Amateur race vendors?

1) No; it sorta depends on the individual.
2)Most tracks do unless you are providing some other support.
3) Depends on the facility and what you're offering.

1- Depends on what you are providing. You will never get rich off Track side vending but the ones I know who make some extra coin doing this usually offer product/services that one could need on race day. I.E tubes, tires, chains, bars, levers, oils, an array of bolts w/ washers etc etc. Also being able to do the services that come with any of the above product such as changing a tube, tires, bars so on and so fourth. Generally a trackside vendor will also have a size run of boots, helmets, pants and jerseys just incase someone forgets one of those items ( happens ALL the time)

2- A track 99% of the time will be looking for some sort of monetary gain out of your services being rendered at their facility. Whether it be you provide prize packs for winners, holeshot awards, raffles for prizes, and/or you give a kick back to the facility on whatever profits you pull for the weekend ( 10%-25%?)

3- Yes and no. I believe that certain facilities get a pretty heavy discount through companies in order to service the facilities. Basically the company will "sponsor" the training facility. I have not heard of a vendor actaully being present at a training facility, but that does not mean that it isn't happening or cant happen.

Hope this helps

You'll have to ask Rich Fern of Parts in the Pits who has gotten rich selling spark plugs and chain links to Norcal riders for the last 40 years. That's how he paid for that Rolls that he drives!

Nationals will run you about a $1000 for the week without electricity.

I know that LL is 2500 for the week I was camped next to the Moto Hose vender and was talking to him about it.

I was a vendor at LL's a couple of times and don't remember paying that much but I'm sure I did. There is business to be had at the large amateur races. You need to have a very very large presence or you will be lost in the crowd.

I am just going off what he had told me . I guess like anything it takes money to make money

Sold off our parts rig. It worked out at our own facility, but we never sold enough to even pay off fuel to the bigger events.

I was a vendor at the Lake Whitney Spring national around '04-'05. They had different size areas, we had one of the smaller ones and it was $800 for the week.

Cuban sandwich dude had a line at all times, if you can make those

well Donny Cakes you and i both know i did so well vending i had to retire

Always work a business backwards. First of all, hard parts have a 40% markup. OEM less. Nobody sells at full retail so that markup is 30%. Now, if you sell 100,000 dollars of sprockets, chains, handlebars and gear, your gross profit will be 30K. Now you have to take out carrying costs, shipping, gas, your time, fees, labor, rental, tax and all the crap you will need to buy, tables, pop ups, an RV, a trailer, etc........10,000 worth of inventory is nothing.

It will get old real quick.

I think the cuban idea has more merit and less exposure.

you better know how to change tires, and you better be able to do it quick, people get flats and want new tires, o ya and you have to give them away pretty much or you wont be selling them, and when its cold out changing tires is a great job, NOT, i can change a tire in less than five minutes while talking on my cell phone and eating a pretzel, ,,,,,,,, never got me anywhere

I've never seen it work out good for motocross vendors.

In road racing there was always one or two guys who sold slicks/race tires as well as brought a couple of drums of race gas they'd sell by the gallon. They always seemed to be really busy. They'd make a decent buck on rain days with everybody needing new rain tires and getting their tires changed over.

If you've got the space for a couple of 55 gallon drums, a tire changing machine and 25-50 tires, and don't mind working while everybody else is out having fun. Then you might be able to make a couple of bucks here and there, The road race tracks and clubs welcomed these guys and didn't charge a vendors fee because they were providing a needed service, but they weren't getting rich off of it either.

Now the guys that ran the food trucks on the other hand..... As much as you think people might "need" new tires, you know they "have" to eat. Most guys I know spend more time packing parts and gear and never give a second thought to what they're going to eat for the weekend. Everybody makes a trip or two to the food truck, even if it's just for some hot coffee in the morning.

Those thing were incredible. From 8 AM to 8 PM the guy had a line that was 10 people deep.

I can remeber it was a husband, wife, and
daughter. The daughter had a tip jar out for her college fund ( she was probably 16 ) and holy shit if not everyday that girl probation had close to 1000 a days in that thing. The sandwhich were so good people were happy leaving their 6 dollar change from a 20.

Get a Cuban press and get to Cookin!!

To sum this up:

You should sell parts and Cuban sandwiches out of the back of your Rolls Royce and have a 16 year old girl collecting tips

Amateur nationals would probably not be worth vending at if selling parts and gear, half the riders have gear deals, parts deals etc. Years ago, Tommy (Tommys Cycle) stopped going to regionals or LL because he couldn't sell anything. But if you had those Cuban's, you'd make a killing, with hot chocolate, coffee and breakfast burritos.

A race like a round of the Texas Winter Series, with 600-700 entries each round, you probably could do good selling gear etc. There are several beginner classes, and beginners classes have the most tricked out bikes, newest gear, helmets etc. Find a series with lots of beginners and rich parents.

The larger AM MX races Moto Hose has done cost roughly $750 - $2750 just for a 10x10 spot. Plus insurance plus...plus... plus ..... LL costs us over $5000 by the time you add all of the costs up. We loose a lot of $$$ being there. Exclusive rights will run you $10k

Local races can be any where from Free (you pay gate fee) to them wanting a free $80 - 145 kit to give to every class winner.

Years ago I operated Lump Racing then later Sky Force Racing Suspension in MD and serviced suspension in the pits plus sold some of the basics like spark plugs Tubes. tear offs, goggles. grips ect. There was another vendor there that always slashed prices just to make a sale..... when he sold out and made little profit I would sell at suggested retal. You are offering a service to the riders..... no need to slash prices for this convenience.

Well there you go . Hey Lumpy how you been ? I am looking to make it back to LL again this year hope to see you there

at this point we have no plans of going back to LL or Mini O's. We spend $20k + a year going to races to offer sponsorship to riders. They know who we are and how to contact us ..... Racers can send us resumes from after LL's to Oct 31st.