Cheapest way in to track racing?
Discussion
^^^^^^ Fair points and I guess the OP did ask for cheapest rather than best value.
OP, do you have any track experience?
I'm just wondering if you should consider trackdays as a starting point? Can be done in an appropriate road car, low(ish) cost, low likelihood of getting shunted by another car, plenty of track time..............
OP, do you have any track experience?
I'm just wondering if you should consider trackdays as a starting point? Can be done in an appropriate road car, low(ish) cost, low likelihood of getting shunted by another car, plenty of track time..............
Javelin, as well as running trackdays run some sprint competitions, including the Toyota Sprint Series, but they also do classes open to other vehicles. Possibly better value, but not an MSA recognised event. Entry fees are about £ 140, but instead of two timed runs, you get up to 8 timed runs and a sighting lap.
pablo said:
How much damage can you incur in a 45 minute race from accidents that are entirely not your fault?
in 16 years of very close racing either at the front or right in the pack, I've only ever had contact with another car when running very close and knowing im in a place of risk and even then its only been minor body work probably no more than £500 quid in total and i could probably have avoided most of that by letting someone through or not fighting hard. as to getting taken out by someone else never..Sprinting and circuit racing are two totally different disciplines, one isnt better than the other and i dont think sprinting carries much less risk. The best part of circuit racing is the wheel to wheel bit.
In terms of £/min sprinting does seem expensive but over the day its cheap and the wear on the car should be a lot less. its not my cup of tea all over too quickly but its a way in to competitive motorsport and good fun, if you dont have the budget to do circuit racing properly.
arrive and drive might be an option if you dont have anywhere to store a car and trailer and are going to get someone else to do the work for you any way, a mid point is to buy a car and get someone else to run it for you.
Steve H said:
Sprinting may be cheaper but it isn't better value.
I went to spectate at a local sprint event recently and talking to the competitors it cost £85 to enter which gave two practice and two timed runs. That's about £20 a minute
Makes £300 for a 45 minute race + 30 minute practice look like a bargain!
Absolutely agree, particularly if you share a car and therefore costs.I went to spectate at a local sprint event recently and talking to the competitors it cost £85 to enter which gave two practice and two timed runs. That's about £20 a minute
Makes £300 for a 45 minute race + 30 minute practice look like a bargain!
And in my experience there is less likelyhood of damage in a 45 min race than in a sprint race
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 19th July 17:26
That's just rubbish. The costs of a sprint versus a 45 min race are very different. Get real.
andy97 said:
Absolutely agree, particularly if you share a car and therefore costs.
And in my experience there is less likelyhood of damage in a 45 min race than in a sprint race
And in my experience there is less likelyhood of damage in a 45 min race than in a sprint race
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 19th July 17:26
As your London based the last 2 rounds of the javelin sprint series is at woodbridge and snetterton road going class friendly paddock and well run. Get a lot more track time than most other sprints sighting laps 1 untimed pratice laps and 8-9 timed runs.
I run my turbo exocet kit car in the series and at first I thought the cost was a lot but once there that goes away and the short time to learn the track makes you focus on not wasting one lap.
Plenty of cars 60+ so there is always someone to compete against and most people drive to the event.
I run my turbo exocet kit car in the series and at first I thought the cost was a lot but once there that goes away and the short time to learn the track makes you focus on not wasting one lap.
Plenty of cars 60+ so there is always someone to compete against and most people drive to the event.
BertBert said:
That's just rubbish. The costs of a sprint versus a 45 min race are very different. Get real.
Steve is correct Bert, I was commenting on value. And that value is increased if you share a car and share costs in a 40/ 45 min race in something like 750 Roadsports or many of the CSCC series.andy97 said:
Absolutely agree, particularly if you share a car and therefore costs.
And in my experience there is less likelyhood of damage in a 45 min race than in a sprint race
And in my experience there is less likelyhood of damage in a 45 min race than in a sprint race
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 19th July 17:26
I am very real, I have sprinted and raced.
I also think that you have to factor in the "value of time". Time is an important commodity in a sport that is not aleays very family friendly. All day at Curborough for 4 mins track time, or the same amount of time at Donington for 70 mins track time (inc practice)?
Each to their own but I would rather race in, say, 3 X 40 min races a year in something like an MX5 than sprint 8-10 times a season
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 19th July 22:36
Steve H said:
Once again I'm guessing but I think Andy meant there was less likelihood of damage in a 45 minute race than a typical 15 minute (sprint) race. He's right.
