Bits to preo Saxo VTR for Stock Hatch or similar - what?

[jamiebae]

The Lotus is getting MoT'd this week, then will be up for sale and the current plan is to pick up a Saxo VTR to play with. I had a brand new one in 2003 and loved it, they're cheap now and seem to be the vehicle of choice for Stock Hatch. Tin Tops looks like it could be fun too, I also have a mate or two who would be interested in sharing the drive which would help with costs.

What I want to end up with is a car that's fairly flexible, can be used on the road if I have to as well as for track days and maybe some racing too.

With that in mind what kind of bits do I need to budget for? 6 point bolt in cage, seat(s), harness(es), tyres, pads etc are a given but what about suspension? What kind of kit do I need? Which bits can be replaced with standard parts (wishbones, balljoints, bearings etc) and what needs to be replaced?

There are a lot of modded cars out there but most have been lowered by winding the torsion bars back 2 notches and have nasty G-Max kit on the front end so I'm thinking a standard car would be best to start with.

Any other tips? Anyone on here running a similar car?

[jamiebae]

I've had a look at the regs but was more interested in the best suspension bits (Leda, Gaz?) to go for, along with anything else to look for.

As for buying a pre-built car, I know it would be cheaper but firstly part of the challenge for me would be building the car and doing the work. Secondly, there aren't really any sensibly priced Saxos out there, if I was after an XR2 then it would be a no brainer to buy pre-built but most Saxos seem to be big budget cars and cost £5k or so.

[jamiebae]

Coxyjunior said:

I admire your enthusiasm in wanting to build a racing car that you can share with your mates and also drive to and from the track.

Unfortunately it is highly unlikely that you would go a seasons racing without incurring any significant damage (especially in Stock Hatch) which would leave you in a spot of bother getting home. Also how would you share the driving once you have the bug?

I would presonally spend the money buying/building a car and a trailer, and trying a few track days before setting on your sites on a seasons racing. If you build a relatively standard hatch back then it will be eligible in many tin top series.

I have a tow car already and would buy a trailer, I have no intention of driving a car to and from races as the last thing I want is to be left stranded at Oulton Park after sticking the car into a barrier!

I can do the majority of the prep work myself and I'm not expecting to be running at the front of any series, it's just a bit of fun really.

The reason I'm looking at Stock Hatch regs is because they seem the stictest of the classes it could potentially run in so if the car is eligable for that but all it'll need is potentially a change of tyres to be eligable for other series.

The think that's really tempting me is the fact Saxos are very cheap to buy now, parts are easily available and it should be fairly cost effective to prep one to an average standard rather than buying a pre-built car. I don't have the talent to win races so I need to improve my driving before I go spending huge amounts of cash to make the car 0.2 seconds a lap quicker!

[jamiebae]

The Saxo is the car to have because they're cheap and plentiful to buy, and they do a 'hot' version with a 1.6 litre 8 valve engine. The only Peugeot that's similar is the ph2 106 Rallye which is much rarer and a lot more expensive to buy so everyone goes for the Saxo. Because of the restrictive nature of the regs (1.6 8v or 1.4 16v) there aren't many other options which can be made light enough to get competitive. I guess an MG ZR 105 or Clio 1.4 16v could work but they cost more and are heavier than the Saxo which runs a minimum weight of 910kg.

Having said all that they seem to have allowed the C2 VTS to enter which has a 1.6 16v engine, as is the Ford SportKa so maybe they've changed the regs to allow more new cars to enter.