BARGAIN BASEMENT ST - Building a budget race car
Discussion
CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
From a bargain basement experiment in the lockdown of 2020, to winning our class championship in 2022.. its been quite a journey!
We headed into the final round of the season at Brands Hatch with a very marginal lead in the Modified Fords Class B Championship. Ourselves and 2 other teams/drivers were all within just a few points of each other. With up to 40 points available over the weekend, it was very much game on for the top 3 drivers in our class.
With rain hammering down most of the weekend, it was challenging conditions to say the least. And with a PACKED grid of well over 40 cars, our qualifying session had to be trimmed down to allow 2 sets of cars out to avoid congestion. Having said that, our shortened Quali session was still very crowded, with cars tripping over each other on the short Indy circuit. Not many cars managed a clean lap, and the Quali times showed it. Nevertheless we managed to beat our 2 closest rivals, and would be starting ahead of them on the grid in Race 1 tomorrow.
We went home on Saturday night nervous but confident. It would all come down to the final 2 races on the final day of the season. Overnight there was more rain and we woke up to forecasts of thunderstorms all day on Sunday. It would be a case of starting well, and staying ahead of any carnage.. and keeping the car on the track until the chequered flag!
Race 1 was carnage.
Rain was still pelting down as we took to the track. With standing water everywhere, the spray thrown up by the cars ahead was blinding. With the added treachery of the sun glaring down on the standing water and lighting up the spray - blinding drivers as they ascended from Paddock Hill and up to Druids hairpin.
We had an action packed race with a brilliant start and a few successful overtakes - and a few very sketchy moments. Cars were spinning off routinely, and there was even some oil thrown down at Surtees to make things really interesting. We kept the car on the track, and just concentrating on staying ahead of our two rivals. Crucially we ended the race ahead of both of them, scoring some solid points and keeping our narrow margin. The sad news was that one of our rivals #134 Jason suffered a blown engine just before the end of the race.. his championship challenge was over. So it was now down to me and our close pal #12 Tim.
In the afternoon there was a nervy wait before Race 2 as each of us weighed up the options with tyres. We each had a set of fresh slicks to use if we deemed it safe enough. But we also had full race wets to utilise, in case the standing water did not clear and in case there were further downpours. 15 minutes before we were due to go out, the rain came again. As we were called to assembly we each looked at what the other was doing, and both went out on wet tyres. Some people gambled on slicks.. but we knew there was only 1 car we had to beat. If we finished ahead of Tim, or within a few places behind him, then we would be champions.
Race 2 was very interesting. We got a superb start, and got ahead of the other Fiestas on track - the wet tyres doing a great job in the opening laps with water still on the track. Dicing with a couple of the Escorts we settled into a rhythm and kept out of trouble. Again, cars were coming off all over the place - with many cars on slick tyres and the track still very slippery especially off the racing line, which was now drying out.
As the race went on the track got more and more dry and the cars on slick tyres began catching us up. I spent the remaining laps weaving on the circuit looking for damp patches, I could feel the wet tyres starting to heat up and was worried about overheating them. I knew my points gap in the championship, and knew I just had to finish within a few places of Tim who was still a few places behind me. As the race closed out, the gaggle of Fiestas fighting behind me finally caught up. I could see them jostling for position in my mirrors, and the odd bit of contact too. I did not want to get caught in the squabble and have my race ruined; so I ran very wide at Surtees on the penultimate lap and let all 4 of them through (including Tim!). This turned out to be a very poor choice, as their squabbling continued and resulted in one of the Fiestas going broadside across the front of me at Clearways and almost taking us both out on the final corner of the final lap!!
The chequered flag finally came out and we crossed the line in god knows what position - but knowing that we had won the Class B championship. I could see my Dad cheering from the inner paddock as we finished our cooling down lap, and my girlfriend jumping and waving at me. What a feeling.
