I'd put in my two cents, but that'd be half my budget - and makes me tell ya' I'm proud to know and work along side Spank... I think you're putting too much $$ resource in "New"
~check the www links for some of your items - you need to shop better :-)
for the Red Mini I sourced my:
Kirkey for $100 (local racing rag, a guy was upgrading his budget Kirkey for a new style)
Seat brackets for $15 (Pick'NPull)
steering hub for $30 http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=1221
Kill switch $30 http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produc … RecID=4913
trans-x for $150 (online, killer deal, I'd say $300 is more realistic)
Fire system $180-$400 - or go with a std bottle and steel strap for $45 http://www.livermoreperformance.com/saf … stems.html
wheels for $25ea (PnP, Craiglist, Yardsale)
Brakes $90 for fronts (Porterfield, direct, cash when I was in Costa Mesa - they do give cash racer discounts) http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/
~your rotors and stuff should come from PnP or the back of a jag shop... just use used and get 'em turned. They'll warp anyhow. Repair the calipers and like the rotors bring a spare set. Caliper repair is easy (unless the core is no good)
wink for $10 (and then didn't use it) (from a racer who hated it, now I know why)
tire mounting for (almost) free (I go early in the morning, with donuts or... and help, and have them do all my street cars. Sometimes I have to come back around closing)
Tires @$130ea (Direzza's) (Tire Rack, Discount tires, etc)
food @ $25/head (My girlfriend has organized a chow-line and does the Costco and loss-leader shopping at supermarkets. At $25/ea she makes enough to cover her expenses and get paid enough to buy Jay's expensive Tee's a book or two to read at the track, etc. She's now got 22head to cook for!)
Things you are missing:
Pit fire extinguisher 4a20bc or bigger is a good thing to have.
Budget for a less-than-lame theme
Things that are expensive:
Roll Cage (can't do w/o) (Evil Genius, but man I wish I had a tube bender and more time and skills - Spank gets this done quite well an I envy that a bunch)
Motorhome - I've got a v-dub van, my previous drivers slept in their LWB cars (Audi wagon, Lexus or in a tent on the trailer. One driver had one, but it was an antique and a liability on the way in - blew a tire, etc... I'm continuing in the VW and what my other drivers bring to the plate is their concern - but I always bring the tent and air-mattress just in case. (If I weren't in CA I'd recommend a covered trailer and cots, Motorhome is way to chichi and expensive for this)
~this is a great thing to qualify a driver for the team - access to a covered trailer or a m-home.
Race gas - completely unnecessary. Build for pump premium and bring whatever the track allows you to bring. If you are building for 100+ octane you probably won't finish anyhow.
~bringing your own means getting a couple of 20gallon cans and a pump, so there's an expense...
Driver safety - Hans if you got 'em, I can't afford - Each driver is responsible for their own - my drivers all came with suits, I had to lone a neck collar around and we had a spare suit for a medium build person to don for fire-bottle duty.
~I HIGHLY recommend the latter - it was a huge time-saver at pit-stops.
I honestly got my car for $250, the engine/trans came from Pnp for $185 on 1/2 price memorial days. Jay and Phil do not believe me 'cause I didn't save any receipts or take pictures - and most of the running gear (brakes, suspension) came from a car that'd been seriously rolled, that I owned, so value was unknown and unassigned (I got all the crap in that car b4 Lemons was a pipe-dream in their soup)
I'm keeping better track of the new car (the mini has gone too far to the NASA spec car to be Lemons) and have yet to break $2600 (--edit $3000, just got the disc brake upgrade for old V-dubs), including a $1600 roll cage - but that doesn't include safety and stuff like that I'm borrowing from the mini -- And I'll still probably get dinged in judging for bringing hammer to a knife fight.
Seeyouattrackside!!!