Another Starting motorsport Thread

[_Andrew_]

I've been reading some of the previous threads on these forums regarding a newbie starting motorsport but am still unclear on some things.

I've never done any racing before so I thought maybe doing a trackday as an introduction might be a good idea. I've looked at the Thruxton site for trackdays which seem expensive but I've already heard that motorsport is quite expensive anyway.

My main question is where to go from here. I've looked at possible competitions, Caterham, Lo-Cost, MaX5, but for all these I would need to buy and run my own race car.

Are there any alternatives to running my own car, e.g joining a team, hiring a car on the day etc...

Also, what would be the best way to go about getting some training before I start a competition?

Thanks,

Andrew

[RobDickinson]

I know aintree driving school does MSA competition livence training (amongst other stuff)

www.racing-school.co.uk/homefrmr.htm

Bit far for you to travel but something similar close by?

[Graham]

speak to the organisers of the series you are interested in and they will know if you can hire drives.

I know both the max5 mx5 series and the tvrcc challenge series have teams that will hire and/or run a car for you.

G

[sparkey]

I think that hiring a car generally works out much more expensive than running your own, although obviously you don't have the initial capital outlay. Best idea is to speak to people in the series that you may be interested in - and be sure to speak to a range of competitors - in most series there are drivers spending many times what they're competitors spend. Unless you're only aim is to win you can get by and enjoy great racing in many series without spending a fortune.

S..

[custardtart]

There was a chap a few weeks ago who was offering to share his stock hatch for next season - XR2 I think.
It looked a good idea, he was offering his car for free, although paying your own costs such as entry fees, for half the season if in return you towed his car/helped out etc when he was racing the other half. If you search the old threads on ths forum you should find it.

[mikeww]

Andrew,
Apart from getting a race licence you really don't need any special training to get started
Stick to a single make with tight regs if you want to keep the cost down.
I've raced in the Caterham Graduates for the last 2 years which has been great fun- see www.graduates.org.uk
Someone like McMillan Motorsports will hire you a race prepared car on a race by race basis if you want.
Good luck

[_Andrew_]

Thanks for all your help,

I was wondering if there were any competitions where the race cars would also be road legal, so I could drive them to the venue and save on towing costs.

Also, for competitions mentioned like Caterham and MaX5, is there a big difference in the value of each competitors car. Would I need for example a fairly new, low mileage car to be competative?

Andrew

[Graham]

not sure on the caterhams but the mx5's are only aseason old so not much variance... i think you can buy a freshly prepped car for about 7k or a kit to convert for about 3k

there are sereies that encourage you to drive to the circuit ( caterham and mini cooper are 2 that spring to mind)

but in most cases i dont think its practical. for a start it would probably be a pain on the road, where do you put tyres, tools ect and what if you stuff it break down on the track..

imho buy a trailer and a tow car...

[custardtart]

I agree, tow your car. For me I really enjoy the whole process involved in getting the car ready for a race weekend and towing the car is part of the fun - although I know plenty of people who hate it.

You will need a good set of tools and spare tyres as there's nothing worse than spending all the effort/expense to get to the race/only to find you can't race due to a puncture or lack of basic gear.

As for getting a new car, you are guaranteed it's not been bent but a car that's had a year or two's race prepping normally comes pretty well sorted however it's important to check it out thoroughly, especially engine, gearbox and driveshaft areas.

Before going for a series work out your budget first for example Caterhams will cost a lot more than Locost, especially if you go all in and buy the car.
If you do want to arrive and drive the Max5 does look good as does the ginetta championship but there's plenty out there.

I race kit cars with the 750 mc because they suit my budget and are bloody good fun, I think Mike at MT Motorsport hires his championship winning westfield on a per race basis.

[mikeww]

Andrew,
Although the Caterhams are road legal ( in the Caterham Graduates) and as others have said forget the idea of driving to the races in the car. It can be done ( and some do occasionally) but accidents happen and you need a sure way of being able to get your car home again. The ages of the cars vary- some are 6+ years old but not a huge difference in prices. Basically provided you have a well maintained car it really comes down to driving ability. Cars start at about £8k ready to race ( Caterham Graduates) up to about £15k for the Mega Graduates- but each class has it's own grid.
The Locosts are also a great way to go and initial outlay is less.
If your budget is tight ( and you really need about £5k for a season of racing) you could consider sprinting.

[_Andrew_]

Thanks, does anyone know of any links to information regarding sprints?

I'm assuming that if I wanted to enter say Caterham Graduates or MaX5 I would need to apply fairly soon, but I still need time to save up for the car so maybe I will have to wait till next year for that.

So maybe in the mean time I could look at sprints or something like Club 100 ?

Andrew

[Munter]

If your interested in entering the MX5 series I think Simon Mason will be entering next year... www.simonmason.com so he might have some useful info (as well as being an ARDS instructor I think)

[anonymous-user]

www.acsmc.org.uk

loads of clubs in your area, some will specialise/concentrate on rallies, others sprints etc etc its just a case of doing a bit of research and joining the ones with the most like minded souls!!

www.ukmotorsport.com/acsmc/OfficeFiles/speed_regulations.doc

sprint championship calender, usual regs and classes apply

[_Andrew_]

Thanks for your help, I think for the moment I'm going to do a few trackdays and look for a competition where a car is provided and use this time to learn and save up.

The only competition I have seen so far that provides this is Club 100 karting. Are there any other circuit racing competitions that come to mind?

Andrew

[zumbruk]

_Andrew_ said:

Thanks, does anyone know of any links to information regarding sprints?

Some of these links are a tad out of date, but the basic information is still good.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/shpub/Sprint_FAQ.html

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/shpub/home_sprint.html

http://freespace.virgin.net/jeremy.ley/sprint.htm

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/TVR_Speed_Champ/

www.pistonheads.com/tvr/index.asp?storyId=4054

I did the TVRCC Speed Championship this year, and the only thing I regretted was not taking it up years ago.