So there we have it. Two seasons of tin top racing. From a home-built MOT failure turned into a race car on our driveway, to a Fiesta Champ spec car entered into the Modified Ford Series.. and now a Championship win. Me and Dad put so much work and effort into this season and it has paid off big time. Going into this season we had aspirations of finishing in the top 3. But our consistency of starting and finishing (almost) every single race got us right to the top of the points table. I'm just so happy I didn't screw it up at the final hurdle.
A big thanks to our sponsors who helped us in 2022. Scalextric have been with us for the past two years, offering encouragement, advice, and support; showing that they believe in Club Racing and sharing in our passion for slot cars. Fuchs came on board this season and were hugely supportive, ultimately providing us with the tools and products that gave us our bullet-proof reliability. A big thanks to Sprint Engineering who backed a local unknown race team! And a massive thank you to Bromley VTC who came onboard at exactly the right moment, to sling-shot us into our season.
And thanks to you for following our journey (if anyone is reading this!?) it started as a Pistonheads thread and has resulted in me and my dad realising a life long dream. We hope it inspires a couple more PHers to take the leap and go racing!!!
From a bargain basement experiment in the lockdown of 2020, to winning our class championship in 2022.. its been quite a journey!
We headed into the final round of the season at Brands Hatch with a very marginal lead in the Modified Fords Class B Championship. Ourselves and 2 other teams/drivers were all within just a few points of each other. With up to 40 points available over the weekend, it was very much game on for the top 3 drivers in our class.
With rain hammering down most of the weekend, it was challenging conditions to say the least. And with a PACKED grid of well over 40 cars, our qualifying session had to be trimmed down to allow 2 sets of cars out to avoid congestion. Having said that, our shortened Quali session was still very crowded, with cars tripping over each other on the short Indy circuit. Not many cars managed a clean lap, and the Quali times showed it. Nevertheless we managed to beat our 2 closest rivals, and would be starting ahead of them on the grid in Race 1 tomorrow.
We went home on Saturday night nervous but confident. It would all come down to the final 2 races on the final day of the season. Overnight there was more rain and we woke up to forecasts of thunderstorms all day on Sunday. It would be a case of starting well, and staying ahead of any carnage.. and keeping the car on the track until the chequered flag!
Race 1 was carnage.
Rain was still pelting down as we took to the track. With standing water everywhere, the spray thrown up by the cars ahead was blinding. With the added treachery of the sun glaring down on the standing water and lighting up the spray - blinding drivers as they ascended from Paddock Hill and up to Druids hairpin.
We had an action packed race with a brilliant start and a few successful overtakes - and a few very sketchy moments. Cars were spinning off routinely, and there was even some oil thrown down at Surtees to make things really interesting. We kept the car on the track, and just concentrating on staying ahead of our two rivals. Crucially we ended the race ahead of both of them, scoring some solid points and keeping our narrow margin. The sad news was that one of our rivals #134 Jason suffered a blown engine just before the end of the race.. his championship challenge was over. So it was now down to me and our close pal #12 Tim.
In the afternoon there was a nervy wait before Race 2 as each of us weighed up the options with tyres. We each had a set of fresh slicks to use if we deemed it safe enough. But we also had full race wets to utilise, in case the standing water did not clear and in case there were further downpours. 15 minutes before we were due to go out, the rain came again. As we were called to assembly we each looked at what the other was doing, and both went out on wet tyres. Some people gambled on slicks.. but we knew there was only 1 car we had to beat. If we finished ahead of Tim, or within a few places behind him, then we would be champions.
Race 2 was very interesting. We got a superb start, and got ahead of the other Fiestas on track - the wet tyres doing a great job in the opening laps with water still on the track. Dicing with a couple of the Escorts we settled into a rhythm and kept out of trouble. Again, cars were coming off all over the place - with many cars on slick tyres and the track still very slippery especially off the racing line, which was now drying out.
