Classic Car Racing
Discussion
Top Gear went classic car racing a year or two ago. I'd like to do the same thing, but I need a car. However, despite endless Google searches I can't find out how old a car has to be to qualify for entry. Does it vary from race to race or is there are standard definition of "classic car"? Any help would be most appreciated.
Many classic car clubs have their own race series so each ones definition of classic will be the years that their cars were made.
The Austin Healey club for instance have races for all AHs from 54 to 70, split into classes for Sprites and Big Healeys and also into road going and modified, I'm sure other clubs have similar splits.
I don't think there's a national series of Classic Car Races - Silverstone, Goodwood, Castle Combe etc have a load of races over a weekend for different classes, eg pre 66, pre 70, pre 60 etc saloons, sportcars....
There isn't a definitive date for what is classic, it depends really on how old you are, there have been endless discussions on here about what's a classic, my 90 yr old mum didn't think my 1959 car was old, it would have to be pre war for her, my 17 yr old daughter would think a 1990 escort was ancient.
Edit, just checked TG, they went rallying if that's the one you were thinking of, look at the Historic Rally Car Register for requirements, they restrict to 4 cyls and 2(?) choke carbs to keep the really fast stuff (Escorts & Porsches) out and then grouped by years, I think 81 is the final cut off, I suppose that might creep forward as time goes on.
The Austin Healey club for instance have races for all AHs from 54 to 70, split into classes for Sprites and Big Healeys and also into road going and modified, I'm sure other clubs have similar splits.
I don't think there's a national series of Classic Car Races - Silverstone, Goodwood, Castle Combe etc have a load of races over a weekend for different classes, eg pre 66, pre 70, pre 60 etc saloons, sportcars....
There isn't a definitive date for what is classic, it depends really on how old you are, there have been endless discussions on here about what's a classic, my 90 yr old mum didn't think my 1959 car was old, it would have to be pre war for her, my 17 yr old daughter would think a 1990 escort was ancient.
Edit, just checked TG, they went rallying if that's the one you were thinking of, look at the Historic Rally Car Register for requirements, they restrict to 4 cyls and 2(?) choke carbs to keep the really fast stuff (Escorts & Porsches) out and then grouped by years, I think 81 is the final cut off, I suppose that might creep forward as time goes on.
Edited by john2443 on Sunday 7th October 21:05
SonicHedgeHog said:
Does it vary from race to race or is there are standard definition of "classic car"?
There are standard FIA /MSA definitions of periods, but it is up to organisers to define what type of car the event or typically a series is open to. So it depends on the organising club. Depends what you want to do, prehaps ask over on the UK Club Motorsport section.john2443 said:
Many classic car clubs have their own race series so each ones definition of classic will be the years that their cars were made.
The Austin Healey club for instance have races for all AHs from 54 to 70, split into classes for Sprites and Big Healeys and also into road going and modified, I'm sure other clubs have similar splits.
I don't think there's a national series of Classic Car Races - Silverstone, Goodwood, Castle Combe etc have a load of races over a weekend for different classes, eg pre 66, pre 70, pre 60 etc saloons, sportcars....
There isn't a definitive date for what is classic, it depends really on how old you are, there have been endless discussions on here about what's a classic, my 90 yr old mum didn't think my 1959 car was old, it would have to be pre war for her, my 17 yr old daughter would think a 1990 escort was ancient.
Edit, just checked TG, they went rallying if that's the one you were thinking of, look at the Historic Rally Car Register for requirements, they restrict to 4 cyls and 2(?) choke carbs to keep the really fast stuff (Escorts & Porsches) out and then grouped by years, I think 81 is the final cut off, I suppose that might creep forward as time goes on.
I'd say it probably was the Historic Road Rallying you remember, they were abroad in Spain if I remember rightly.The Austin Healey club for instance have races for all AHs from 54 to 70, split into classes for Sprites and Big Healeys and also into road going and modified, I'm sure other clubs have similar splits.
I don't think there's a national series of Classic Car Races - Silverstone, Goodwood, Castle Combe etc have a load of races over a weekend for different classes, eg pre 66, pre 70, pre 60 etc saloons, sportcars....
