Cheap motorsports (17 year old)

[sammurphy]

Hey, first of all I am new to the forum and I have searched around the forum for this sort of thread but the search bar didnt do to well, i searched cheap motorsports which i only found drifting, and everyone flaming it. And also i dont know if this is the right place to put this sort of thread, if not please tell me and ill delete this

So ill start, im 17, and 18 in january, i have been looking at starting karting but i would prefer to race cars rather than karts, and also i live in kent, medway and the closest track to me is buckmore (5 mins away) and they only do rotax which i have found to be really expensive.

I am just wondering on ideas, i dont have a budget at the moment but i am saving.

I used to play ice hockey now looking at motorsports.

Thanks

Sorry if your all thinking ffs another thread like this why dont they stop making them . but i have looked around maybe i just didnt see it . sorry !


Sam Murphy

Edited by sammurphy on Saturday 6th December 20:57

[parxy]

sammurphy said:

Hey, first of all I am new to the forum and I have searched around the forum for this sort of thread but the search bar didnt do to well, i searched cheap motorsports which i only found drifting, and everyone flaming it. And also i dont know if this is the right place to put this sort of thread, if not please tell me and ill delete this

So ill start, im 17, and 18 in january, i have been looking at starting karting but i would prefer to race cars rather than karts, and also i live in kent, medway and the closest track to me is buckmore (5 mins away) and they only do rotax which i have found to be really expensive.

I am just wondering on ideas, i dont have a budget at the moment but i am saving.

I used to play ice hockey now looking at motorsports.

Thanks

Sorry if your all thinking ffs another thread like this why dont they stop making them . but i have looked around maybe i just didnt see it . sorry !


Sam Murphy

Edited by sammurphy on Saturday 6th December 20:57

Sam......i did notice a few people "flaming" drifting but only the views of people not interested in it........i would check it out yourself on driftworks and see what you think of the idea.
I would also check out karting...prob. go to buckmore and speak to a few karters who race
Also check out some race series which use cheaper machinery...eg xr2/3 saloons...and work out competing costs.
Chose something that you find exciting and passionate about ....lots of downs as well as ups so it helps to choose carefully now.
Good Luck and enjoy

[AWRacing]

Unfortunately without knowing a rough budget it'll be hard to pin point something.
Do you have space for your own car and trailer or are you thinking of hiring?
What type of racing do you fancy, tintop, sports car, single seaters?

Try looking at the 750 motor club, BARC, BRSCC, SEMSEC (they mainly race in Kent).

If you do want to try your hand at karting try Club 100, all arrive and drive stuff and fairly reasonalbe pricing.

Im sure more people will be along to add.

HTH

[stockhatcher]

17 years old.... and wnat to start motorsport but don't know how. you remind me of me at your age!

anyway, I would say this to you, if you are wanting to make a career in motorsport as a driver be patient, and use what ever income you have to get yourself some experience. IIWY, I would start by going to a few race and rally schools as this is the cheapest way to get some action and to see if you like. After this, I would look to buy a trackable car - anything reliable really - and do some trackdays at brands, or some airfield events up in essex (north weald), then once you done several it would only be then that i'd look to start racing. You realistically need about £5k to start - car, trailer, suit, helmet etc, and about the same to run a car for the first year. If you have spend a few grand doing trackdays you come to the first race well prepared and will be avle to get away with less testing.

So in summary, don't rush, look to find opportunities to drive on track cheaply, and then when you have an income spend it on racing. You have plenty of time!

[sammurphy]

but is there a way to do motorsport 'cheap', from what an outside would think is that you need millions to do it . just wondering how much you all spend a month

[zac510]

How much is the Rotax that you consider expensive?

[cptsideways]

Are you handy with the spanners? If not it'll never be cheap, unless you can do 90% of the jobs by yourself then it won't be. However if you are handy & you choose a car thats not rare as hens teeth & there are plenty of parts for em on ebay & the like you should be fine.

Maestro MGOC is about the cheapest tintop stuff

[The_Jackal]

Autograss is one of the cheapest motorsports. But as someone said before, unless you are a mechanic or know someone who can do a lot of the stuff for free/a few pints you are going to be paying money out like water just to keep your vehicle runnable.
Have you got somewhere to keep/work on your car? Car and trailer to transport it to races? Do you want it to lead to a racing career in track racing or just become a keen amateur?
Also, like someone said, what do you class as cheap or expensive?