As the race went on the track got more and more dry and the cars on slick tyres began catching us up. I spent the remaining laps weaving on the circuit looking for damp patches, I could feel the wet tyres starting to heat up and was worried about overheating them. I knew my points gap in the championship, and knew I just had to finish within a few places of Tim who was still a few places behind me. As the race closed out, the gaggle of Fiestas fighting behind me finally caught up. I could see them jostling for position in my mirrors, and the odd bit of contact too. I did not want to get caught in the squabble and have my race ruined; so I ran very wide at Surtees on the penultimate lap and let all 4 of them through (including Tim!). This turned out to be a very poor choice, as their squabbling continued and resulted in one of the Fiestas going broadside across the front of me at Clearways and almost taking us both out on the final corner of the final lap!!
The chequered flag finally came out and we crossed the line in god knows what position - but knowing that we had won the Class B championship. I could see my Dad cheering from the inner paddock as we finished our cooling down lap, and my girlfriend jumping and waving at me. What a feeling.
So there we have it. Two seasons of tin top racing. From a home-built MOT failure turned into a race car on our driveway, to a Fiesta Champ spec car entered into the Modified Ford Series.. and now a Championship win. Me and Dad put so much work and effort into this season and it has paid off big time. Going into this season we had aspirations of finishing in the top 3. But our consistency of starting and finishing (almost) every single race got us right to the top of the points table. I'm just so happy I didn't screw it up at the final hurdle.
A big thanks to our sponsors who helped us in 2022. Scalextric have been with us for the past two years, offering encouragement, advice, and support; showing that they believe in Club Racing and sharing in our passion for slot cars. Fuchs came on board this season and were hugely supportive, ultimately providing us with the tools and products that gave us our bullet-proof reliability. A big thanks to Sprint Engineering who backed a local unknown race team! And a massive thank you to Bromley VTC who came onboard at exactly the right moment, to sling-shot us into our season.
And thanks to you for following our journey (if anyone is reading this!?) it started as a Pistonheads thread and has resulted in me and my dad realising a life long dream. We hope it inspires a couple more PHers to take the leap and go racing!!!
Edited by SparrowHawk on Monday 14th November 10:38
CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING CAR IS UP FOR SALE
With the conclusion of our successful 2022 campaign, we have decided to put our race car up for sale.
It is a fantastic example of the Fiesta Championship spec cars, arguably one of the best in the country. It is certainly one of the best presented, and gets compliments at every race meeting from the stewards, scrutineers and spectators, for being very well turned out.
We've avoided accidents and contact all year, and the car still looks almost good as new - since it had a full external respray earlier this year, with new panels fitted and its eye-catching decals professionally designed and installed.
It is clearly a fast car, having won its Class this season in Modified Fords against the numerous other Fiesta ST150s and other 2.0 Duratec cars. It runs 56s laps at Brands Hatch Indy, which would have put us up the front of the grid competing for wins with the current crop of 2022 BRSCC Fiesta Championship runners.
The car has been priced at the same level as the other 2 identical spec cars currently on the market. With our car being a championship winner and being immaculately turned out, it represents a very good option for someone looking to enter the brand new BRSCC Fiesta ST150 Challenge in 2023 where it would undoubtedly win races; or it would be a championship contender in the BRSCC Fiesta Juniors next year.
The advert is now live on Pistonheads (of course!) under the motorsport classifieds. Anyone interested in the car please do have a look at the advert and get in touch for a chat.
Advert can be viewed here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14159236
NEXT SEASON: If a buyer does not come forward for the car we will come back in 2023 to defend our title in Class B of the Modified Fords in this car.
If the does car sell, our options include racing in the Fiesta Championship ST240 class with a Mk7 Fiesta; looking at other Ford-badged options to take us up a level into Class A of the Modified Fords. We are also looking at EcoBoost options including engine-swapping an ST150. So there are still plenty of options open to us; largely this will be dictated by whether the current car finds a new owner.
We won't be selling the car off cheap, but neither can we afford to buy another race car whilst this one is still here. So we have priced the car according to the market, and will see what happens!
One thing is certain, we will be racing again in 2023!
