A dubious self-build racing plan
Discussion
Grant.C said:
drmotorsport said:
I guess you could keep the OEM seatbelt in as well as harness subject to pretensioner/airbag lights not going off. However i doubt a regular 3 point seatbelt would fit correctly around the wing on a modern race seat. IIRC you need an E marked race harness to be road legal - surely the rally boys have found a solution for that side.
Yeah I've been having a look at harnesses and general race car MOTs. It seems like harnesses need to meet a BS standard to pass the MOT, and 'E' mark to be road legal, so should be OK if you can find the right one.General MOT seems more up to the tester, there are clauses which allow for standard equipment (airbags etc.) to be removed in some cases with the example of rally cars driving between stages being given. It seems race cars probably come under this but it's not black and white. Some people seem to make it work though, including our man in the Fiesta.
MOT time with a Rally Car/Race Car/RallyRep etc?
Racing harnesses for road?
MOT Requirements for Seatbelts and Harnesses
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
there is a cheap 206gti series as part of the track attack race club
https://racecollective.com/championships/206-gti-c...
3k gets you a car.
I've been looking into this, seems it is possible to get a 206 GTi race car for the Track Attack series for under £4k. This is now Plan A.https://racecollective.com/championships/206-gti-c...
3k gets you a car.
df76 said:
This meets both requirements https://www.schroth.com/en/racing/street-legal/det...
Thanks, looks like that's the harness for me.Kickstart said:
What about buying a really good system to go virtual racing instead, I appreciate its not the real thing but its doable, fairly cheap and you can be up and racing in a few days.
Way ahead of you there! I started sim racing a few months back. I am enjoying it, and plan to continue whatever happens IRL. I'm at the point though where the next step is more serious money on a direct drive wheel and so on - but if could put that money towards racing IRL instead, I'd rather do that.Grant.C said:
df76 said:
This meets both requirements https://www.schroth.com/en/racing/street-legal/det...
Thanks, looks like that's the harness for me.Hi, I have had my Type R EP3 since i bought it from the dealer with 22 miles on the clock sadly i have to stop driving due to my Cardiac problem. My dream was always to rebuild it as a race car but alas it will never be on my watch.
If interested let me know happy to supply pics and final mileage of vehicle as it is now standing in my drive just wasting away
Regards
GarthO
If interested let me know happy to supply pics and final mileage of vehicle as it is now standing in my drive just wasting away
Regards
GarthO
GarthO said:
Hi, I have had my Type R EP3 since i bought it from the dealer with 22 miles on the clock sadly i have to stop driving due to my Cardiac problem. My dream was always to rebuild it as a race car but alas it will never be on my watch.
If interested let me know happy to supply pics and final mileage of vehicle as it is now standing in my drive just wasting away
Regards
GarthO
Don't want to hijack the thread but I might be interested, think my account is open for emails/PMs. If interested let me know happy to supply pics and final mileage of vehicle as it is now standing in my drive just wasting away
Regards
GarthO
Grant.C said:
That does sounds pretty good value, about the same as most of the 116/MX-5 race cars I've seen. Unfortunately I don't have £12k though.
£12k is insane money for an MX-5 or 116i, even fully built. Where have you been looking???There are actually quite a few series where cars can be had for sub £5k, MX5s, MR2s, Clios are all popular. EP3 makes for a great race car but if I remember rightly are weirdly expensive, maybe due to the popularity and quality of their one make series. I’ve paid £3k, £4k, £3k for my 3 big Jag racers, though the latest is incomplete and needs finishing- I could point you in the direction of 2 or 3 of those available for ~£5k for example. In almost all cases though it will be cheaper to buy than build. Race cars have naff all residual value especially for something that gets lavished with parts. I’d identify what floats your boat that you think you may be able to afford (FWD, RWD, touring-car cut and thrust, ultimate performance), then get taking to the racers, maybe go to a race or two- a lot of race cars are sold between mates and never make it ‘for sale’ publicly, so you’ll probably only find the best value cars when someone in the club says, ‘oh yeah I’m pretty sure so-and-so was selling one of those, give him a bell’
CanoeSniffer said:
£12k is insane money for an MX-5 or 116i, even fully built. Where have you been looking???
There are actually quite a few series where cars can be had for sub £5k, MX5s, MR2s, Clios are all popular.
