Starting Racing.
Discussion
I am planning on starting some sort of motor racing next year. I've done Karting (years ago) and Hot Rods, but now I fancy doing some long curcuit racing. Any recommendations as to whats the most fun to race on a seriously tight budget? Open wheeler or Closed? I have some ideas and made some plans but it would be nice to hear other like-minded peoples opinions. Thanks.
there are quite a few (ralatively) low cost championships out there, usually thing like the one make series, or things like stock hatch. from what i can gather, the older formula fords, or other older single seaters can be quite cheap to run.
the 750 motor club would be a good place to start looking.
the 750 motor club would be a good place to start looking.
Edited by eccles on Wednesday 4th October 16:50
Excellent news! I've made the decision to start racing too, although my plans are to build a car over the next six months and start with hillclimbs and sprints before racing the season after next. I'd start racing straight away, but I won't have the car ready and it should help reduce the cost over the first season (or at least let me spend more on the car).
I really recommend you get to any race meets that you can before the season finishes. You can see the type of racing and the skills of the drivers - I was relieved to see the spread of abilities. The MGCC have a good range of racing series too, which I'm looking to enter a Midget in. I'll be at Mallory on 22nd Oct to watch and will be having a chat to the drivers there.
The 750 MC Roadsports didn't have the spread of entrants that I would want as it was mostly Caterhams, so I'm going single make. The hot hatch (stock hatch?) that I saw got quite messy, and I don't want to be repairing bodywork all the time.
I can't wait to get started.
What are your plans so far, do you have any thoughts on what you'd like to run?
J
I really recommend you get to any race meets that you can before the season finishes. You can see the type of racing and the skills of the drivers - I was relieved to see the spread of abilities. The MGCC have a good range of racing series too, which I'm looking to enter a Midget in. I'll be at Mallory on 22nd Oct to watch and will be having a chat to the drivers there.
The 750 MC Roadsports didn't have the spread of entrants that I would want as it was mostly Caterhams, so I'm going single make. The hot hatch (stock hatch?) that I saw got quite messy, and I don't want to be repairing bodywork all the time.
I can't wait to get started.
What are your plans so far, do you have any thoughts on what you'd like to run?
J
This any good ?
www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=53017
My son also has his race winning stock hatch up for sale soon........
www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=53017
My son also has his race winning stock hatch up for sale soon........
Galileo said:
I am planning on starting some sort of motor racing next year. I've done Karting (years ago) and Hot Rods, but now I fancy doing some long curcuit racing. Any recommendations as to whats the most fun to race on a seriously tight budget? Open wheeler or Closed? I have some ideas and made some plans but it would be nice to hear other like-minded peoples opinions. Thanks.
I started last year in closed wheel in a 2.0 Efi Maestro which is fully race prepped. Now have moved on to classic stuff so...www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/98869.htm
A great leg up into circuit racing and be competitive at the same time.
Good Luck
johnny
Thanks everyone.Have looked at 750MC and there is a lot there. I dont have time to build a kit car and then race it, and I'm not sure I'd like to race something that wasnt professionally built. I had a look at saloons but it looks like i'll need a warehouse full of replacement panels!
I must admit I'm very taken with Formula Vee or Ford. Formula Vee appeals because of the Clubman atmosphere. FFord looks like it might be full of youngun's trying to make a name for themselves. Of course theres classic FFord....What I dont want to do is get into a car only to find that the paddock is a bit 'clicky'. If your in the 'in-crowd' your ok but they wont talk to newbys, that sort of thing. I want a friendly paddock that will help out the newby not use him as target practice! FVee sounds like this, but will I get bored with it after a while and hanker after something quicker? Will Classic FFord be a bit clicky? and expensive? Its a lot of money to spend just to find out that your racing against a bunch of dickheads!
I must admit I'm very taken with Formula Vee or Ford. Formula Vee appeals because of the Clubman atmosphere. FFord looks like it might be full of youngun's trying to make a name for themselves. Of course theres classic FFord....What I dont want to do is get into a car only to find that the paddock is a bit 'clicky'. If your in the 'in-crowd' your ok but they wont talk to newbys, that sort of thing. I want a friendly paddock that will help out the newby not use him as target practice! FVee sounds like this, but will I get bored with it after a while and hanker after something quicker? Will Classic FFord be a bit clicky? and expensive? Its a lot of money to spend just to find out that your racing against a bunch of dickheads!
