Discussion
Me and a fellow PH member have done plenty of trackdays (and I've done a bit of sprinting) but we are thinking about entering a race series next year and need suggestions as to which series to enter. The main criteria we need to fulfill are:
- we want to share a car yet get enough track time each
- must be rear wheel drive
- must be at the cheap end of the market!
So far we've seen the Future Classics series which would give us a 40 minutes race, with an enforced pit stop to allow driver changes - we'd probably go the 924/944 or MX5 route. On the face of it it's perfect but we'd like to weigh up our options before splashing out on a car. Also, what we don't have is any idea of which series are in the ascendancy and maybe are on their way out.
What would you suggest?
- we want to share a car yet get enough track time each
- must be rear wheel drive
- must be at the cheap end of the market!
So far we've seen the Future Classics series which would give us a 40 minutes race, with an enforced pit stop to allow driver changes - we'd probably go the 924/944 or MX5 route. On the face of it it's perfect but we'd like to weigh up our options before splashing out on a car. Also, what we don't have is any idea of which series are in the ascendancy and maybe are on their way out.
What would you suggest?
Future Classics certainly looks in the ascendancy. I have no idea how many are actually registered but they gave me number 82. A 944 would put you up against me and quite a few other similar cars, I count 4 S2's, 2 turbo's and what looks like 4 8v cars, so 10 944's in total turning out at Mallory next week. I believe that is more 944's than in any other UK race series or championship.
worldwidewebs said:
How're you finding the series? I really don't know much about "racing" so any advice regarding cars/series etc would be mpst welcome. Also, is there a difference between series and championship?
Mallory is my first race so to early to say on that count, EMC Motorsport in Birmingham built most of my car and have been helping me get started. I would definitely recommend calling them. There are a few CSCC regulars on here so I am sure they will be along in a minute to.I race in CSCC Tintops. Its my first season so cant really compare to other clubs/series but we are really pleased with the choice we made.
Everyone in the paddock is very freindly
We like the fact that the rules are kept simple. Ive spent hours looking through rules online for certain series/championships.
Come along to a meeting and have a watch and a chat.
Everyone in the paddock is very freindly
We like the fact that the rules are kept simple. Ive spent hours looking through rules online for certain series/championships.
Come along to a meeting and have a watch and a chat.
As well as CSCC (where all the above race, as I do), also consider the MSV Trackday Trophy series - which has been designed just for chaps like you; coming straight from trackdays.
Same format as CSCC, but you only race against fellow novices with classes split on power per weight ratio.
I've raced in both series this year, and although I personally think CSCC is the best around, the MSV Trophy was also a good event.
Andy
Same format as CSCC, but you only race against fellow novices with classes split on power per weight ratio.
I've raced in both series this year, and although I personally think CSCC is the best around, the MSV Trophy was also a good event.
Andy
Buying a Porsche 924 and racing with the BRSCC Porsche Championship would fulfill your criteria.
Sharing a car - we shared a car to start with and plenty other new drivers have done the same. Then they get the bug and buy a second car
Rear wheel driver - The 924 is a very well balanced rear wheel drive car, with the engine in front and gearbox at the back
Cost - We have brought race prepared cars from as little as £2000
The championship has been fantastic this year with several drivers in with a chance of winning the title this year. The top 6-8 drivers have regularly had lap times within half a second, providing close and clean racing.
Take a look at our website www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk and get in touch? Its a really friendly club
Sharing a car - we shared a car to start with and plenty other new drivers have done the same. Then they get the bug and buy a second car
Rear wheel driver - The 924 is a very well balanced rear wheel drive car, with the engine in front and gearbox at the back
Cost - We have brought race prepared cars from as little as £2000
The championship has been fantastic this year with several drivers in with a chance of winning the title this year. The top 6-8 drivers have regularly had lap times within half a second, providing close and clean racing.
Take a look at our website www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk and get in touch? Its a really friendly club
Mx5 racing!!!!!
You have two choices......
Ma5da... Large grids but lot's of contact.
Max5.... Small grids (but building race on race) this year we have 5 newcomers.
I'm not going to type forever but a safe/friendly environment for new racers.
Please feel free to contact me for more info
Paul
You have two choices......
Ma5da... Large grids but lot's of contact.
Max5.... Small grids (but building race on race) this year we have 5 newcomers.
I'm not going to type forever but a safe/friendly environment for new racers.
Please feel free to contact me for more info
Paul
Porsche Racer said:
Buying a Porsche 924 and racing with the BRSCC Porsche Championship would fulfill your criteria.
Sharing a car - we shared a car to start with and plenty other new drivers have done the same. Then they get the bug and buy a second car
Rear wheel driver - The 924 is a very well balanced rear wheel drive car, with the engine in front and gearbox at the back
Cost - We have brought race prepared cars from as little as £2000
The championship has been fantastic this year with several drivers in with a chance of winning the title this year. The top 6-8 drivers have regularly had lap times within half a second, providing close and clean racing.
