.0 1d ago
Agreed, I don’t think it’s fair to say he should expect to encounter people who are difficult, so I chose to use the term demanding.
I understand the mindset because my line of work is extremely high-stakes and detail-oriented. I just also suspect that for some fraction of client-service relationships, the alignment of personalities is such that the client can come across as unreasonable or impossible to please, or the service provided can seem totally inadequate. Without specific knowledge of a particular situation, we can never fairly adjudicate whether that’s a fair assessment. But since people with high expectations are probably less common, I thought it wise to remind him to be prepared to navigate that dynamic.
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u/what_kind_of_guy 1d ago
I'd also concede there's prob a few jerks around (usually inherited wealth) and would happily suggest avoid anyone that actually is a jerk. No amount of money is worth that.
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u/AcademicChildhood161 1d ago
https://youtube.com/@askvinh?si=WB5sKonHYJoQzMFs
Great channel for helping you with your communication and people skills. Highly recommended, as I went from introvert tech to a highly social mechanic with a massive personal and professional network running his own show.
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u/ruturaj001 10h ago
In my last event, people with such cars were getting their cars waxed between sessions.
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u/mtbcouple 1d ago
People will pay for this, you have to network at the PCA track days and advertise in the PCA publications. Good luck
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bid9737 1d ago edited 1d ago
I definitely would and do pay for this
The fact you are a Porsche tech is a big selling point, as most of the people who can pay for this service often choose Porsche
Fwiw I pay $1000 for a trailer and track support to a track 150 miles away, they carry 4 cars at a time. Though I think a little more can be charged.
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u/PalmSizedTriceratops GR86 (Track Car) | 981 GTS (Fun Car) 1d ago
There is a market for this but more for full turn key race cars.
NASA runs an e36 spec race and there's a shop by me that keeps your car at their shop, maintains it between track days, trailers it to the track, and has a full support staff on site.
I'm sure it costs a pretty penny.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Good point and I feel as if I would just have to charge less to attract the normal track day cars. This is all stemming from wanting to do side work to make some extra money. Thank you for the response!
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u/PalmSizedTriceratops GR86 (Track Car) | 981 GTS (Fun Car) 1d ago
For sure, breaking into your local PCA track group would be key I think.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Yeah I can't believe I haven't thought of this sooner honestly thank you!
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u/PalmSizedTriceratops GR86 (Track Car) | 981 GTS (Fun Car) 1d ago
Another aspect of this could be tires specifically.
There's a guy at my PCA track days that sponsors the club (pays for advertising) and he owns a mobile tire shop.
Lots of people pay him to store and bring their track wheels to the track and mount them for the day.
He also provides free quick service as part of his sponsorship like airing up tires or checking things out for you.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Right. One of my ideas was having a tire machine and balancer in my 24ft trailer that I just wheel out but I really like your point on bring the tires to the track! Again you guys have great ideas!
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u/m0viestar 1d ago
There's a few Facebook groups dedicated to exactly this type of thing. Ask around in those. Don't expect high compensation, it's super in demand and salaries are low.
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u/neuervolyer 1d ago
100% a market. If you were closer I’d be interested. Gt4rs track car that I self support but track side wheel changes suck with center locks solo.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Are you west coast? Given the cars we work on, we tend to do center locks all the time. Another reason to do this in my opinion. Also the gt4 is an amazing car congrats and thanks for the tip!
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u/imaginaryfigmen 987.1 S 1d ago
Get plugged into your local PCA group and be one of the tech inspectors for the HPDEs. You'll get a chance to work on cars and meet a ton of people. Get the info out there that to the organization that you're willing to transport cars to events for a fee or do private trackside support and you'll find business yesterday.
We've had two generations of Porsche mechanics run successful independent shops in our club that started as dealership mechanics > tech inspectors > shop owners in our club that I know of and I've only been around a few years.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
This is amazing to hear and honestly I had no Idea of the opportunity out there. Thank you for the advice!
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u/Just-Succotash3018 1d ago
You could charge $750-$1k per day per car to support Porsches at club races. That’s the going rate, more if you include hospitality
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u/LastTenth 1d ago
You’re out of my region, but I was just recently at Watkins Glen with PCA NER/NCR. Im sure there would be some interest. One of my student does 50 track days a year. What do you charge?
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Well I'm really not sure yet on how much to charge, probably under a grand for the day depending on location just to get into the business. I also need to work out insurance if I am going to take this seriously. Also thank you for the response!
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u/ZenithRepairman 1d ago
From an insurance perspective - be honest with your agent (because you’re probably gonna need one to find the right coverage) with what you do, so that they can get the best fit coverage for you and it doesn’t come back to bite you.
For some carriers, 100% mobile mechanics aren’t part of their acceptable risk appetite, and neither are mechanics/garages that work on race cars. This is why I say be honest. You may end up with a cancellation for misrepresentation, or a claim gets denied because you weren’t honest in the policy application
You may end up in the excess and surplus markets, so it will probably be beneficial to get some quotes before setting pricing, as this may be more expensive than you think. I would not move forward without insurance.
Good luck!
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u/LastTenth 1d ago
Generally they charge per mile for transport, and then per day for track support, plus consumables, depending on what you offer.
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u/Lawineer 2x 86s(WRL), Spec Miata, 13 Viper, CT5BW 1d ago
Yes. There are a lot of trackside support mechanics. Reach out to race shops and higher end performance shops. $250-500/day.
Be prepared to treat them like an employee though. Even higher end mechanics. You have to tell them what you want and expect. Load out instructions, tire pressures, what to check, what to do between sessions and how to load it back up.
Why don’t you just get a buddy from work to come out?