You can keep up to date with us on Instagram @Sparrowhawk.Racing
With the conclusion of our successful 2022 campaign, we have decided to put our race car up for sale.
It is a fantastic example of the Fiesta Championship spec cars, arguably one of the best in the country. It is certainly one of the best presented, and gets compliments at every race meeting from the stewards, scrutineers and spectators, for being very well turned out.
We've avoided accidents and contact all year, and the car still looks almost good as new - since it had a full external respray earlier this year, with new panels fitted and its eye-catching decals professionally designed and installed.
It is clearly a fast car, having won its Class this season in Modified Fords against the numerous other Fiesta ST150s and other 2.0 Duratec cars. It runs 56s laps at Brands Hatch Indy, which would have put us up the front of the grid competing for wins with the current crop of 2022 BRSCC Fiesta Championship runners.
The car has been priced at the same level as the other 2 identical spec cars currently on the market. With our car being a championship winner and being immaculately turned out, it represents a very good option for someone looking to enter the brand new BRSCC Fiesta ST150 Challenge in 2023 where it would undoubtedly win races; or it would be a championship contender in the BRSCC Fiesta Juniors next year.
The advert is now live on Pistonheads (of course!) under the motorsport classifieds. Anyone interested in the car please do have a look at the advert and get in touch for a chat.
Advert can be viewed here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14159236
NEXT SEASON: If a buyer does not come forward for the car we will come back in 2023 to defend our title in Class B of the Modified Fords in this car.
If the does car sell, our options include racing in the Fiesta Championship ST240 class with a Mk7 Fiesta; looking at other Ford-badged options to take us up a level into Class A of the Modified Fords. We are also looking at EcoBoost options including engine-swapping an ST150. So there are still plenty of options open to us; largely this will be dictated by whether the current car finds a new owner.
We won't be selling the car off cheap, but neither can we afford to buy another race car whilst this one is still here. So we have priced the car according to the market, and will see what happens!
One thing is certain, we will be racing again in 2023!
You can keep up to date with us on Instagram @Sparrowhawk.Racing
WE GOT OUR HANDS ON THE TROPHY!
It was a great end to the 2022 season, this weekend, at the Modified Fords Awards dinner. We travelled up to Silverstone for the awards night, hosted by the Club Racing UK guys and superbly organised by series co-ordinator Paul Neville.
After a packed season of racing, with 22 races, across 9 race weekends, at 7 different circuits, Sparrowhawk Racing came out on top as Class B winners.
Here we are looking very pleased with our very nice trophy. Dad has always joked about us winning a race series together, but sitting down at our table together holding the winners trophy felt pretty surreal. It was a lot of effort, and a lot of time went into remaining prepared all season, with lots of early starts, thousands of miles covered, plenty of sleepless nights fitting in race-car jobs around work commitments, and plenty of sacrifices made (including friend's birthdays, no holidays, and even the odd wedding missed!) but I have to say it was worth it.
Finishing the season off with the final two race weekends both at our home circuit Brands Hatch was pretty special. Having the whole family there with us to watch us see out that nerve-wracking final race was something I'll never forget.
We were made to wait all the way until the final day of the final race meeting of the season to actually seal it. With our good pal #12 Tim taking it all the way to the final race. But we did enough and got across the line.
Tim received a very nice trophy of his own as series runner-up. Well deserved, and it could very well have been him taking top spot give or take just a few championship points!
So it just remains to say a huge thanks to our sponsors for getting us to this point. From our home-built driveway race-car back in 2021.. to our Championship winning Fiesta Cup car in Modified Fords. We've had some superb support from the likes of Scalextric, Fuchs Oils, Sprint Engineering, and Bromley VTC, who all kept us going through the 2022 season. We couldn't have done it without them.
And so now.. on to the 2023 season..
We have some big plans.
Single-make racing has always been our goal.
Let's see what the new year holds!