Mainly Facebook groups. I've started to look around though, and yeah it seems there are a few that can be found for £5k and under. The trouble I think is like you say, many of them aren't publicised - Racecarsdirect.com has a few though.There are actually quite a few series where cars can be had for sub £5k, MX5s, MR2s, Clios are all popular.
This is good news - puts my plans back a bit while I save up for a higher initial outlay, but it will be cheaper overall and I'll be racing sooner.
I'll need to start checking out a few more series. It would need to be a tin top, ideally RWD - maybe MR2s, I used to drive a Mk2. BMW Compact Cup also looks interesting, I saw one of those for £6k. I suspect the most budget end will be all FWD, but that's OK - I don't really mind at that point, whatever's cheapest.
This sort of thing would be a decent starter option. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275681506699?mkcid=16&a...
Grant.C did you find a suitable race series? If you are still considering options I can recommend the RX8 Trophy run by the CSCC:
https://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/rx-8-trophy
I built my own car in 2020 and did the majority of the work myself (other than welding in the cage mounts). The rules are pretty restrictive to keep costs down, the regulations even include a step by step build guide to guide you through the process. The series required the cars to remain road legal with an MOT and several of us drive them to and from events as much like you I don't have the space to keep a trailer. I built my car for under £4k including the cost of the car. 231hp, rear wheel drive, LSD, 9k rpm red line and a decent handling chassis - its a fun entry level race series!
https://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/rx-8-trophy
I built my own car in 2020 and did the majority of the work myself (other than welding in the cage mounts). The rules are pretty restrictive to keep costs down, the regulations even include a step by step build guide to guide you through the process. The series required the cars to remain road legal with an MOT and several of us drive them to and from events as much like you I don't have the space to keep a trailer. I built my car for under £4k including the cost of the car. 231hp, rear wheel drive, LSD, 9k rpm red line and a decent handling chassis - its a fun entry level race series!
STORM22 said:
Grant.C did you find a suitable race series? If you are still considering options I can recommend the RX8 Trophy run by the CSCC:
https://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/rx-8-trophy
Hi Storm, no not yet. Well there are a few suitable series, it's the road-legal race car part which is more of a challenge.https://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/rx-8-trophy
RX-8 Trophy looks very interesting, could have been designed just for me in fact. Relatively cheap RWD car with simple build which is road legal, sign me up! I can even listen to the stereo on the way to the track. :-) 230BHP seems kind of spicy for a novice racer though.
Are you guys at Snetterton in a couple of weeks? I might come down and check it out.
What are the down sides - do people end up getting towed home much? What's the reliability of the RX-8's like? I guess it goes through the consumables fairly quickly.
Grant.C said:
RX-8 Trophy looks very interesting, could have been designed just for me in fact. Relatively cheap RWD car with simple build which is road legal, sign me up! I can even listen to the stereo on the way to the track. :-) 230BHP seems kind of spicy for a novice racer though.
Are you guys at Snetterton in a couple of weeks? I might come down and check it out.
What are the down sides - do people end up getting towed home much? What's the reliability of the RX-8's like? I guess it goes through the consumables fairly quickly.
It’s a good formula, you get some funny looks in the paddock when people see the speakers are still in the back but having a stereo keeps you sane on the long drive to the circuits!Are you guys at Snetterton in a couple of weeks? I might come down and check it out.
What are the down sides - do people end up getting towed home much? What's the reliability of the RX-8's like? I guess it goes through the consumables fairly quickly.
The power isn’t too intimidating, the chassis set up is pretty progressive and predictable as it has a decent wheelbase.
I’m all signed up for Snett so if you do make it down there look for car 122, I’d be happy to have a chat and answer any questions you have on the series.
In terms of down sides… not too many to be fair, the driving standards are pretty high with the CSCC so you aren’t trading paint at each event. As I said in my last post, quite a few of the RX8s are driven to the circuits and I’m not aware of anyone needing a recovery truck at the events I’ve been to so far.
They are quirky cars for sure with the rotary engine but they work best when rev’d hard. You top up the oil with each tank of fuel but it’s not that much. For other consumables, a set of tyres should last you a season at least, brake pads maybe 3-4 races depending how you use them. Everything else is like any other car you would race with.