So 45 mins on track with many other vehicles carries less risk than one car on the track, alone...where nobody else can cause them to crash or crash into them and on track for a much shorter period of time ?Absolutely no idea how there is any logic in that.
I think by "sprint race" he means a shorter race with other cars on the track, not an endurance race. I dont think he meant sprint in the way someone familiar with speed event terminology would understand it.
The thing about speed events is that by and large, championships are local, or at least regional and thus you save on travel and accommodation costs. A few years ago pretty much the entire ASWMC sprint championship was within 50 miles of my house so it wasnt an all day affair or required taking a car to Croft, Oulton, Brands, Cadwell etc etc. If I did race it would be at Combe in a single circuit championship just because i dont have the time or money to drag a car around the country to get points.
The thing about speed events is that by and large, championships are local, or at least regional and thus you save on travel and accommodation costs. A few years ago pretty much the entire ASWMC sprint championship was within 50 miles of my house so it wasnt an all day affair or required taking a car to Croft, Oulton, Brands, Cadwell etc etc. If I did race it would be at Combe in a single circuit championship just because i dont have the time or money to drag a car around the country to get points.
Steve H said:
Once again I'm guessing but I think Andy meant there was less likelihood of damage in a 45 minute race than a typical 15 minute (sprint) race. He's right.
Correct Steve, but it seems that some people can't read. Particularly as the OP specifically asked about RACING and not Speed events, but that seems to have been ignored. Oh well.To be fair this is what the OP asked for
rossyl said:
- cheapest on track racing
- non-modified cars
- cheap cars
- drive to/from track in the car
- friendly series for beginners
- not loads of smashing in to each other
- mainly in/near South East
then said- non-modified cars
- cheap cars
- drive to/from track in the car
- friendly series for beginners
- not loads of smashing in to each other
- mainly in/near South East
rossyl said:
The more I look in to this, I do think, Auto Tests and Sprints might be a worthwhile introduction before getting in to Track Racing.
hence advice about speed events, are you as slow at racing as you are at following this thread? 
I tried to help answer the original question, and not divert into an avenue that only came along later, when others had tried to tell the OP that he was possibly barking up the wrong tree.
I admit I have never driven to and from a race meeting as a competitor, and wouldn't, but I do know people that have. And, although not 40 min races, I believe that the HSCC still encourage competitors to drive to and from the circuits in their 70s Roadsports series. You could buy something like a Porsche 924 and race that in a mix of HSCC and CSCC races in the SE.
It's possible, therefore, to drive to and from the circuits, but perhaps not ideal. And, once again, I return to the view that sharing a car in 40/45 min races is the best value club racing, and least likely to suffer damage, and can even be done in a car that can be driven to and from the track.
As for cheap cars, I have a history of racing very cheap cars like a Fiat Uno (bought for £2k), an Alfa 33 (£600), A Porsche 924S (£2500) and even a Vauxhall Junior single seater ( bought and sold for £4500).
Racing can be done far more cheaply than many think, if you stick to basic prep cars and models for which there are lots of easy spares available like Ford Fiestas or Pumas, MX5s, MR2s etc. And accept that you are there to have fun, but probably won't win anything.
I admit I have never driven to and from a race meeting as a competitor, and wouldn't, but I do know people that have. And, although not 40 min races, I believe that the HSCC still encourage competitors to drive to and from the circuits in their 70s Roadsports series. You could buy something like a Porsche 924 and race that in a mix of HSCC and CSCC races in the SE.
It's possible, therefore, to drive to and from the circuits, but perhaps not ideal. And, once again, I return to the view that sharing a car in 40/45 min races is the best value club racing, and least likely to suffer damage, and can even be done in a car that can be driven to and from the track.
As for cheap cars, I have a history of racing very cheap cars like a Fiat Uno (bought for £2k), an Alfa 33 (£600), A Porsche 924S (£2500) and even a Vauxhall Junior single seater ( bought and sold for £4500).
Racing can be done far more cheaply than many think, if you stick to basic prep cars and models for which there are lots of easy spares available like Ford Fiestas or Pumas, MX5s, MR2s etc. And accept that you are there to have fun, but probably won't win anything.
Edited by andy97 on Wednesday 20th July 22:18
Hence the confusion as the discussion clearly expand to encompass speed events rather than the difference between sprint and endurance racing.
If the OP is looking for the lowest poss cost then things like HSCC roadsports is way off the agenda!
If the OP is looking for the lowest poss cost then things like HSCC roadsports is way off the agenda!
andy97 said:
I tried to help answer the original question, and not divert into an avenue that only came along later, when others had tried to tell the OP that he was possibly barking up the wrong tree.
