Daily driver as a hilclimb racer
Discussion
I was planning (if all goes well) to be racing in a few hillclimbs across the southwest, Woolbridge MC most likely, in 2013.
Yet my initial idea of racing my daily driver in these events in the production class has had me wondering if it is such a good idea afterall.
While I wont be taking the points too seriously and doing it mainly for fun, I am worried that given I'll will have 'CAN NOT crash' at the highest of my priorities, will I just find the experience underwhelming as I am never going to be any where near full tilt?
I know quite a few helpful chaps on here race in the production class in the series I am hopefully entering, yet I am not sure if they are used as road cars, or more accuratly road cars you rely on.
Am I letting a few youtube videos of people hill cimbing scare me? Or would I be better of saving some cash and just driving 'enthusiastically' on quiet dorset roads rather than climbing half heartedly ?
Thanks
Yet my initial idea of racing my daily driver in these events in the production class has had me wondering if it is such a good idea afterall.
While I wont be taking the points too seriously and doing it mainly for fun, I am worried that given I'll will have 'CAN NOT crash' at the highest of my priorities, will I just find the experience underwhelming as I am never going to be any where near full tilt?
I know quite a few helpful chaps on here race in the production class in the series I am hopefully entering, yet I am not sure if they are used as road cars, or more accuratly road cars you rely on.
Am I letting a few youtube videos of people hill cimbing scare me? Or would I be better of saving some cash and just driving 'enthusiastically' on quiet dorset roads rather than climbing half heartedly ?
Thanks
Edited by Fantuzzi on Monday 14th May 20:46
Very few of the production competition cars would be for "everyday" use (the regs do allow significant mods). Although can be done, mine is completely stock and used for the daily commute.
My only advice would be to use a car that you have some confidence in. It'll take a while to learn the hills, so not ideal to be learning the boundary of the car at the same time. But no-one would worry about you being off the pace at the start, as said above, it's about improving your own times.
Before buying anything, have a really good read of the regs (class engine limits etc) and check out what everyone else is using.
My only advice would be to use a car that you have some confidence in. It'll take a while to learn the hills, so not ideal to be learning the boundary of the car at the same time. But no-one would worry about you being off the pace at the start, as said above, it's about improving your own times.
Before buying anything, have a really good read of the regs (class engine limits etc) and check out what everyone else is using.
LordHaveMurci said:
My 172 Cup is my daily, have done reasonably well considering how standard it is. It is in the back of your mind but you tend to forget about accidents once your helmet is on & you are focused.
.....agreed, mine is my everyday car too. I'm always aware that I need to get it home in one piece until I find myself at the start line and then strangely it doesn't seem to matter anymore! 
The 172 above is always driven like he stole it
Edited by stumashy on Monday 14th May 11:45
SubaruSteve said:
There are usually around 100 drivers at an event. The most production type cars that have offs in an event is usually none, sometimes one and in the exception two.
I reckon the odds are in your favour.
You're at more risk of some Subaru driver reversing into you, honestly, the paddock is like Tesco carpark sometimes I reckon the odds are in your favour.
!
Only slightly off topic, we went to the VSCC meeting at Wiscombe at the weekend and most of the cars were road registered and taxed.
Not sure whether this 24litre Napier Bentley was though. I really hope it was!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHqugY4s-Tk
Not sure whether this 24litre Napier Bentley was though. I really hope it was!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHqugY4s-Tk
LordHaveMurci said:
You'll be fine, seriously. As Steve said, there are very few incidents & most of those aren't serious.
What are you thinking of competing in?
MR2 MK3.What are you thinking of competing in?
Which should keep me just under the max cc for A2 for the Wiscombe park championship which I hopefully will start off in.
Not bought yet, but if finances provail I should be able to get one
43rd Best drivers car according to Evo magizine dont you know...
The class seems to be dominated by Lotus Elans from the most recent check of 2012 results.
PS-Cant find the cost info anywhere per round for the wiscombe park championship anywhere anymore
Fantuzzi said:
MR2 MK3.
Which should keep me just under the max cc for A2 for the Wiscombe park championship which I hopefully will start off in.
Not bought yet, but if finances provail I should be able to get one
43rd Best drivers car according to Evo magizine dont you know...
The class seems to be dominated by Lotus Elans from the most recent check of 2012 results.
PS-Cant find the cost info anywhere per round for the wiscombe park championship anywhere anymore
Wis is usually £75 per event. Yes A2 like every other class is very competitive but you don't need to be a front runner to have a whole lot of fun. Which should keep me just under the max cc for A2 for the Wiscombe park championship which I hopefully will start off in.
Not bought yet, but if finances provail I should be able to get one
43rd Best drivers car according to Evo magizine dont you know...