There isn't a definitive date for what is classic, it depends really on how old you are, there have been endless discussions on here about what's a classic, my 90 yr old mum didn't think my 1959 car was old, it would have to be pre war for her, my 17 yr old daughter would think a 1990 escort was ancient.
Edit, just checked TG, they went rallying if that's the one you were thinking of, look at the Historic Rally Car Register for requirements, they restrict to 4 cyls and 2(?) choke carbs to keep the really fast stuff (Escorts & Porsches) out and then grouped by years, I think 81 is the final cut off, I suppose that might creep forward as time goes on.
Edited by john2443 on Sunday 7th October 21:05
The restrictions on 4 Cylinders and Twin Carbs etc only apply to night Road events, the MSA are happy to apply waivers to allow Porsche's and twincam Escorts, Alfa's and the like to enter on daylight road rallies. Pre 81 is the cut off and I don't think that will change in the near future, though there are a lot of rumblings about new formats which might lead to more modern cars competing.
Best check out HRCR's technical pagess on their website. It's a very attainable sport and much easier on the pocket than circuit racing, there's events to enter from as little as 50.00 quid to as much as 5000 quid, depending on your taste and budget.
Thanks guys. I want to do the same kind of racing as Top Gear did. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that classic car means CLASSIC car in so far as some quite old stuff isn't old enough yet to qualify. I was hoping something from the early 80s might be old enough, but by the sounds of it it's 70s and earlier. Shame really because that not only narrows the choice but also bumps up the price. Off I go to the classifieds.
SonicHedgeHog said:
Thanks guys. I want to do the same kind of racing as Top Gear did. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that classic car means CLASSIC car in so far as some quite old stuff isn't old enough yet to qualify. I was hoping something from the early 80s might be old enough, but by the sounds of it it's 70s and earlier. Shame really because that not only narrows the choice but also bumps up the price. Off I go to the classifieds.
Did you look at the http://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/ link posted above? TinTops and Future Classics may do what you want.The 750MC do some series that may also get you what you want http://www.750mc.co.uk/racing.php
Thanks again everyone. Head is spinning reading all these links. I'm reading all of them, but none of them so far say pre-1980 or pre-1970 or whatever. You'd think that would be the first thing they'd tell you. It's almost as though they set out to make it as complicated as possible.
To try and stop your head spinning, try and let us know what you actually want to do. So far you've just said 'like Top Gear did!', problem is Top Gear has done lots of stuff, though to be honest I can't remember them actually racing classic cars.
Do you want to race a Cars on circuits, do you want to try Sprints and Hillclimbs, or perhaps do you want to try Rallying?.
How old is the Car you might want to use (or buy) and how much do you want to spend on it?.
What sort of budget do you have for a years sport?.
You must ask those questions of yourself before anybody else can help.
Motor sport can be stupidly expensive, but it can also be very cheap, you need to give us a ball park so we know if you are likely to be wanting be drive a 250GTO at Goodwood (Budget for a few Million), or a 205GTi around the Lanes in the middle of the night (Budget for a couple of grand!).
Do you want to race a Cars on circuits, do you want to try Sprints and Hillclimbs, or perhaps do you want to try Rallying?.
How old is the Car you might want to use (or buy) and how much do you want to spend on it?.
What sort of budget do you have for a years sport?.
You must ask those questions of yourself before anybody else can help.
Motor sport can be stupidly expensive, but it can also be very cheap, you need to give us a ball park so we know if you are likely to be wanting be drive a 250GTO at Goodwood (Budget for a few Million), or a 205GTi around the Lanes in the middle of the night (Budget for a couple of grand!).
velocemitch said:
To try and stop your head spinning, try and let us know what you actually want to do. So far you've just said 'like Top Gear did!', problem is Top Gear has done lots of stuff, though to be honest I can't remember them actually racing classic cars.
Do you want to race a Cars on circuits, do you want to try Sprints and Hillclimbs, or perhaps do you want to try Rallying?.
How old is the Car you might want to use (or buy) and how much do you want to spend on it?.
What sort of budget do you have for a years sport?.
You must ask those questions of yourself before anybody else can help.
Motor sport can be stupidly expensive, but it can also be very cheap, you need to give us a ball park so we know if you are likely to be wanting be drive a 250GTO at Goodwood (Budget for a few Million), or a 205GTi around the Lanes in the middle of the night (Budget for a couple of grand!).