Take a look at our website www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk and get in touch? Its a really friendly club
I have looked at that series and does interest me but I'm not sure how you go about sharing a car, IYSWIM. One of the main criteria for us is that we get lots of track time each from a single car. For a few reasons we won't be able to go down the 1 car each route unfortunatelySharing a car - we shared a car to start with and plenty other new drivers have done the same. Then they get the bug and buy a second car
Rear wheel driver - The 924 is a very well balanced rear wheel drive car, with the engine in front and gearbox at the back
Cost - We have brought race prepared cars from as little as £2000
The championship has been fantastic this year with several drivers in with a chance of winning the title this year. The top 6-8 drivers have regularly had lap times within half a second, providing close and clean racing.
Take a look at our website www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk and get in touch? Its a really friendly club
roddo said:
Mx5 racing!!!!!
You have two choices......
Ma5da... Large grids but lot's of contact.
Max5.... Small grids (but building race on race) this year we have 5 newcomers.
I'm not going to type forever but a safe/friendly environment for new racers.
Please feel free to contact me for more info
Paul
Hi PaulYou have two choices......
Ma5da... Large grids but lot's of contact.
Max5.... Small grids (but building race on race) this year we have 5 newcomers.
I'm not going to type forever but a safe/friendly environment for new racers.
Please feel free to contact me for more info
Paul
Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Ma5da series but it doesn't really stack up with one car and two drivers. It's a shame really as we both love MX5s. Having said that, I'm a wuss and would prefer something with a roof - one of the reasons I sold my Westfield was I was sick of getting rained on at trackdays
worldwidewebs said:
Hi Paul
Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Ma5da series but it doesn't really stack up with one car and two drivers. It's a shame really as we both love MX5s. Having said that, I'm a wuss and would prefer something with a roof - one of the reasons I sold my Westfield was I was sick of getting rained on at trackdays
I think car sharing in the Ma5da's would work the same as in the Porsche championship, one race each during the weekend. Bear in mind Ma5da track time is likely to be much more in 2011 than it has been this year. Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Ma5da series but it doesn't really stack up with one car and two drivers. It's a shame really as we both love MX5s. Having said that, I'm a wuss and would prefer something with a roof - one of the reasons I sold my Westfield was I was sick of getting rained on at trackdays
I raced a 924 in the Porsche championship before Mazda's and i would say that contact between cars happens in both, it's largely down to how you drive, I've had clean races and picked up damage in both championships and wouldn't say either is worse in my experience.
I have discovered this year that the MX5 is considerably more reliable and less work maintaining than the 924 (simply a newer car?) and that at the moment it's much more competitive racing in the Ma5da's, but this can be both a good and bad thing depending on how you see it.
ma5da90 said:
worldwidewebs said:
Hi Paul
Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Ma5da series but it doesn't really stack up with one car and two drivers. It's a shame really as we both love MX5s. Having said that, I'm a wuss and would prefer something with a roof - one of the reasons I sold my Westfield was I was sick of getting rained on at trackdays
I think car sharing in the Ma5da's would work the same as in the Porsche championship, one race each during the weekend. Bear in mind Ma5da track time is likely to be much more in 2011 than it has been this year. Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Ma5da series but it doesn't really stack up with one car and two drivers. It's a shame really as we both love MX5s. Having said that, I'm a wuss and would prefer something with a roof - one of the reasons I sold my Westfield was I was sick of getting rained on at trackdays
I raced a 924 in the Porsche championship before Mazda's and i would say that contact between cars happens in both, it's largely down to how you drive, I've had clean races and picked up damage in both championships and wouldn't say either is worse in my experience.
I have discovered this year that the MX5 is considerably more reliable and less work maintaining than the 924 (simply a newer car?) and that at the moment it's much more competitive racing in the Ma5da's, but this can be both a good and bad thing depending on how you see it.
How do you find the running costs of the 924 and are there any specialists around? What are the common issues with them?
Ma5da Races are 15 mins this year, this was due to the unexpected numbers of entrants (average has been something like 70 per meeting this year) so the track time which was bought had to be split to accomodate everyone. Next year I assume more track time will be bought to get back to longer races but not sure yet what the plan is, this is where you're probably best speaking to Jonanthon Blake (co-ordinator) or checking on the forum http://www.ma5daracing.com/forum/index.php Of course there is also the Max5 championship too, i'm not familiar with it but it's probably worth investingating.
Running costs are pretty similar for the two cars, some parts are more expensive and some cheaper on each so it probably works out similar overall if you do the work yourself. I can't comment on specialists really, having run both cars entirely from home, but there are definately specialists running Mx5's. I'm sure there are also people who will run the 924, Gwyn for example when i raced them.
Also worth checking out their forum http://www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk/forum/ unfortunately it's new, so a lot of the old information built up over the years has been lost from it.
