Maybe you should look into autocrossing rather than full on rally.

From my understanding full on rally is damn expensive but at least its broken down by class.

Other auto crossers opinions would be nice too fellas. :P

 

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...ar.mv&num=1601

According to one person who replied to the above site, costs to build the Impreza WRC car in 2003 was ~$500,000 U.S. but this does not take into account the cost of research and development. The five factory-sponsored teams spend enormous amounts of time and money on aerodynamics and engine management that allow the engine characteristics to put the power down most effectively through active differentials and semi-automatic gearboxes that are similar in function to F1 cars.

Engine development alone is a daunting task because this class is limited to 2.0 liters of displacement and a single turbocharger while breathing through the FIA-mandated 34mm restrictor. This means that while the engine output is less than 350 hp, engine torque is maximized with at least 450 lbs ft (or ft lbs) to provide a broad power band for ferocious acceleration.

Sport Compact Car Magazine article on current season World Rally Cars and synopsis on changes made to improve the breed.

I'm sorry I don't have a dollar amount that it costs these factory-backed teams to run their operations but I think it might be on par with a a current Champcar team. Definitely more than IRL but less than F1. The WRC are similar to F1 in terms of technology but the emphasis is on cars that must resemble their roadgoing counterparts.

It's very difficult for privateer teams to finish in the points against the ten factory-sponsored cars.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

My understanding is that the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) does sell their old cars from time to time but that doesn't include technical support and they probably do remove the proprietary engine management stuff. I wish I could remember where I saw this but I think it was in a older issue of Sport Compact Car Magazine. The cost is still well into six figures, though. These cars from previous seasons are what the privateer teams usually use to compete in the top classes because there's no way they could afford the budgets of the factory-backed teams.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Companies like Prodrive (which runs Subaru's World Rally Team) and M-Sport (which runs Ford's World Rally team) tend to keep a lid on the newest and hottest parts for at least a year. All the aero packages don't usually get on the market until a used car is available to the public.

The WRC is very expensive to get in to. Besides the cars (which are fairly expensive) you have to cart your car all over the world. Bring your own pit crew. Bring your own tires. Manufacturers are pretty tight lipped on how much they spend, so its really hard to get a bearing on how much they spend, but I'd guess its between 7 and 8 figures for a full season. Privateers pay less, but they also aren't as competitive unless backed by a well funded race shop.

More economical would be the US championship. There are plenty of people here that could possibly give you an answer. Its much cheaper since you won't have to freight your car and crew overseas.

 

I remember seeing cost comparisons a few years ago between the major racing series, and if I recall correctly WRC was right up there in second place or so behind F-1 but on par with Champ Cars and the other most expensive formats.

I'm pretty sure that only F1 beats WRC in terms of cost to field a competative team through the seaon.

 

In terms of US rallying, I've spent ~10k on car prep (on top of the cost of the car), and events end up costing about 1k per event (between entry fees, fuel, tires, crew costs, etc). You will have to get a couple of folks to crew for you, as there is simply not time during service breaks to both take care of the car (refuel, clean windows, fix damage) *and* yourself (bathroom, food, water). If you want to get started in rallying, get a truck and trailer first, then go over to www.rallyclassified.com and buy a group2 golf. They are tough and as cheap as they come, both to buy and to run. Don't build your first car, since you're going to have a steep learning curve as to what makes up a good rally car, in addition to having enough to learn with the time controls, driving skills, and learning the logistics of running rallies.

that's my advice, anyway.