You really need to reevaluate whether or not racing is for you. If you are worried about $3 then you need to take up another sport. The $3 is "optional" for those who don't own transponders and you should just cough up the money now and buy a personal transponder because 99% of track are using them around the world. There are nothing but benefits here. You benefit by owning a PT because you don't have to scurry to pickup/drop off house transponders and you don't have to worry about somebody lagging and not bringing it back. The other benefit is to the shop/track because house transponders DO walk away sometimes and they are $100 a piece now. Would you like to have to eat that cost?[rhetorical]