Some 924 parts were becoming hard to come by, such as oversize pistons, this may have been solved since i left, MX5 parts are readily available (again they're simply a newer car).
hope it helps
Running costs are pretty similar for the two cars, some parts are more expensive and some cheaper on each so it probably works out similar overall if you do the work yourself. I can't comment on specialists really, having run both cars entirely from home, but there are definately specialists running Mx5's. I'm sure there are also people who will run the 924, Gwyn for example when i raced them.
Also worth checking out their forum http://www.porscheracingdrivers.co.uk/forum/ unfortunately it's new, so a lot of the old information built up over the years has been lost from it.
Some 924 parts were becoming hard to come by, such as oversize pistons, this may have been solved since i left, MX5 parts are readily available (again they're simply a newer car).
hope it helps
Edited by ma5da90 on Sunday 22 August 16:30
Remember, whether you buy a 924 or an MX5 you can enter their specific championships if you wish as a single driver and still enter the CSCC Future Classics series (or the MSV Trackday Tophy series) as a pair of drivers in 40 min races. CSCC also has a 1 hour race at Spa you can enter & the 924 is eligible for the CSCC's annual invite for pre 1981 cars to the Nurburgring 300 Km race.
Loads of flexibility.
Loads of flexibility.
Edited by andy97 on Sunday 22 August 21:11
Look at the SPEED series - it's built around 2 drivers sharing a car.
Proper cars, proper speeds, no contact - perfect!
A Radical Prosport is highly competitive, relatively cheap to buy & very cheap/easy to run.
Control fuel & tyres limits the scope for fat cheque books to rule.
You get 45mins each on track per race.
Seems to fit your specification perfectly!
Come along to Silverstone in September to sample & see.
Alternately, you could go 2CV racing..................
Proper cars, proper speeds, no contact - perfect!
A Radical Prosport is highly competitive, relatively cheap to buy & very cheap/easy to run.
Control fuel & tyres limits the scope for fat cheque books to rule.
You get 45mins each on track per race.
Seems to fit your specification perfectly!
Come along to Silverstone in September to sample & see.
Alternately, you could go 2CV racing..................
I'm thinking the Future Classics is the way to go although if someone can get us a car for the SPEED series for about £5k that might be an option 
Both the MX5 and 924 look like good options to buy and although I'm pretty familiar with Mazdas, I think I need to do a bit more research on the Porsches.
Who are the main 924 specialists?
Both the MX5 and 924 look like good options to buy and although I'm pretty familiar with Mazdas, I think I need to do a bit more research on the Porsches.
Who are the main 924 specialists?
Edited by worldwidewebs on Monday 23 August 18:41
The 924 rep is Jayson Flegg. We work and race together, althought Jayson is away on holiday at the moment. So I will help in the meantime if I can. My email address is mark.marshall@fleggtransport.co.uk if you wanted to chat "off-forum".
There are a couple of guys that can prepare and offer track day support, depending on whereabouts in the country you are and what help you would need.
We have also been hiring race cars and building engines for other competitors in the Championship so have a reasonable knowledge now.
To be honest, I think your decision would probably be made by the type of racing you might like. If you want to race with identical cars then our championship or MX5's is definatley worth a look (not aware of the speed series, so cant comment). If you dont mind pitting your wits against a different array of cars then future classics would be the way ahead.
We personally like the challenge of close, clean racing agaist identical cars.
Our rounds have been double headers, 20 minutes per race
There are a couple of guys that can prepare and offer track day support, depending on whereabouts in the country you are and what help you would need.
We have also been hiring race cars and building engines for other competitors in the Championship so have a reasonable knowledge now.
To be honest, I think your decision would probably be made by the type of racing you might like. If you want to race with identical cars then our championship or MX5's is definatley worth a look (not aware of the speed series, so cant comment). If you dont mind pitting your wits against a different array of cars then future classics would be the way ahead.
We personally like the challenge of close, clean racing agaist identical cars.
Our rounds have been double headers, 20 minutes per race
I've been racing a 924 in both BRSCC Porsche and Future Classics for the past 3 years (which is currently for sale on the CSCC and BRSCC Porsche websites by the way....). Both are well run and very friendly/welcoming series that are suitable for both novices and more experienced drivers. The main difference is that the BRSCC championship is a points scoring season long championship with very clearly defined (and pretty firmly applied) regs, while FC is a series of individual races with no season champion. The regs are also a lot more open. The 924s used to be renowned for body contact, but this year things are much improved and both series have generally very clean racing. The 924 is a great car as a starter race car whichever series you choose. They handle really well, are easy to work on and pretty robust. As others have pointed out some parts are easier to get hold of than others, but there are plenty of cars and lots of expertise out there.
Have a look at the ad which has my contact details on, and if you want to know a bit more about 924s in general or the merits of both series give me a call - or Jayson Flegg /Mark Marshall as mentioned by an earlier poster.
Have a look at the ad which has my contact details on, and if you want to know a bit more about 924s in general or the merits of both series give me a call - or Jayson Flegg /Mark Marshall as mentioned by an earlier poster.
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