It was a great end to the 2022 season, this weekend, at the Modified Fords Awards dinner. We travelled up to Silverstone for the awards night, hosted by the Club Racing UK guys and superbly organised by series co-ordinator Paul Neville.
After a packed season of racing, with 22 races, across 9 race weekends, at 7 different circuits, Sparrowhawk Racing came out on top as Class B winners.
Here we are looking very pleased with our very nice trophy. Dad has always joked about us winning a race series together, but sitting down at our table together holding the winners trophy felt pretty surreal. It was a lot of effort, and a lot of time went into remaining prepared all season, with lots of early starts, thousands of miles covered, plenty of sleepless nights fitting in race-car jobs around work commitments, and plenty of sacrifices made (including friend's birthdays, no holidays, and even the odd wedding missed!) but I have to say it was worth it.
Finishing the season off with the final two race weekends both at our home circuit Brands Hatch was pretty special. Having the whole family there with us to watch us see out that nerve-wracking final race was something I'll never forget.
We were made to wait all the way until the final day of the final race meeting of the season to actually seal it. With our good pal #12 Tim taking it all the way to the final race. But we did enough and got across the line.
Tim received a very nice trophy of his own as series runner-up. Well deserved, and it could very well have been him taking top spot give or take just a few championship points!
So it just remains to say a huge thanks to our sponsors for getting us to this point. From our home-built driveway race-car back in 2021.. to our Championship winning Fiesta Cup car in Modified Fords. We've had some superb support from the likes of Scalextric, Fuchs Oils, Sprint Engineering, and Bromley VTC, who all kept us going through the 2022 season. We couldn't have done it without them.
And so now.. on to the 2023 season..
We have some big plans.
Single-make racing has always been our goal.
Let's see what the new year holds!
2023 - NEW CAR - NEW SERIES - NEW CHALLENGE
So we had some decisions to make at the end of the 2022 season.
Here are the options as we saw them:
1.) Keep the same car, and race it again in Class B of Modified Fords (this was by far the easiest option because we already have the car, wouldn't need to invest huge additional money into it, and could just do some power upgrades)
2.) Keep the same car, but follow the current trend of engine-swapping it for a 1.6 EcoBoost (this would up power to 240+bhp but also bump us up into Class B+ in Modified Fords whilst also costing us at least £5K investment into the engine upgrades)
3.) Keep the same car, but race in the single-make BRSCC ST150 Challenge (we have always wanted to race in a single-make series so this was actually a hugely attractive option for us - but the series calendar is northern biased, and we'd also need to downgrade our car by removing some of the high-spec components on it)
4.) Buy a new car and race in a new series (we looked at BRSCC Fiesta Championship in Mk7's, the Civic Cup, and the Type R Trophy, the Mini Challenge Clubsport, and a couple of the brand new series on the block)
After a HUGE amount of thought, lots of conversation with mates, arduous reading of all the various series regulations, detailed pricing up of the cost of each option, meetings with our sponsors, several test drives in other cars, and even a trip up to Autosport International, we made our decision.. and put our beloved Fiesta 'JNR' up for sale.
We are going with option 4. A new race car in a new race series.
It's all change for 2023, as me and Dad continue our motorsport journey by stepping into a single-make series this season.
So we had some decisions to make at the end of the 2022 season.
Here are the options as we saw them:
1.) Keep the same car, and race it again in Class B of Modified Fords (this was by far the easiest option because we already have the car, wouldn't need to invest huge additional money into it, and could just do some power upgrades)
2.) Keep the same car, but follow the current trend of engine-swapping it for a 1.6 EcoBoost (this would up power to 240+bhp but also bump us up into Class B+ in Modified Fords whilst also costing us at least £5K investment into the engine upgrades)
3.) Keep the same car, but race in the single-make BRSCC ST150 Challenge (we have always wanted to race in a single-make series so this was actually a hugely attractive option for us - but the series calendar is northern biased, and we'd also need to downgrade our car by removing some of the high-spec components on it)
4.) Buy a new car and race in a new series (we looked at BRSCC Fiesta Championship in Mk7's, the Civic Cup, and the Type R Trophy, the Mini Challenge Clubsport, and a couple of the brand new series on the block)
After a HUGE amount of thought, lots of conversation with mates, arduous reading of all the various series regulations, detailed pricing up of the cost of each option, meetings with our sponsors, several test drives in other cars, and even a trip up to Autosport International, we made our decision.. and put our beloved Fiesta 'JNR' up for sale.