This +1.Do you want to race a Cars on circuits, do you want to try Sprints and Hillclimbs, or perhaps do you want to try Rallying?.
How old is the Car you might want to use (or buy) and how much do you want to spend on it?.
What sort of budget do you have for a years sport?.
You must ask those questions of yourself before anybody else can help.
Motor sport can be stupidly expensive, but it can also be very cheap, you need to give us a ball park so we know if you are likely to be wanting be drive a 250GTO at Goodwood (Budget for a few Million), or a 205GTi around the Lanes in the middle of the night (Budget for a couple of grand!).
Also, think about the car you'd like to be racing...something that gets the heart pounding. Then talk to others about the costs of racing per season. If your budget's up to it, find a car and go for it. Sprints and Hillclimbs are the entry level into motorsport and can be huge fun. Some circuit racers only do a percentage of races, some do a full season. Start with a car that is straight forward to drive and straight forward to repair. Don't be put off by the lower cost cars as when 'sorted' can be super quick...even the humble MG Midget, MGB's, and MX5's are hugely entertaining. Get a good taster for racing by taking some track days at different circuits, cut your teeth, then have some fun.
I didn't say what kind of rallying I was interested in because I wasn't sure of its exact name. It turns out it is historic time trailing. Frankly I'm not that bothered about having an historic car, but rather the fun of the rally. Something like an early 205GTI would be perfect because I could fix that myself and it should be pretty reliable.
When you don't know the exact phraseology it is quite difficult to Google this stuff as you can't seem to get past the endless links to track racing which is not something I'm particularly bothered about.
Although the tone of my posts may have suggested otherwise I am very grateful for your help.
When you don't know the exact phraseology it is quite difficult to Google this stuff as you can't seem to get past the endless links to track racing which is not something I'm particularly bothered about.
Although the tone of my posts may have suggested otherwise I am very grateful for your help.
It sounds like the closest fit for your interest is actually road rallying as oppose to 'Historic' road rallying. Basicaly the the former is using modern cars at night on fast timed road sections, where as Historic rallying requires a 'classic' car of pre 81 build.
Historics as a rule use daylight regularity on the public road and off road special tests. The modern events don't generally run in daylight but run at night with timed to the minute, or timed to the second, road sections on the public roads. Cars tend to be modified Hatchbacks, Golfs, Pug 106 or 205, Protons etc etc, plus of course Escorts which are still popular and very competitive.
If you do a wikipedia search for road rallying there is a description of it there, but it is somewhat sanitised.... if you get my drift!. Also check out facebook as there is a 'British Road Rallying' page which is starting to get some interesting information on it too now.
In terms of cost it's probably the cheapest way of getting into some real motorsport action, with events costing between £60 and £100 and using cars which can be bought for a couple of grand. You don't need much in terms of preperation a Sump guard and good clock at a minimum, though if you got serious you would want a Roll cage and harnesses etc most do.
You can start even cheaper too, by doing Club '12 car' events which tend to be run in the evenings and cost peanuts to enter.
Surrey I'm afraid is probably not the best place in the country though, it's not exactly compatible with busy built up areas. You also need a Navigator of course, which can be a problem these days.... there's not many of us about
Historics as a rule use daylight regularity on the public road and off road special tests. The modern events don't generally run in daylight but run at night with timed to the minute, or timed to the second, road sections on the public roads. Cars tend to be modified Hatchbacks, Golfs, Pug 106 or 205, Protons etc etc, plus of course Escorts which are still popular and very competitive.
If you do a wikipedia search for road rallying there is a description of it there, but it is somewhat sanitised.... if you get my drift!. Also check out facebook as there is a 'British Road Rallying' page which is starting to get some interesting information on it too now.
In terms of cost it's probably the cheapest way of getting into some real motorsport action, with events costing between £60 and £100 and using cars which can be bought for a couple of grand. You don't need much in terms of preperation a Sump guard and good clock at a minimum, though if you got serious you would want a Roll cage and harnesses etc most do.
You can start even cheaper too, by doing Club '12 car' events which tend to be run in the evenings and cost peanuts to enter.
Surrey I'm afraid is probably not the best place in the country though, it's not exactly compatible with busy built up areas. You also need a Navigator of course, which can be a problem these days.... there's not many of us about
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