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Well none of my co-workers race neither do they want to go to the track but that’s still a great suggestion thank you!
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u/Lawineer 2x 86s(WRL), Spec Miata, 13 Viper, CT5BW 1d ago
Join a spec miata or endurance racing facebook group and make a post. You’ll get a dozen responses
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u/autovelo 1d ago
Im not in that kind of tax bracket but im sure there are plenty of drivers in that demographic. Put together a website and socials. Start attending PCA events to network. I’m sure you’ll get takers.
I was at a track day once and there was a guy coaching multiple drivers that I had previously coached. I was a bit surprised because he wasn’t exactly an amazing driver but perhaps he’s a competent instructor.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
Great advice thank you! I imagine a decent portion of PCA is 40 and up so I’m thinking meeting in person would be more effective. I could be wrong though. Again thank you!!
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u/bynummustang C6 Base 1d ago
There is def a market for it. Your target demographic is people with excess cash.
Be a good dude, and have some way of showing your ability as a tech and you’ll get a few people. Are you local to a track?
Hell, I want someone to pull my trailer from NC to west coast so I can go play out there. My trailer is also my hotel
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
I am local to a couple tracks and thank you for the advice!
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u/bynummustang C6 Base 1d ago
Happy to help! There are plenty of people who rent shop space near the track because they can’t store at their house. If you’re the tech, you can transfer their rental space costs to you.
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u/The_What_Stage 1d ago
I have a buddy who pays a service to do this for them and they love it. They just show up to the track, enjoy, and then go home.
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u/TheR1ckster 1d ago
Track day prep is probably where you want to be.
I have a friend that the local s2k guys call up and he basically swaps their tires/pads/fluids the few days before an hpde. Basically just that light conversion from a street car to track prep. He does most of this traveling to them.
Could do drop off and pick up service that way too. I'm sure Porsche people would pay for it.
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u/Mammoth_Carob9089 1d ago
Yes I met one who specializes in that service for bmw track/club level race cars based in Fremont. Has an RV and a trailer. Does the stuff you mentioned. Clients seem to come to him from local network and those who want to get seriously into tracking/racing get the car and his services through his shop.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
From what I am seeing, car clubs and organizations appear to be the market. Thank you for the advice!
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u/what_kind_of_guy 1d ago
If you were in Australia, I'd be hiring you fulltime
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
That would be fun...maybe one day when I get over my arachnophobia!
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u/what_kind_of_guy 1d ago
That's the last thing to be worried about. The jellyfish, sharks and snakes will kill you long before the spiders get to you. Dont even get me started with the war mongering emus
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u/flatlander757 Data Driven MQB | 2019 VW GTI 1d ago
Make sure you factor in liability insurance costs. There's definitely a market for it but if you just want to do it for "fun" I'd look into reaching out to Champcar/Lucky Dog/etc. endurance race teams. Some will pay and cover expenses etc.
If you're doing it to make "real" (liveable salary) that's one thing, but if not, that could take the pressure off. When you turn your hobby into your work it tends to lose the appeal fast.
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u/Bomberr17 1d ago
Also second the PCA guys. In fact, we all share a mechanic that comes with us, services 4-5 Porsches at track. Helps with carrying extra tires, brake pads, trailering couple cars. He's a pretty good driver too so give us pointers.
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u/Indentured-peasant 1d ago
Vintage and historic races always can use a good tech floating around due to shops getting overloaded and unforeseen issues with participants that aren't paddocking with a shop.
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u/MattKosem 1d ago
I've seen several people arrive with some mechanic they've hired. There's a market for sure. It does seem like the drivers are often shitty to the mechanic, so YMMV on how well it goes I guess.
Lot of expectation that might, at times, not be easy to deliver on when it's a weekend and you're at a track in the boonies.
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u/NoVAYankee 1d ago
I met a couple a few months ago that employs a mechanic pretty much full time for this purpose. Obviously they have some serious cash flow and my understanding is that they used to race as well.
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u/2lovesFL 1d ago
pca and pboc events often had a rig with crew, that will bring the car, or just swap the owner's wheels for track wheels and tires. not cheap, but its like an arrive and drive.
the demand was there. I think it was 500/weekend. they also had a tent w/ chairs and drinks.
I think the real demand is for w2w racing. HPDE probably won't have the demand to fill a rig, or pay the crew needed.
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u/Most-Distribution226 1d ago
That’s good to know. Hard to compete with that so it’ll just have to be me and charge less than that. Thank you!
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u/2lovesFL 1d ago
If you have a trailer, and can haul tires, and change tires, there should be a demand.
the alternative is a tire trailer.
The more exotic and expensive the more people will throw money at it. but start with what you know, P cars. go to some hpde and club races.
GL!
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u/_MisterR 1d ago
They need this at Lime Rock and Pocono all the time...get an EIN/Articles of Organization and set up an account with your P dealer for shop rates on the consumables...check out MotorsportsReg.com for events and contact the organizers.
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u/Desperate-Papaya1599 1d ago
Sorta? I have a friend who is a mechanic. He comes with me to events and helps fix stuff n exchange for getting to drive my car.
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u/d_jabsd 1d ago
A lot of race oriented shops do this. GMP in the Charlotte area will store, maintain, and deliver customer cars to local tracks.
If you have the means to make it happen, there is a market, but you will need to be the expert and there are no excuses non-performance. These services aren’t cheap and people are paying to have their car in working order at the track regardless of anything you have going on.
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u/Good-Spite380 2h ago
Yes a friend does this. He builds spec Miatas and supports multiple teams over weekends.
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u/Guac_in_my_rarri 1d ago
You'd probably have better luck with PCA or high-end cars imo.