Old farts in FF?

[RobM77]

micron750 said:

TIPPER said:

Thanks Lewis I had a suspicion that they wouldn't really be right for TDs.
Test days will be fine.

If your're planning to do one at combe get in early as they tend to get very full with only 6 to 8 cars only on track at a time at 15 mins a session;)

I find that a right hassle in a single seater, as it's such a hassle to get in and out of the car and often not that comfortable when you're in it. I've tested a few times at Combe, but much prefer the arrangement at other circuits.

Oh, that's something for the OP - strapping yourself into a single seater with no help can be awkward if he's planning on running his own car by himself. Plenty of people do it, but it's worth mentioning, especially for someone older who may not manage to put the right tension in the straps from within the narrow comfines of a FF or similar.

[TIPPER]

Thanks for the help.
I've made a decision to go for it
The Elise is going on the market and I'm hoping to get an FF as soon as its sold.
I'll probably stick to Sprints for this year and some test days to get used to the car and think about racing next year.
Looking forward to it

[norwichphoto]

Yes, another vote for Monoposto.

Sprinting, whilst cheap, doesn't give that much track time and you have to blitz the course in an unfamiliar car.

Track days do not like open wheel cars, but circuit test days are fine, will need ARDS test and race license.

[TIPPER]

Damn, blast, balls

Found out yesterday that if I sell the Elise at the moment then I'm likely to get hit with an unwanted tax bill (and I've only just paid one!) so its going to have to stay with me for a while which means I'm not going to be able to get myself a care to go racing with for a year or two.
Oh well, gives me a chance to loose a few pounds (weight) and I'm rather pleased the Elise will be staying.
Give me a year or two and I'll be on the grid though

[RobM77]

Sorry to hear that.

As above, unless you're extremely keen on competition, I'd stick to a few test days at first to get used to the car. In a sprint you'll be fired up to get a good time, and it's very easy to make a mistake in a single seater, potentially damaging the car.

The ARDS is easy and then you can do track days. It's cheap too if you don't mind obscure times or obscure circuits. Mallory used to do Wednesday mornings for £80; not sure if that's still the case.

[Galileo]

If you can't sell your car, why don't you rent an open wheeler for a couple of races? That way you'll know if you've made the right decision before going out and buying one.

[RobM77]

Galileo said:

If you can't sell your car, why don't you rent an open wheeler for a couple of races? That way you'll know if you've made the right decision before going out and buying one.

Great idea I think. I can't race this year for financial reasons, so the team that I drive with will have a car spare. E-mail me if you're interested; I can highly recommend them.

[TIPPER]

Thanks guys, I'll give the renting idea some thought. I've more or less got this years activites in the family diary to fit around the kids horse shows so I'll have to see how things go.
Many thanks for all your help. I've had some offers of rentals already but I'll be in touch before I commit Rob.
Definately going to be revisiting this - particularly as it got the green light from the boss!!!!!! (although I didn't mention racing at this stage!).