We are going with option 4. A new race car in a new race series.
It's all change for 2023, as me and Dad continue our motorsport journey by stepping into a single-make series this season.
Go on then, I'll take the bait!
What series have you chosen, and are you building your own car from scratch / buying a kit of regulation parts to build yourself / buying a car that's already competitive / renting a car that's owned by a team???
One of the biggest questions that I always wonder about with a one make series is what's the tyres, how much are they, and how much pace can rich drivers buy simply by throwing a new set on every time it's lowered off of the jack
What series have you chosen, and are you building your own car from scratch / buying a kit of regulation parts to build yourself / buying a car that's already competitive / renting a car that's owned by a team???
One of the biggest questions that I always wonder about with a one make series is what's the tyres, how much are they, and how much pace can rich drivers buy simply by throwing a new set on every time it's lowered off of the jack
AUDI TTCR
Yes indeed. We’ve decided to race in the new BRSCC TTCR series.
Its a brand new formula for 2023. We thought very long and hard about it. The series is designed around the principles of low entry costs, and a level playing field - with all cars being (almost!) identical.
All cars will run the same strict mandatory parts kit, same tyres, same engine map, and there is very little wiggle room for weight reduction or other performance enhancements.
The control parts kit can be bought for £8K. Which is much less money than pretty much any of the other series out there (and includes rollcage fitting!) and donor cars can be had for as little as £3K for a roadworthy car. Or there are a couple of good teams offering fully built cars for very reasonable money.
We placed an order for a freshly built car at the Autosport show - alongside a couple of other people. The series appears to have avoided the common problem of being a great idea that receives little uptake.. orders for the cars + build kits have now topped 40, and I personally have seen over a dozen of the completed cars in the metal.
Its going to be a busy first year for the new series and we’re excited to be part of it. It’ll be interesting to see how many cars line up for the first round at Brands Hatch in April.. I dont think it will be a disappointing turnout!
We’ve always been set on racing in a single-make series. So this is going to be right up our street. The calendars on the other series (such as ST150 Challenge) just didnt make sense for us. But TTCR ticked all of the boxes.
Its a shame to move away from racing our trusty Fiestas.. but we will no doubt be back in a Ford within a year or two.
I’m not sure whether I’ll keep this blog updated with our season of racing ahead. It is afterall a build thread for a Ford Fiesta. Perhaps I’ll start a fresh thread for our new season, in case anyone is interested.
In the meantime, anyone who’s not bored by daily updates of pictures of the same cars taken over and over again from a hundred different angles.. you can follow us on instagram
@sparrowhawk.racing
Yes indeed. We’ve decided to race in the new BRSCC TTCR series.
Its a brand new formula for 2023. We thought very long and hard about it. The series is designed around the principles of low entry costs, and a level playing field - with all cars being (almost!) identical.
All cars will run the same strict mandatory parts kit, same tyres, same engine map, and there is very little wiggle room for weight reduction or other performance enhancements.
The control parts kit can be bought for £8K. Which is much less money than pretty much any of the other series out there (and includes rollcage fitting!) and donor cars can be had for as little as £3K for a roadworthy car. Or there are a couple of good teams offering fully built cars for very reasonable money.
We placed an order for a freshly built car at the Autosport show - alongside a couple of other people. The series appears to have avoided the common problem of being a great idea that receives little uptake.. orders for the cars + build kits have now topped 40, and I personally have seen over a dozen of the completed cars in the metal.
Its going to be a busy first year for the new series and we’re excited to be part of it. It’ll be interesting to see how many cars line up for the first round at Brands Hatch in April.. I dont think it will be a disappointing turnout!
