Low budget entry into motorsport
Discussion
The Lotus Seven Club have a popular Hillclimb/sprint series. I have done it for three seasons and enjoyed it. There are six different classes, depending on the power/tyres etc.
They are supportive of novices and the costs are pretty low. You basically need club membership, a Caterham and the appropriate safety kit.
They are supportive of novices and the costs are pretty low. You basically need club membership, a Caterham and the appropriate safety kit.
Caterham Graduates in my opinion.
Good cars are plentiful and reasonably priced. If you keep the car good you will sell it for practically what you paid.
The central and primary advantage of Caterham racing is that the cars are exactly the same. With pretty much every other circuit racing series available within a normal guy's budget you are into truly homebuilt cars or intermarque racing.
The cars are 'race cars for the road', not the other way around. They are proper and will knock the spots off pretty much anything else which you'll race in a championship on a normal guy's budget.
If you turn up to race in Catehams and you are four seconds off the pace then unless there is an obvious problem with the car then I am afraid its you. If you're slow in other series- who knows? maybe you don't have the right chassis? shock absorbers? maybe you don't have the best engine?
You can race the same car in Mag 7s with Andy97 if you like. Or if you decide to have a blowout year you can put a set of Toyos on it and go and do the European circuits.
This, and you have a car which'll do 52s around Brands Indy, on tyres which cost only £100 each and are limited to three sets per season, and you can use it on the road if you like. It fits easily in the garage and on the trailer, you can tow it behind a Golf, it's easy and cheap to fix etc etc I could go on.
Good cars are plentiful and reasonably priced. If you keep the car good you will sell it for practically what you paid.
The central and primary advantage of Caterham racing is that the cars are exactly the same. With pretty much every other circuit racing series available within a normal guy's budget you are into truly homebuilt cars or intermarque racing.
The cars are 'race cars for the road', not the other way around. They are proper and will knock the spots off pretty much anything else which you'll race in a championship on a normal guy's budget.
If you turn up to race in Catehams and you are four seconds off the pace then unless there is an obvious problem with the car then I am afraid its you. If you're slow in other series- who knows? maybe you don't have the right chassis? shock absorbers? maybe you don't have the best engine?
You can race the same car in Mag 7s with Andy97 if you like. Or if you decide to have a blowout year you can put a set of Toyos on it and go and do the European circuits.
This, and you have a car which'll do 52s around Brands Indy, on tyres which cost only £100 each and are limited to three sets per season, and you can use it on the road if you like. It fits easily in the garage and on the trailer, you can tow it behind a Golf, it's easy and cheap to fix etc etc I could go on.
Hi Andy,
Have you ever thought about drag racing?
There are several entry level ways into the sport, RWYB (Run What Ya Brung) - which is the UK's cheapest track day. Getting on track and running costs £35 for a full day and as many runs as you can (dependant on weather conditions and other people taking part)
If you fancy entering a Championship however, you can run in Sportsman ET, which is the very entry level to National competition. This class is mostly aimed at road legal cars, with 90% of the class made up of cars driven to the track to take part. It is a bracket racing class which means you are on equal standing with other cars both faster and slower than you and it comes down to driver skill and consistent performance of your car.
There is a taster day called the 'Dial-in Day' held every year at Santa Pod which introduces complete novices to the sport and shows you how it all works and how both events work as well as the racing. The taster day also only costs £35 to take part in.
As a rough costing for taking part in the championship your annual and one off costs are:
MSUK license: £69 (annual)
Santa Pod Racers Club Membership: £30 (annual)
Firesuit (basic single layer): from £200
Helmet: from £170
Gloves: from £30
Neck brace (recommended but not compulsory): from £20
Race shoes (recommended but not compulsory): from £90
Total: £591
A race weekend entry fee varies for how many days it takes part over, a two day event costs around £170, this includes a £50 surcharge for hook up to mains electricity for the duration of the event. There are 6 rounds in the Championship over the course of the year, which brings an annual cost of about £1000 to run for the year.
If interested or want any more details, feel free to message me. I've run Sportsman ET for 3 years and a great time in the class, you learn so much about yourself and cars, as well as join one of the friendliest motorsport families going.
I'm also only up the road in High Wycombe!
Andy
Have you ever thought about drag racing?