I have driven road cars to compete in sprints and Hillclimbs and some forms of rallying, on and off, for may years.
When you are far away from home you are always conscious that an accident or break down would be very difficult. You'd basically have 2 choices :
1) leave the car at the venue, hope it is still there and in one piece when you come to collect it next weekend (by hiring a transporter? or tow car and trailer?) and make your way home on public transport, hundreds of miles, starting from the countryside on a Sunday afternoon.
2) find someone willing to transport you and the car home at short notice, starting in the countryside on a Sunday afternoon and pay whatever it costs.
This worry takes some of the fun out of the event and, I suspect, costs some lap time too.
I now only do events close enough that family or friends could come and get me. If I go back to national level competition I'd definitely use a trailer.
When you are far away from home you are always conscious that an accident or break down would be very difficult. You'd basically have 2 choices :
1) leave the car at the venue, hope it is still there and in one piece when you come to collect it next weekend (by hiring a transporter? or tow car and trailer?) and make your way home on public transport, hundreds of miles, starting from the countryside on a Sunday afternoon.
2) find someone willing to transport you and the car home at short notice, starting in the countryside on a Sunday afternoon and pay whatever it costs.
This worry takes some of the fun out of the event and, I suspect, costs some lap time too.
I now only do events close enough that family or friends could come and get me. If I go back to national level competition I'd definitely use a trailer.
Duke Caboom said:
I have driven road cars to compete in sprints and Hillclimbs and some forms of rallying, on and off, for may years.
When you are far away from home you are always conscious that an accident or break down would be very difficult.
Yeah I appreciate it's not ideal, but I'd rather be worried about getting home than not racing. I'm planning to stick to more local rounds, initially at least. My plan is to get some recovery company details ahead of schedule and hope one of them can take me and the car home if the worst happens, which I reckon will be £300-odd.When you are far away from home you are always conscious that an accident or break down would be very difficult.
Following the advice of the learned PH community I've acquired a pre-raced RX-8 which I'm hoping to run in the CSCC RX-8 Trophy:
It needs some work as things are out of date and it's not currently race-spec, but hopefully it's stuff my minimal spannering skills can cope with - hard bits like roll cage and wiring are done.
Good thing about this series is the cars are road legal and minimally modified (standard shocks, still has stereo, etc.), which should make driving to the track less of a chore.
Wish me luck!
It needs some work as things are out of date and it's not currently race-spec, but hopefully it's stuff my minimal spannering skills can cope with - hard bits like roll cage and wiring are done.
Good thing about this series is the cars are road legal and minimally modified (standard shocks, still has stereo, etc.), which should make driving to the track less of a chore.
Wish me luck!
Well done for taking the plunge mate!
I did 1 full season driving my road legal race car to the track, and home again. It wasn't the perfect setup - but it got me racing again and suited my budget and space constraints. So I'm glad I did it.
Definitely is true that it costs you some lap time.. with you having half an eye on the journey home. But that's not such a terrible thing in your first season - there are benefits, such as being less likely to make a mistake and crash your car.
Good luck with it, keep us updated
I did 1 full season driving my road legal race car to the track, and home again. It wasn't the perfect setup - but it got me racing again and suited my budget and space constraints. So I'm glad I did it.
Definitely is true that it costs you some lap time.. with you having half an eye on the journey home. But that's not such a terrible thing in your first season - there are benefits, such as being less likely to make a mistake and crash your car.
Good luck with it, keep us updated
Grant.C said:
Following the advice of the learned PH community I've acquired a pre-raced RX-8 which I'm hoping to run in the CSCC RX-8 Trophy:
It needs some work as things are out of date and it's not currently race-spec, but hopefully it's stuff my minimal spannering skills can cope with - hard bits like roll cage and wiring are done.
Good thing about this series is the cars are road legal and minimally modified (standard shocks, still has stereo, etc.), which should make driving to the track less of a chore.
Wish me luck!
It needs some work as things are out of date and it's not currently race-spec, but hopefully it's stuff my minimal spannering skills can cope with - hard bits like roll cage and wiring are done.
Good thing about this series is the cars are road legal and minimally modified (standard shocks, still has stereo, etc.), which should make driving to the track less of a chore.
Wish me luck!
Brilliant. Well done. Good luck.
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