We’ve always been set on racing in a single-make series. So this is going to be right up our street. The calendars on the other series (such as ST150 Challenge) just didnt make sense for us. But TTCR ticked all of the boxes.
Its a shame to move away from racing our trusty Fiestas.. but we will no doubt be back in a Ford within a year or two.
I’m not sure whether I’ll keep this blog updated with our season of racing ahead. It is afterall a build thread for a Ford Fiesta. Perhaps I’ll start a fresh thread for our new season, in case anyone is interested.
In the meantime, anyone who’s not bored by daily updates of pictures of the same cars taken over and over again from a hundred different angles.. you can follow us on instagram
@sparrowhawk.racing
Edited by SparrowHawk on Tuesday 28th February 18:51
NEW FIESTA!
And as this is a Fiesta ST thread, the other update from us is...
We've bought a new Fiesta ST to race alongside our AUDI TTCR in the 2023 season.
Having had so much fun racing with Modified Fords over the past year or two, we couldn't give it up. So we have bought this pretty little red ST from our friend Nick.
The red car will primarily be Dad's race car. But I'll also be doing some races in it too - starting this coming weekend at the BRSCC season-opener at Silverstone.
So that's our stable of race cars for 2023. The white Audi TTCR and the red Fiesta ST.
The main focus will be competing in the full TTCR season; with our eye on competing for race wins. But our other key goal for the season is to get at least one race with both myself and Dad both racing in the same race...
And as this is a Fiesta ST thread, the other update from us is...
We've bought a new Fiesta ST to race alongside our AUDI TTCR in the 2023 season.
Having had so much fun racing with Modified Fords over the past year or two, we couldn't give it up. So we have bought this pretty little red ST from our friend Nick.
The red car will primarily be Dad's race car. But I'll also be doing some races in it too - starting this coming weekend at the BRSCC season-opener at Silverstone.
So that's our stable of race cars for 2023. The white Audi TTCR and the red Fiesta ST.
The main focus will be competing in the full TTCR season; with our eye on competing for race wins. But our other key goal for the season is to get at least one race with both myself and Dad both racing in the same race...
SparrowHawk said:
The main focus will be competing in the full TTCR season; with our eye on competing for race wins. But our other key goal for the season is to get at least one race with both myself and Dad both racing in the same race...
CSCC has a very special (and unique to the U.K.) event at Anglesey on July 1/2 where you should be able to achieve your aim of racing with your Dad,94 sharing a car with your Dad.It’s a 24 hour meeting in the style of the Daytona or LeMans classics. IT IS NOT A single 24 HOUR RACE, but there is racing more or less continuously for 24 hours. IE, there will be 6 grids and each grid will get 4 x 40 min pit stop races within the 24 hours. Each 40 min race will have a pit stop so that 2 drivers can share each race, or you could share by doing 2 races each.
The ST and the Audi will be eligible, I think.
SILVERSTONE - MODIFIED FORDS - ROUND 1
What better way to prepare for our season in the new AUDI TTCR series, than by entering a race at Silverstone in a slightly different 2.0 FWD tin top...?
We bought this red ST150 from our friend Nick, who raced in last season alongside us in BRSCC Modified Fords. The car is primarily meant for Dad, but I thought why not grab a race weekend at the start of the season to get my eye-in.
The new car was good. Lots of traction, really appreciating the Gripper diff, which is a definite upgrade over the Quaife ATB diffs we've always had in our other Fiestas.
Weather conditions were extremely changeable. Over the course of Saturday we had damp/greasy conditions in Qualifying, dry track in Race 1, and then full rain in Race 2. Tyres choice was pretty key. The best tyre strategy (in hindsight) would have been; semi-slicks in Quali; slicks in Race 1; then race wets in Race 2.
However, we went for the slightly unimaginitive and also rather lazy tyre strategy of; semi-slicks in Quali; semi-slicks in Race 1; semi-slicks in Race 2.
