Car selection for road rally/autosolo
Discussion
Afternoon All!,
Ok so recently i have decided to get involved with motorsport competitively and in my local area the most common forms are rally and autosolo's, I have signed up to my local motorsport club and im going to attend organised events through them.
Now then to get started it looks like road rally is going to be my best way to start out and gain experience, i have read the msa guidelines and started to do research but the part im stuck on the most is my choice of car. I want something to use for auto solo events and road rallying and i came across a cheap Honda Civic Type R so i bought it. Now the more i have researched into it i found its rare that i find the civic mentioned in events, whats the reasons for this? I originally thought with it being n/a and fwd with a powerful engine with plenty of mods available it would be perfect now im starting to question my choice.
I commonly see pug206,106 & saxos being mentioned but finding one that hasnt to badly succumbed to age is hard work.
So should i keep my Civic Type R and spend the money on the mods or sell up before i spend money on it and make another selection?
Any input would be appreciated and also if anyone currently does rally a Civic Type R any info on mod selection would be helpful
Andy
Ok so recently i have decided to get involved with motorsport competitively and in my local area the most common forms are rally and autosolo's, I have signed up to my local motorsport club and im going to attend organised events through them.
Now then to get started it looks like road rally is going to be my best way to start out and gain experience, i have read the msa guidelines and started to do research but the part im stuck on the most is my choice of car. I want something to use for auto solo events and road rallying and i came across a cheap Honda Civic Type R so i bought it. Now the more i have researched into it i found its rare that i find the civic mentioned in events, whats the reasons for this? I originally thought with it being n/a and fwd with a powerful engine with plenty of mods available it would be perfect now im starting to question my choice.
I commonly see pug206,106 & saxos being mentioned but finding one that hasnt to badly succumbed to age is hard work.
So should i keep my Civic Type R and spend the money on the mods or sell up before i spend money on it and make another selection?
Any input would be appreciated and also if anyone currently does rally a Civic Type R any info on mod selection would be helpful
Andy
Hi OP.
I am not sure you need any kind of performance car for a road rally. The skill is in navigation and timings so any old box would be just as good as anything else.
Autosolo can be about agility so a small and light cars are usually preferred. Have you looked at the results from hill climbs?
Finally, I race against loads of Civics & Integras and they usually beat me
I am not sure you need any kind of performance car for a road rally. The skill is in navigation and timings so any old box would be just as good as anything else.
Autosolo can be about agility so a small and light cars are usually preferred. Have you looked at the results from hill climbs?
Finally, I race against loads of Civics & Integras and they usually beat me
Firstly what area of the country are you in?
Road rallies come in different flavours, what you might need in Scotland for instance is different to Wales or England. You won't see much about Type R's because not many use them. That's not to say they are no good, just that people tend to stick to what others are using as it's proof that they work. In Wales it seems to be Escorts, Golfs and 205/106's. In England there are a lot of Protons. The scots use anything with four wheels, because up there it really is down to the nav.
There is one succsefull Type R that I can think of, run by Dave Whitticker (ticker) in Lancashire, he's won with it too. So given the right man in the left hand seat it proves it can be done. That event (Garstang and Preston memorial in 2014) was pretty much 100% Tarmac though, it would be a different story if it had a lot of rough whites. The Protons are much much quicker on the whites, than just about anything else. Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire events tend to be rougher than Lancashire.
Auto solos favour smaller cars, so the honda might be a bit unwieldy.
Depends how many of each event you plan to do.
If you need any more advise just ask.
Road rallies come in different flavours, what you might need in Scotland for instance is different to Wales or England. You won't see much about Type R's because not many use them. That's not to say they are no good, just that people tend to stick to what others are using as it's proof that they work. In Wales it seems to be Escorts, Golfs and 205/106's. In England there are a lot of Protons. The scots use anything with four wheels, because up there it really is down to the nav.
There is one succsefull Type R that I can think of, run by Dave Whitticker (ticker) in Lancashire, he's won with it too. So given the right man in the left hand seat it proves it can be done. That event (Garstang and Preston memorial in 2014) was pretty much 100% Tarmac though, it would be a different story if it had a lot of rough whites. The Protons are much much quicker on the whites, than just about anything else. Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire events tend to be rougher than Lancashire.
Auto solos favour smaller cars, so the honda might be a bit unwieldy.
Depends how many of each event you plan to do.
If you need any more advise just ask.
For road ralling you want something small, light, nimble, fair ground clearance, good headlights, good visibility, quiet and CHEAP.