Have a look at www.graduates.org.uk
Great racing, technical support provided and great atmosphere
MikeW
Great racing, technical support provided and great atmosphere
MikeW
Edited by Mikeww on Wednesday 4th October 21:03
Galileo said:
I must admit I'm very taken with Formula Vee or Ford...What I dont want to do is get into a car only to find that the paddock is a bit 'clicky'. If your in the 'in-crowd' your ok but they wont talk to newbys, that sort of thing. I want a friendly paddock that will help out the newby not use him as target practice!
I'm not going to recommend one over the other, but make use of the end of season racing and get down to the races. The Vees may be at Mallory in a fortnight. For FFord, I think you need to call Ian Sowman, for Vees, get a first introduction from Robin Knight at the 750MC. Get in contact with a team or driver, maybe blag a ticket, and get your hands dirty. Take a wander, ask questions, and get a feel for how good they are. You will also get tips on people worth knowing, sources for cars, essential equipment, etc.
We (500F3s, running with the 750Trophy) are proud of our paddock atmosphere, not least because after practice at least one car will need some major surgery - what goes around comes around! Once we've fixed our own cars, bodies will congregate and parts magically appear, from tappet collets to whole engines. From a distance (we have our own cars to worry about), at least some of the Vees seem a decent bunch, but you really need to spend the day with them.
You could try www.max5racing.com
Great paddock atmoshpere, excellent racing, fairly inexpensive.
I have just completed my 2nd year in Max5 and all I have done is service the car and change the brakes, I have not even had any panel damage this year - the cars appear to be very strong.
Last years Formula Vee champion has joined us this year and is just about finding his feet. The last race of the season was last weekend at Silverstone. From a grid of 34 the top 24 were covered by less than 9/10ths of a second! It was a wet race and all but 1 finished.
Great paddock atmoshpere, excellent racing, fairly inexpensive.
I have just completed my 2nd year in Max5 and all I have done is service the car and change the brakes, I have not even had any panel damage this year - the cars appear to be very strong.
Last years Formula Vee champion has joined us this year and is just about finding his feet. The last race of the season was last weekend at Silverstone. From a grid of 34 the top 24 were covered by less than 9/10ths of a second! It was a wet race and all but 1 finished.
I started racing in the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge this season and have won class C in this Tasmin with one race still to go. www.pistonheads.com/sales/102595.htm
She's a well sorted car and she has also performed well at Harewood.
So if you want a well prepped race car which has already been snagged, look no further.
It has to go to make room for the Tuscan Racer!
Make me an offer
She's a well sorted car and she has also performed well at Harewood.
So if you want a well prepped race car which has already been snagged, look no further.
It has to go to make room for the Tuscan Racer!
Make me an offer
If you want a friendly low cost saloon series then have a look here.....-----> www.mini7.co.uk. Great competitive racing - cars don't cost a fortune and they are great fun to drive.
wedgeman said:
I started racing in the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge this season and have won class C in this Tasmin with one race still to go. www.pistonheads.com/sales/102595.htm
She's a well sorted car and she has also performed well at Harewood.
So if you want a well prepped race car which has already been snagged, look no further.
It has to go to make room for the Tuscan Racer!
Make me an offer
She's a well sorted car and she has also performed well at Harewood.
So if you want a well prepped race car which has already been snagged, look no further.
It has to go to make room for the Tuscan Racer!
Make me an offer
Friend of mine races these. you might know him, they call him the Farmer, cos he's always in the fields!
i raced a road going class midget for 2 or 3 seasons with the MGCC (midget challenge), its a great little championship with out much argy bargy and i would guess about as cheap as it gets in terms of motorsport. spridgets are light cars thus asy on brakes and tyres etc. I'm now going to be racing a frogeye in class D of the healey championship next year. Also worth noting that if you have a national A licence then you can take part in the FISC series in europe which goes to circuits like spa, the ring etc entry cost inc's free food and beer for four people for the whole weekend and the races are 30 mins long and you get three of them...almost half a seasons racing in one weekend.
johnnymaestro said:
That has got to be the cheapest way into racing I have seen for a long long time. Bargin!!!
Pete
Pistol Pete said:
johnnymaestro said:
That has got to be the cheapest way into racing I have seen for a long long time. Bargin!!!