The class seems to be dominated by Lotus Elans from the most recent check of 2012 results.
PS-Cant find the cost info anywhere per round for the wiscombe park championship anywhere anymore
Get it bought, get out there & ENJOY!
We'll be at Wis this weekend, pop up & have a chat to a few drivers & get a feel for it.
LordHaveMurci said:
Wis is usually £75 per event. Yes A2 like every other class is very competitive but you don't need to be a front runner to have a whole lot of fun.
Get it bought, get out there & ENJOY!
We'll be at Wis this weekend, pop up & have a chat to a few drivers & get a feel for it.
Sounds like a plan, missed the first climb due to...over sleeping Get it bought, get out there & ENJOY!
We'll be at Wis this weekend, pop up & have a chat to a few drivers & get a feel for it.
What time does it start?
Hello there, long term lurker but this topic has promoted me to join.
Purely because I find myself in a similar situation to the OP - following a visit to Wiscombe Park last year I have a hankering to get hill climbing, though would also be doing so in my daily driver.
Current situation probably means that I'm not going to be able to get involved this year, however one thing I did do which I can fully recommend is attend one of Gurston Down's Hill Climb school days. I went at the start of the week - I think they do 3 a year, and I think they still have spaces for the last one in July.
Turn up with your car and MOT certificate, grab a helmet, and spend the day with instructors egging you on to get up the hill as fast as possible. 2x convoy runs, and I think it was 8x individual runs; the morning ones with instructor feedback, and the afternoon ones being "scored".
No timing on the day but an excellent way to catch the bug :-)
I know other courses do a similar thing, but depending on where in Dorset you are, Gurston Down might even be closer than Wiscombe to get too.
Purely because I find myself in a similar situation to the OP - following a visit to Wiscombe Park last year I have a hankering to get hill climbing, though would also be doing so in my daily driver.
Current situation probably means that I'm not going to be able to get involved this year, however one thing I did do which I can fully recommend is attend one of Gurston Down's Hill Climb school days. I went at the start of the week - I think they do 3 a year, and I think they still have spaces for the last one in July.
Turn up with your car and MOT certificate, grab a helmet, and spend the day with instructors egging you on to get up the hill as fast as possible. 2x convoy runs, and I think it was 8x individual runs; the morning ones with instructor feedback, and the afternoon ones being "scored".
No timing on the day but an excellent way to catch the bug :-)
I know other courses do a similar thing, but depending on where in Dorset you are, Gurston Down might even be closer than Wiscombe to get too.
I did several events in a car I drove to and from the events and several in a car I drove to and from and which was my daily driver.
The first car was relatively fragile and there was always a worry in the back of my mind that something mechanically would break and I wouldn't be able to get home. For example, the rules stopped me strengthening the drivesafts and I had already broken one, this meant I launched more gently than I would if I had bought it on a trailer, particulaly as I live a long way from most events. The good thing about this car was that it was not worth enough that if it was written off it woulld have any impact on my life. It would have been a shame to "waste" the money but I wouldn't have had to cut back on some other area.
The second car was much tougher and it was quite luxurious to know that, unless I had a serious accident, it was always going to get me home. However, had I crashed it heavily it would have been a pain. Not only would I have got home very late but I would have had to drive a rubbish car for a while or do without something else in my life for a few months while I saved up to replace the every day car. And get to work on Monday morning. The one time I thought I was going to crash it, it was the cost, rather than the fear of being injured, that put my heart into my mouth because it would be "wasting" more money, an amount that I would notice. I wouldn't say it slowed me down though, one you've got the helmet and gloves on...
www.shoestringMGracer.com has a bit of both but is mainly about the fragile one.
The first car was relatively fragile and there was always a worry in the back of my mind that something mechanically would break and I wouldn't be able to get home. For example, the rules stopped me strengthening the drivesafts and I had already broken one, this meant I launched more gently than I would if I had bought it on a trailer, particulaly as I live a long way from most events. The good thing about this car was that it was not worth enough that if it was written off it woulld have any impact on my life. It would have been a shame to "waste" the money but I wouldn't have had to cut back on some other area.
The second car was much tougher and it was quite luxurious to know that, unless I had a serious accident, it was always going to get me home. However, had I crashed it heavily it would have been a pain. Not only would I have got home very late but I would have had to drive a rubbish car for a while or do without something else in my life for a few months while I saved up to replace the every day car. And get to work on Monday morning. The one time I thought I was going to crash it, it was the cost, rather than the fear of being injured, that put my heart into my mouth because it would be "wasting" more money, an amount that I would notice. I wouldn't say it slowed me down though, one you've got the helmet and gloves on...
www.shoestringMGracer.com has a bit of both but is mainly about the fragile one.
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