RCRAMER.COMBudget Race Hauler
There's obviously a million ways to slog everything back and forth to the track and which is best depends on what you have, how much you have to take with you and how much style you want to do it in.
If you have the space, then trailers seem to make alot of sense to me because they cost almost nothing while they're sitting there (e.g. registration and insurance) and, if you get an enclosed one, you can keep it packed so, that you won't ever forget anything. It also lets you have more options when selecting your tow vehicle.
A van could also work very well though: No 55mph speed limits and I think it could be done really realy well. It would be easier to park, safe and with the right modifications could be made into a pretty tight little package. Those of you with more cash burning a whole in your pocket could get a Fun Mover / Toy Box and watch the rest of us seethe with envy while you bask in your air conditioned glory. Failing all that there's always the venerable pickup truck (which I'm currently using).
Enclosed TrailerI upgraded to a 7'x10' single-axle enclosed trailer because I got tired of having to load/unload so much. With the enclosed trailer I just keep everything in there and ready to go. It was pretty ratty when I bought it but it's a work in progress and I might have pictures up after I get it repainted. ...Maybe. [F'ugly Info] 
I'm using Baxley Sport Chock Wheel Chocks in the trailer this time around. They lock the bike in place so, I don't have to use straps (I do anyway) and, since, I store the bike in the trailer, it won't be tied down with the suspension fully compressed all the time. They're also sweet in the pits because you can just drive the bike into 'em as you come off the track and don't have to fish around for the rear stand. This is a must have for racing! Baxley also sales a "Bolt Down Kit" to make attaching the chock down in the trailer fast and easy. At $30 it's a little stiff for the hardware you're getting but, it is very handy. Your local hardware store can probably provide a suitable alternative. |
Open Trailer |
I used a 4'x8'
Harbor Freight
folding trailer (#90154-8VGA) that ran for about $250 for my first season racing and got dirt bike
duty until I sold the enclosed trailer and bought a pickup truck. I have also seen many people at
the track towing one of these behind their sedan.
When it's folded it up it fits in a space 5'3" Wide x 2' Deep and comfortably holds a couple of street bikes and my track gear when in use. This trailer is also available with smaller tires (#42709-1VGA) which is a little cheaper at ~$200. Both require assembly which took me about three hours. 
I used Harbor Freight's steel wall kit (#47423) for awhile. It was easy to install and makes packing more gear onto the trailer easier. The rear door can also be used as a short loading ramp for dirt bikes. The walls do have to be removed to fold the trailer up. 
I installed a couple of Artisan 16" folding / flush mount wheel chocks (~$50) onto the trailer. I picked these because (a) I wanted flush mount wheel chocks so that the trailer would still fold up when not in use and (b) they were the only ones I could find at the time. Artisan was fairly slow to fill orders but, I'm happy with the chocks. Blazinbelltech.com has an aluminum version of these chocks for about $100 if weight is a concern, rlpracing.com has another pricey alternative and Lockhart Phillips also sells some pop-chocks that are easy to remove but I didn't want to deal with storing 'em when they were not in use. |
Motorcycle Carriers |
Originally I was using a VersaHaul (#VH-55 RO) Single
Motorcycle carrier with ramp option that just plugged straight into my trailer hitch on the
SUV. This was nice because it was easy to load and, since it wasn't a trailer, I wasn't
restricted to 55mph on the highways by California Law.
I ended up selling it and buying the trailer because the suspension on my SUV couldn't handle that much weight on the rear end and I needed more storage space. Fiveflagsmotorbikes.com and heeters.com were the cheapest places to buy 'em that I found. Mototote.com makes a popular alternative. Since getting into much lighter dirt bikes I've returned to this method of hauling (with an SUV at least) although now I use an aluminum ladder style carrier. It's much lighter (35lbs) and cheaper ($160 - $170). |
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