[ph123]

Imho Sam, your best bet is to try and find a job in the sport first OR save for something like where you learn how to race/drive a race car and then have a school race.
That should sort out whether you have any real ambition and aptitude.
It's important early on to establish whether you want to race for social reasons or whether you need to seriously compete.
Again imho, like all good management guides, sort out where you want to be and plan carefully (and realistically) how to acheive it. It will be more about what you are prepared to give up, than simply choosing what you think is the best route.

[Seb27]

Being 18 myself and having started trackdaying last year I know how you feel, after you pass your test the time untill you get out on a track can't come quick enough!

Have you thought about building a track car up to race-specification, going to a few trackdays to gain experience and then possibly try your hand at racing in a year or 2? You can pick up a 'track-able' car for as little as £500 and many of these, such as MK2 Golf gti /MR2 or 205 can be gradually turned into racers for various club championships. Me and my dad started trackdaying a couple of months after got my liscence and are would love to be on a grid in 2010. Any motorsport is going to be expensive (I raced minimotos last year as well and even that costs alot!) but good luck to you!

Edited by Seb27 on Sunday 7th December 17:27

[andrew830]

Have a look at short oval racing,brisca f2 or stockrods.start saving your money and get some cash behind you before you start,all motorsport eats money and its like a drug when you start racing.

[velocemitch]

sammurphy said:

but is there a way to do motorsport 'cheap', from what an outside would think is that you need millions to do it . just wondering how much you all spend a month

Yes there is I'm assuming you have a car and a licence here... join your local motor club and see if they have any mid week evening 12 car rallies or navigational scatter events, find yourself a partner and have a go. You will find the costs are miniscule and it's all a hell of a lot of fun.

All you need is a road car.. a reliable strong one which you can afford to bend if the worst happens.. some money to insure it for road rallying.. a bit of money for the entry fee's less than a tenner for a 12 car, some maps a few pencils and a torch.

[lewis1]

if your anything like me then club 100 or maybe club rotax max will be almost the cheapest good motorsport your going to get without the aid of sponsors or rich daddys

[GreenV8S]

Any sort of racing is liable to be expensive from the point of view of a 17yo budget. I would say the cheapest motorsport you're going to find would be autotesting and trials. Neither are the most glamorous of sports but can be good sociable fun and most importantly cheap.

[Nic Jones]

Go Road Rallying on the cheap.

Standard 205/corsa/fiesta etc - £50 from the bargain bin in autotrader
National B licence - £35 (ish)
Entry Fee - £50 - £100 for 100-200 miles of competitive motorsport
Tank of fuel - £40
Insurance (for the event, seperate to the compulsory standard insurance) - £15 - £20
Map - £7
Map roamer (for plotting references accurately) - £5
Pencils - £0.20

There you go, rallying for £200, grab a mate an split the costs, £100 each.

Not much is cheaper than that, and if you enjoy it you can upgrade the car and move into Stage rallying as well.

[zac510]

Nic Jones said:

There you go, rallying for £200, grab a mate an split the costs, £100 each.

Not much is cheaper than that, and if you enjoy it you can upgrade the car and move into Stage rallying as well.

No safety gear at all?

[velocemitch]

Nope...
Helmets and race overalls are banned. A standard car will do, though a cage and some harnesses are probably a wise move.

[h5lrw]

If you're on a budget I can recommend the Golf GTI Championship. Close competitive racing and a friendly atmosphere.

If you need any more information drop me a line at [e-mail] and I will be in touch.

The Championship provides the ideal platform to get you started behind the wheel enabling you to gain valuble racing knowledge you can take with you to the Stock Hatch championship or the new VAG series being piloted in 2009.

We will be at Autosport International situated adjacent to the 750MC stand.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

[Nic Jones]

zac510 said:

Nic Jones said:

There you go, rallying for £200, grab a mate an split the costs, £100 each.

Not much is cheaper than that, and if you enjoy it you can upgrade the car and move into Stage rallying as well.

No safety gear at all?

Nope, completely standard road car required as velocemitch said.

A sumpguard is a good addition, and uprated bulbs as well. But I know someone who used to regularly win events in a standard Skoda Fabia VRS Diseasal. (He was a bit mental mind )

[CDP]

All in for a "cheap" series like Locost it probably works out about £400 per race:

Spare parts, repairs and rebuilds
Travel (fuel isn't cheap these days - especially when towing)
Entries (£180 for a single race)

This assumes you own the car.

I race in Locost which is good. VW Golfs and Formula Vee look fun too.

I'm not sure what the MR2s are like, I had one as a road car a few years back and it was very expensive to run.

Don't forget karting.