Pete
Nice sales angle. Buying a car is not a problem. I was hoping for advice and experience on what the racing is like.
Just need to back up the best advise of all as given in this thread is get along to a few meetings. 750 MC is generally the cheapset place to race but avoid things like Stock Hatch. Ask questions of lots of people when you go along, particularly about engine costs, tyre wear and spare part sourcing. Talk to the front runners not the mid field runners because they are what you will ultimately aspire to I guess plus mid field runners are usualy (not always) moaning about thier engines or cars not being good enough. Find out who you need to be talking to by going to race control when you arrive and pick up some qualifying/grid sheets. These are the things that make a series expensive and are under the surface.
I get the impression you want to race a Single seater, so a Formula Vee is a good option. If you want to be part of something that can be quite big on occassion then Kent Engined Formula Ford 1600 is a good option, although it can get expensive on engines. However the guys at the front in Kent FF are all very good which can only make you better longer term. They also have some great race meetings like the Walter Hayes Trophy, Castle Combe Festival and Brands Hatch Festival.
Outside 750MC, the MaX5 series is good along with the Seloc Production BMW championship for cost to racing fun.
Ultimately it has to be something you want to race of course but I would advise you stay away from anything with less than 20 cars in regularly because it will only get smaller.
I get the impression you want to race a Single seater, so a Formula Vee is a good option. If you want to be part of something that can be quite big on occassion then Kent Engined Formula Ford 1600 is a good option, although it can get expensive on engines. However the guys at the front in Kent FF are all very good which can only make you better longer term. They also have some great race meetings like the Walter Hayes Trophy, Castle Combe Festival and Brands Hatch Festival.
Outside 750MC, the MaX5 series is good along with the Seloc Production BMW championship for cost to racing fun.
Ultimately it has to be something you want to race of course but I would advise you stay away from anything with less than 20 cars in regularly because it will only get smaller.
Nicol@ said:
eccles said:
the 750 motor club would be a good place to start looking.
Yep, quite a few different race types (my b/f races in the 750 kitcars and really enjoys it).
Also be prepared to give up lots of your time (and money).
I race in kit cars too, be interested in who the b/f is? Will make a point of saying hello next time
Galileo said:
...Nice sales angle. Buying a car is not a problem. I was hoping for advice and experience on what the racing is like.
Sorry. wasn't supposed to be selling it. I don't even know the seller either, I just know how much my metro has cost me... To much work and not enough time for proper PH'ing today
Series... MGCC has some close racing in a few series, metro's being the cheapest I think, but my impression is that it isn't particularly clean racing either.
If you have a production based car, parts are cheap and easy to get (eg panels are pea-nuts new, or less from a scrapper). Probably stronger than a lo-cost type car -and less prone to race ending damage from a small tap.
With a "hot hatch" type car, you have a massive scope for what to race it in. I haven't been to, but have heard good things about "tin-tops" series. 40 minute races with 1 or 2 drivers (so you can split the cost if you wanted to) www.tintops.org.uk .
A couple of weeks ago I was at an LMA eurosaloons race at Brands (same day the TVR's were there), and it was the cleanest, closest race I have seen for a long long time. There was all-sorts racing in it, ex BTCC cars from the early 90's down to pretty standard Mk2 golfs, XK2's etc www.lmaeurosaloons.co.uk
Northern Sports/Saloons I have been at a few rounds too, they are a friendly bunch, mainly based around Croft www.darlington-motor-club.org.uk/ (doesn't like firefox)
Castle Combe also have a series based their, but I'm not a massive fan of Combe, so from what I saw (1 race) it didn't really "do it" for me, the grid was huge though so some people obviously like it! www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk/circuitchamps.htm
Never been to a 750 club meeting, but they seem to have a good reputation too www.750mc.co.uk
What are your local (or favourite) tracks, and what is there regularly, as obviously if it is near to home then you cut down on fuel bills and accomodation/food costs which can be quite substantial if you are trailing all over the country.
Have you been on ten-tenths or other motorsport specific forums (should I be plugging links to other forums here...) as there are loads of people there who can point you in the right direction (not that there is anything wrong with anyone here, just possibly more of the right people in one place, I know alot of people here post there too).
Hope this helps more than the last post
Pete
Edited by pistol pete on Thursday 5th October 21:55
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