This hardly made us the fastest car out there - and we certainly didn't bother the lads in the Class B podium positions all day. But our strategy did keep us on the track and out of the gravel all day.
Looking back to how we raced in Modified Fords last season, I would certainly have disappeared from the assembly area before Race 2 as the heavens opened and a full downpour of rain ensued.. I'd have been straight back to the paddock for my race wets (like everyone else!).
But things are different in 2023. Our focus is on the TTCR series, in the new Audi. And we were here at Silverstone to get seat-time and have fun. So we sat patiently in the assembly area, on our semi-slick tyres, and waited for everyone else to come back.
In the TTCR we have to run a control tyre in all conditions, which is a semi-slick. Getting a full day of racing under my belt in very changeable conditions, on the semi-slicks, was perfect experience for me - and a great way to prepare for our season ahead.
We had good fun all day, and had some close racing with our old rivals from last season, #12 Tim and #124 Jason. Although they both had the better of us on the day.
BRSCC Modified Ford Series continues to be one of the best race paddocks, and certainly one of the best looking and most exciting grid of of cars, anywhere in the UK. If you've not seen them, make sure to catch them at Ford Power Live at Brands Hatch this year, or another of their !!9!! race weekends across 2023.
What better way to prepare for our season in the new AUDI TTCR series, than by entering a race at Silverstone in a slightly different 2.0 FWD tin top...?
We bought this red ST150 from our friend Nick, who raced in last season alongside us in BRSCC Modified Fords. The car is primarily meant for Dad, but I thought why not grab a race weekend at the start of the season to get my eye-in.
The new car was good. Lots of traction, really appreciating the Gripper diff, which is a definite upgrade over the Quaife ATB diffs we've always had in our other Fiestas.
Weather conditions were extremely changeable. Over the course of Saturday we had damp/greasy conditions in Qualifying, dry track in Race 1, and then full rain in Race 2. Tyres choice was pretty key. The best tyre strategy (in hindsight) would have been; semi-slicks in Quali; slicks in Race 1; then race wets in Race 2.
However, we went for the slightly unimaginitive and also rather lazy tyre strategy of; semi-slicks in Quali; semi-slicks in Race 1; semi-slicks in Race 2.
This hardly made us the fastest car out there - and we certainly didn't bother the lads in the Class B podium positions all day. But our strategy did keep us on the track and out of the gravel all day.
Looking back to how we raced in Modified Fords last season, I would certainly have disappeared from the assembly area before Race 2 as the heavens opened and a full downpour of rain ensued.. I'd have been straight back to the paddock for my race wets (like everyone else!).
But things are different in 2023. Our focus is on the TTCR series, in the new Audi. And we were here at Silverstone to get seat-time and have fun. So we sat patiently in the assembly area, on our semi-slick tyres, and waited for everyone else to come back.
In the TTCR we have to run a control tyre in all conditions, which is a semi-slick. Getting a full day of racing under my belt in very changeable conditions, on the semi-slicks, was perfect experience for me - and a great way to prepare for our season ahead.
We had good fun all day, and had some close racing with our old rivals from last season, #12 Tim and #124 Jason. Although they both had the better of us on the day.
BRSCC Modified Ford Series continues to be one of the best race paddocks, and certainly one of the best looking and most exciting grid of of cars, anywhere in the UK. If you've not seen them, make sure to catch them at Ford Power Live at Brands Hatch this year, or another of their !!9!! race weekends across 2023.
SparrowHawk said:
Your car looked superb mate. Pleasure to meet you.
Sorry for nicking your parking space in the paddock
Lol, Likewise! Sorry for nicking your parking space in the paddock
I'm going to miss out on Snetterton at Easter unfortunately, as funds for a two day event so far from home aren't available, but will be out in the Escort on the Easter Monday at my local track (Castle Combe), which will hopefully give me the final signature I need to lose my novice cross, and upgrade my licence to be able to run at Spa in June.
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