Performance is largely irrelevant as even the most basic cars can be driven at a fair lick at night in the lanes. A civic Type R would be OK but trust me it will get damaged, dented and you will get punctures / bent rims.
For autosolos again you want something nimble but power will help. For FWD a light Saxo VTR/S , Pug 106 Gti or Rallye with maybe a hydraulic handbrake ( certainly a working standard one ) woul be ideal. For RWD an MX5/Eunos 1800 with Torsen type LSD is a weapon of choice, and in my opinion the most fun!
A Civic Type R may be a handful on the tighter corners and its weight hamper it pulling out of them
But it would still be fun on both disciplins, just not ideal
Performance is largely irrelevant as even the most basic cars can be driven at a fair lick at night in the lanes. A civic Type R would be OK but trust me it will get damaged, dented and you will get punctures / bent rims.
For autosolos again you want something nimble but power will help. For FWD a light Saxo VTR/S , Pug 106 Gti or Rallye with maybe a hydraulic handbrake ( certainly a working standard one ) woul be ideal. For RWD an MX5/Eunos 1800 with Torsen type LSD is a weapon of choice, and in my opinion the most fun!
A Civic Type R may be a handful on the tighter corners and its weight hamper it pulling out of them
But it would still be fun on both disciplins, just not ideal
Thanks for the info guys, Im from Lancashire. Im starting to wonder if i should sell the Type R on and move over to a saxo VTR as they are common around me. Im not bothered about wrecking the type r but if I'm setting myself up for a hard time and possibly i a bigger bill in keeping it competitive then maybe its the right answer
Lancashire is a good base, lots of events within a your 'catchment' area.
Which club have you joined?, go down to a few meetings and try and find some experienced guys to talk too. I wouldn't ditch the Honda just yet, get some experience with it first. Events coming up are The John Robson, up in Hexham area (smooth fast roads would suit the honda). Ryemoor in Yorkshire in two weeks time, bit rough but if you treat the whites carefully you might be ok, or the Primrose Trophy in April, which starts at Blackburn services usually, not usually rough but can be very fast in parts.
If you decide to swap it, look for something already prepared, there is usually something for sale somewhere if you keep your nose to the ground. But makes sure it's road rally complient and not a stage car.
Which club have you joined?, go down to a few meetings and try and find some experienced guys to talk too. I wouldn't ditch the Honda just yet, get some experience with it first. Events coming up are The John Robson, up in Hexham area (smooth fast roads would suit the honda). Ryemoor in Yorkshire in two weeks time, bit rough but if you treat the whites carefully you might be ok, or the Primrose Trophy in April, which starts at Blackburn services usually, not usually rough but can be very fast in parts.
If you decide to swap it, look for something already prepared, there is usually something for sale somewhere if you keep your nose to the ground. But makes sure it's road rally complient and not a stage car.
I have joined Preston Motorsport Club. Yeah i see what your saying about keeping the type r, i will use it until i find something else already prepared. I dont want to spend much on the type r knowing that il be looking to change it relativly soon. I have already been qutoed 1000 pounds for speedline wheels and tyres but now im abit reluctant to spend if its not going to serve me for a long time, or at the least if i choose a base car and buy parts then i can re use bits if i stick to that base
Preston is the new club isn't it?. Talk to Allan Barnes, he will put you in touch with some good people. Wheels and Tryes would be the biggest issue with the Honda. You would be ok on the Lancashire and North west, events on normal road tyres, but Derbyshire and parts of Yorkshire would chew low profile road tyres too bits. ( I know this from first hand experience). You would need to drop down at least 1" possibly 2" to get some decent knobblies under the arches.
There is a Facebook group called rally loginandnatter run by a guy called Ian Bruce, he runs a civic, started on road events and moved to stages. He will help too.
Also try Blacksheep racing Facebook group. That was set up to help bring people in the north west into road rallying.
There is a Facebook group called rally loginandnatter run by a guy called Ian Bruce, he runs a civic, started on road events and moved to stages. He will help too.
Also try Blacksheep racing Facebook group. That was set up to help bring people in the north west into road rallying.
I had wanted to have a go at Autosolo for some time. Last year me and a couple of mates started doing them. Now, after doing 6 events I've had enough.
You'll need to arrive at the venue for around 8am for scrutineering, signing on and drivers briefing. The event won't start until 9:30 and will finish at anything upto 5 or 6 including the awards.
You'll do 18 runs over a day if they can fit them in, that adds up to around 16 minutes of driving and costs £32, so £2 per minute of driving. If it takes you 2 hours to get to the event and the same home then you've had a 13 to 14 hour day for 16 minutes of competitive driving. You have to queue for each of the runs, generally for 20 to 45 minutes at a time to do a 40 to 60 second run.
