No Ducati race bike would be cheap - I agree, especially in relation to what you can spend on smaller capacity Japanese stuff. I guess its relative. Racing a stock motor would be cheaper than an RS (in maintenance and initial purchase). A damaged repairable is definitely an option. I don't have the money to spend yet or even know whether I would want to go on with it - as WJB says, although I'm pretty certain that I would. I agree with Ray that a testastretta engined beasty would be a very good place to start giving me a HP boost and an easier platform to work from later if more bhp is required (obviously post suspension etc, whatever)
I don't even know how quick I'm going to be, I already know I'm nearly never the fastest bloke on a rideout but thats initially not my concern. If I find that I like racing and want to continue then I'll want to address that - but that was something I was doing anyway with two CSS days currently booked.
Thanks to all for your posts, as I said at the start this was a fact finding mission for an idea that is in an embryonic stage - I just wanted to leverage the benefits of all of your experience out there as many of you have been there done that as far as this is concerned. I may not end up going ahead with it at all but I would never know without having done the exercise.
Logic is for deciding how I'm going to race not necessarily IF I want to. I want to do it - it's as simple as that. It's a matter of finding out which way I'm going to do it that will be the most palatable that is the case. Untimately this would need to be a mutual decision with my wife and I and she's not convinced it's such a good idea yet - if I don't get her buy-in it doesn't get off the ground. We'll see what happens.
At this stage the best thing for me to do is to get my ACU license (started that ball rolling today by filling out my application for a UK license - changeover my Aus one) and to sample the racing taste test on WJB's CB
Then, if the wife is cool (hrmmm, don't know) and I want to go ahead (more than likely) it will be case of deciding from the following options:
1. Racing cheaper Japanese kit
2. Racing a Ducati which involves making a decision on:
2a. Racing my bike and buying something to commute on
2b. Buying a race bike with the kit etc
2c. Buying a damaged repairable and building it up (again depends on the write off circumstances)
Now I need to convince the wife that buying another seat of leathers is a good idea seeing as I only have zip togethers and not a one piece ...