I admit I have never driven to and from a race meeting as a competitor, and wouldn't, but I do know people that have. And, although not 40 min races, I believe that the HSCC still encourage competitors to drive to and from the circuits in their 70s Roadsports series. You could buy something like a Porsche 924 and race that in a mix of HSCC and CSCC races in the SE.
It's possible, therefore, to drive to and from the circuits, but perhaps not ideal. And, once again, I return to the view that sharing a car in 40/45 min races is the best value club racing, and least likely to suffer damage, and can even be done in a car that can be driven to and from the track.
As for cheap cars, I have a history of racing very cheap cars like a Fiat Uno (bought for £2k), an Alfa 33 (£600), A Porsche 924S (£2500) and even a Vauxhall Junior single seater ( bought and sold for £4500).
Racing can be done far more cheaply than many think, if you stick to basic prep cars and models for which there are lots of easy spares available like Ford Fiestas or Pumas, MX5s, MR2s etc. And accept that you are there to have fun, but probably won't win anything.
I admit I have never driven to and from a race meeting as a competitor, and wouldn't, but I do know people that have. And, although not 40 min races, I believe that the HSCC still encourage competitors to drive to and from the circuits in their 70s Roadsports series. You could buy something like a Porsche 924 and race that in a mix of HSCC and CSCC races in the SE.
It's possible, therefore, to drive to and from the circuits, but perhaps not ideal. And, once again, I return to the view that sharing a car in 40/45 min races is the best value club racing, and least likely to suffer damage, and can even be done in a car that can be driven to and from the track.
As for cheap cars, I have a history of racing very cheap cars like a Fiat Uno (bought for £2k), an Alfa 33 (£600), A Porsche 924S (£2500) and even a Vauxhall Junior single seater ( bought and sold for £4500).
Racing can be done far more cheaply than many think, if you stick to basic prep cars and models for which there are lots of easy spares available like Ford Fiestas or Pumas, MX5s, MR2s etc. And accept that you are there to have fun, but probably won't win anything.
Edited by andy97 on Wednesday 20th July 22:18
I think the OP's question is a oxymoron.
Sprinting is clearly cheaper. As is autotesting etc.
If you want to go fast then nothing is cheap.
If you want to go for the gap or find the last 3/10ths then hitting things is expensive.
If you want to be at the front then nothing is too expensive.
Sprinting is clearly cheaper. As is autotesting etc.
If you want to go fast then nothing is cheap.
If you want to go for the gap or find the last 3/10ths then hitting things is expensive.
If you want to be at the front then nothing is too expensive.
Thurbs said:
I think the OP's question is a oxymoron.
Sprinting is clearly cheaper. As is autotesting etc.
If you want to go fast then nothing is cheap.
If you want to go for the gap or find the last 3/10ths then hitting things is expensive.
If you want to be at the front then nothing is too expensive.
How is it an oxymoron?Sprinting is clearly cheaper. As is autotesting etc.
If you want to go fast then nothing is cheap.
If you want to go for the gap or find the last 3/10ths then hitting things is expensive.
If you want to be at the front then nothing is too expensive.
I was looking for the cheapest form of track racing. That means essentially: the cheapest to buy a car for; and, the cheapest track racing series to enter.
I never mentioned anything about speed.
I never mentioned anything about winning or being at the front of the grid.
As for hitting things being expensive, clearly that is linked to a cheap car. Crash a cheap car, you may have lost £1-2k. Crash a more expensive and you have lost more money.
Where is the oxymoron in my question?
As for the question developing in to a realisation that AutoSolos, Sprints and Hill Climbs might be a better route to eventually doing track racing, that is just development of an idea over a period of time.
BertBert said:
If the OP is looking for the lowest poss cost then things like HSCC roadsports is way off
BertI really do wish that you would read what I put.
I clearly said, HSCC "70s Roadsports" Not "Historic Roadsports, which is a different kettle of (expensive) fish.
http://70sroadsports.co.uk/about/70s-road-sports/
http://www.hscc.org.uk/hscc-media/2-uncategorised/...
A series for cars such as the aforementioned Porsche 924, or MGB or MG Midget etc., amongst others. They even give you extra points if you drive to the meetings.
It's probably the only series I know of, where competitors are encouraged to drive to the meetings.
Cars such as the MGs or 924 are relatively easy to buy and prep for this sort of series, or are available already, and there are lots of spares around. The cars can also be used in other series, such as the CSCC series, where there is the ability to share.
Edited by andy97 on Friday 22 July 11:25
Edited by andy97 on Friday 22 July 11:29
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