There are several entry level ways into the sport, RWYB (Run What Ya Brung) - which is the UK's cheapest track day. Getting on track and running costs £35 for a full day and as many runs as you can (dependant on weather conditions and other people taking part)
If you fancy entering a Championship however, you can run in Sportsman ET, which is the very entry level to National competition. This class is mostly aimed at road legal cars, with 90% of the class made up of cars driven to the track to take part. It is a bracket racing class which means you are on equal standing with other cars both faster and slower than you and it comes down to driver skill and consistent performance of your car.
There is a taster day called the 'Dial-in Day' held every year at Santa Pod which introduces complete novices to the sport and shows you how it all works and how both events work as well as the racing. The taster day also only costs £35 to take part in.
As a rough costing for taking part in the championship your annual and one off costs are:
MSUK license: £69 (annual)
Santa Pod Racers Club Membership: £30 (annual)
Firesuit (basic single layer): from £200
Helmet: from £170
Gloves: from £30
Neck brace (recommended but not compulsory): from £20
Race shoes (recommended but not compulsory): from £90
Total: £591
A race weekend entry fee varies for how many days it takes part over, a two day event costs around £170, this includes a £50 surcharge for hook up to mains electricity for the duration of the event. There are 6 rounds in the Championship over the course of the year, which brings an annual cost of about £1000 to run for the year.
If interested or want any more details, feel free to message me. I've run Sportsman ET for 3 years and a great time in the class, you learn so much about yourself and cars, as well as join one of the friendliest motorsport families going.
I'm also only up the road in High Wycombe!
Andy
If your looking for race wear and motorsport equipment for your car then I recommend hawke motorsport. Great competitive prices and always happy to help out with any enquiry.
Www.hawkemotorsport.co.uk
Www.hawkemotorsport.co.uk
My daughter who turns 14 in September, and who is already driving an old landrover around the field, is keen to enter our local Autotests (as am I!).
These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
Been doing passenger car auto testing for a few years and seen many kids have a go. Many of them haven’t even driven a car before and it’s a success to get off the line and out of first gear but they always love it.
They then progress so quickly and must be such a huge benefit when they turn 17.
Great way to start their driving careers.
They then progress so quickly and must be such a huge benefit when they turn 17.
Great way to start their driving careers.
alfabeat said:
My daughter who turns 14 in September, and who is already driving an old landrover around the field, is keen to enter our local Autotests (as am I!).
These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
Absolutely.. whereabouts are you in the country?These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
There are lots of opportunities for young people to get into motorpsort at the most basic level and for very little cost;
Eg Autotests, - as you have found.
Autosolo - similar but designed with a more open test layout and no reversing
Car Trials, - trying to get a usually standard little hatch back around a twisty and tricky grass slope between poles.
12 Car Rallies (Navigate from age 12) - Held on a dark evening on public roads. navigate around a predefined route following handouts giving you the details to plot the route on an OS map and set against a time schedule. Average of no more than 30mph (though that does seem to be a bit elastic with some clubs)
Navigational Scatters - Again held on dark evenings try and visit as many predefined locations (given as map references) as possible in 2 hours or so, at each location there is clue to find (Typically the distance to a place on a sign post, or a phone number on a sign etc). Points are scored for each one, higher points for hard to get too. (Very fast and to be fair a bit dangerous!!)
Our club (Ilkley and District) organise all those types of events with entry fees between £10.00 and £17.00 a car.
Some of our members raised on those events have gone on to be national champions in various fields and one is currently co-diving in WRC
Motorsport needn't cost the earth.
alfabeat said:
My daughter who turns 14 in September, and who is already driving an old landrover around the field, is keen to enter our local Autotests (as am I!).
These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
Just make sure that you buy a car that your daughter can use on autotests locally, some clubs restrict youngsters to up to 1400cc "touring" cars. If you want to do any good you chosen car needs a good handbrake and ideally power steering, even then a "twiddler" on the steering wheel will help.These seem a really cheap/easy entry into competitive motorsport. Our local Motorsport club seem to run them regularly. Just need to pick up a cheap roadworthy hatchback and go for it.
Anyone else start at this very basic level? Seems a fantastic opportunity for kids at the very least?
My lad started in autotests at 14 in an ax GTi, he struggled a bit to start with no power steering but won his class a few years later in our club championship beating 25 other competitors, including me!!
We've also had a few young ladies having a go, one from a family with some Motorsport history who was pretty good and saw off everyone on a regular basis.
Some not so youngsters compete as well, some in their 60s and 70s.
As others have said, great clubbie Motorsport and entry fees are peanuts, we did an autotest on Sunday, 24 tests, best part of a days sport for a £20 entry fee.
Some pretty good drivers have started out in autotests including Britain's two WRC champions.
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