They often don't manage all the runs though, the previous event had so many competitors that over the day only 12 runs were completed adding up to only 10 minutes of competitive time, I'd left home at 5:30am and didn't get back until 8pm.
On top of this the often mentioned friendly atmosphere is generally very lacking, the regulars are like the locals in a yokel village, treating outsiders with contempt.
The events are supposed to be on a sealed surface yet often are on old WWII airfields with rough broken concrete and gravel, so be prepared to get punctures.
The idea you'll go in a road car and be competitive is nonsense as those regulars turn up with stripped out lowered, roll caged, polybushed, bucket seated, grip steering wheeled semi rally cars. The MSA blue book rules aren't followed very closely for the regulars.
I would say you get what you pay for, but, actually they are very expensive in real terms so you don't.
Sounds a little like they should be running the events you have done under a Targa Rally permit.
But still compared with say hillclimbing/sprints its cheap at 18 runs, roughly three times what you might expect at say Harewood Hillclimb, for a fraction of the cost.
Can't beat Road Rallying for miles/cost, around a hundred competitive miles for about £75.00.
But still compared with say hillclimbing/sprints its cheap at 18 runs, roughly three times what you might expect at say Harewood Hillclimb, for a fraction of the cost.
Can't beat Road Rallying for miles/cost, around a hundred competitive miles for about £75.00.
Vroomwithaview said:
I had wanted to have a go at Autosolo for some time. Last year me and a couple of mates started doing them. Now, after doing 6 events I've had enough.
You'll need to arrive at the venue for around 8am for scrutineering, signing on and drivers briefing. The event won't start until 9:30 and will finish at anything upto 5 or 6 including the awards.
You'll do 18 runs over a day if they can fit them in, that adds up to around 16 minutes of driving and costs £32, so £2 per minute of driving. If it takes you 2 hours to get to the event and the same home then you've had a 13 to 14 hour day for 16 minutes of competitive driving. You have to queue for each of the runs, generally for 20 to 45 minutes at a time to do a 40 to 60 second run.
They often don't manage all the runs though, the previous event had so many competitors that over the day only 12 runs were completed adding up to only 10 minutes of competitive time, I'd left home at 5:30am and didn't get back until 8pm.
On top of this the often mentioned friendly atmosphere is generally very lacking, the regulars are like the locals in a yokel village, treating outsiders with contempt.
The events are supposed to be on a sealed surface yet often are on old WWII airfields with rough broken concrete and
gravel, so be prepared to get punctures.
The idea you'll go in a road car and be competitive is nonsense as those regulars turn up with stripped out lowered, roll caged, polybushed, bucket seated, grip steering wheeled semi rally cars. The MSA blue book rules aren't followed very closely for the regulars.
I would say you get what you pay for, but, actually they are very expensive in real terms so you don't.
Eh?? Auto solos are one of the cheapest , fun , friendly Motorsport events you can do!!!!! And at a club meet at North Weald we got FTD and second place in my bog standard Eunos 1600 against amongst others a Caterham and Westfield? You'll need to arrive at the venue for around 8am for scrutineering, signing on and drivers briefing. The event won't start until 9:30 and will finish at anything upto 5 or 6 including the awards.
You'll do 18 runs over a day if they can fit them in, that adds up to around 16 minutes of driving and costs £32, so £2 per minute of driving. If it takes you 2 hours to get to the event and the same home then you've had a 13 to 14 hour day for 16 minutes of competitive driving. You have to queue for each of the runs, generally for 20 to 45 minutes at a time to do a 40 to 60 second run.
They often don't manage all the runs though, the previous event had so many competitors that over the day only 12 runs were completed adding up to only 10 minutes of competitive time, I'd left home at 5:30am and didn't get back until 8pm.
On top of this the often mentioned friendly atmosphere is generally very lacking, the regulars are like the locals in a yokel village, treating outsiders with contempt.
The events are supposed to be on a sealed surface yet often are on old WWII airfields with rough broken concrete and
gravel, so be prepared to get punctures.
The idea you'll go in a road car and be competitive is nonsense as those regulars turn up with stripped out lowered, roll caged, polybushed, bucket seated, grip steering wheeled semi rally cars. The MSA blue book rules aren't followed very closely for the regulars.
I would say you get what you pay for, but, actually they are very expensive in real terms so you don't.
Only cost about £40 from memory too, out of all the disciplines we do £ for £ auto solo are the best and most fun by far.
Gassing Station | UK Club Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff