Bored of trackdays. What CHEAP motorsport options are there?
Discussion
brillomaster said:
if you've got the ability to have a trailer, and dont mind a bit of spannering yourself, then i'd go for some kind of bike engined mk indy or the like.
went out in one at snetterton and it was absolutely incredible. 12k redline, sequential gears, slick tyres. ran rings around everything else there.
That alone would make trackdays fun again, but if that wasnt enough, i'd probably say sprinting.
http://www.javelinsprintdays.co.uk/sprint/
http://www.britishsprint.org/default.asp
Yeah that's the kind of thingwent out in one at snetterton and it was absolutely incredible. 12k redline, sequential gears, slick tyres. ran rings around everything else there.
That alone would make trackdays fun again, but if that wasnt enough, i'd probably say sprinting.
http://www.javelinsprintdays.co.uk/sprint/
http://www.britishsprint.org/default.asp
Most powerful caterham i tried was a 140bhp 1.6. It made most other cars look very pedestrian at Cadwell, but not so much at places like Donington/Silverstone.
I'd really love to have a go in something properly rapid.
This has caught my eye
https://www.hhcsportscars.co.uk/car/westfield-cosw...
At trackdays i'm used to things like my Clio 200, or 1.8 MX5, and having to absolutely throw them round in order to avoid having to spend half the day with indicator on letting people through.
I pretty much exclusively do Cadwell at the mo. I did Silverston last sept in the clio and it was massively frustrating.
Edited by PTF on Thursday 12th May 13:35
targa rallying
enduro rallying - not many doing that though
autocross
autosolo
road rallies
grass track.
autotests
long sprints
Most of those are done in road cars, with limited safety requirements, you don't even need a helmet - except grass track.
It is good value, you use a fairly knackerd fwd tepid hatch like a rover 214, that way if it breaks, you scrap it and buy another.
There's an event on every weekend.
Avoid hillclimbs as comes with the full MUK regulatory b
ks and only 4 mins of driving time per day.
enduro rallying - not many doing that though
autocross
autosolo
road rallies
grass track.
autotests
long sprints
Most of those are done in road cars, with limited safety requirements, you don't even need a helmet - except grass track.
It is good value, you use a fairly knackerd fwd tepid hatch like a rover 214, that way if it breaks, you scrap it and buy another.
There's an event on every weekend.
Avoid hillclimbs as comes with the full MUK regulatory b
ks and only 4 mins of driving time per day.Have a look at CSCC Magnificent 7s.
Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
Camaro said:
Could very easily buy yourself a drag car and really scare the crap out of yourself. Anything with about 700hp and a transbrake will get you bitten hard and wonder why people go around in circles all day.
Interest in vehicle dynamics including braking and cornering not just straight line performance.andy97 said:
Have a look at CSCC Magnificent 7s.
Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
Large annual overhead for just 2 or 3 meetings per year. Anything under 6 events per year is dubious from value and competitiveness perspectives.Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
If you want non MSA, autograss can be cheap with very little travel in the right areas, stock car racing either contact or non contact, again depending on location, and don't be put off by ovals, believe me the top guys in this are top drawer and can and would run rings round a lot of pro drivers.
And if you have a car you like to drive and want to develop it I can recommend drag racing, Santa Pod is great but there are a few lesser known tracks that offer regular runs
And if you have a car you like to drive and want to develop it I can recommend drag racing, Santa Pod is great but there are a few lesser known tracks that offer regular runs
Hovercraft racing?
I did a couple of seasons whilst working a few hours in a newsagent at age 17.
Great fun, completely different skill set to wheeled racing and used to have great comradeship between drivers. Racing licence was quite easy to get through novice racing. A real buzz..... and cheap.....
I did a couple of seasons whilst working a few hours in a newsagent at age 17.
Great fun, completely different skill set to wheeled racing and used to have great comradeship between drivers. Racing licence was quite easy to get through novice racing. A real buzz..... and cheap.....
bigothunter said:
andy97 said:
Have a look at CSCC Magnificent 7s.
Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
Large annual overhead for just 2 or 3 meetings per year. Anything under 6 events per year is dubious from value and competitiveness perspectives.Each meting has a 30 min qualifying session, a 40 min race snd a 20 or 30 min second race.
There is a pit stop so you could share costs with a second driver or do a relay.
Yes the entry fees are several hundred pounds each time but its not a championship so you could just do 2 or 3 meetings a year at the circuits nearest to you.
You cant beat racing for fun.
A Caterham, Westfield, MK Indy etc etc are all eligible and a number of different classes suitable for different power/ budgets, inc a bike engined class.
If you want more info pm me.
Another alternative is to look at tarmac rallying in the MSVR/ MSN circuit rally championship and similar events at places like 3 Sisters in Wigan or numerous airfield events. Log booked rally car required but some of the lower power class cars can be acquired cheaply.
Great fun and i like the team element with a co driver. Again, plenty of people just do 2-3 events a year.
In both Mag7s and circuit/tarmac rallying, the car could be used on trackdays as well.
bigothunter said:
Large annual overhead for just 2 or 3 meetings per year. Anything under 6 events per year is dubious from value and competitiveness perspectives.
interesting point this.I 've been costing out my racing for the last 10 years, generally I do 3-4 meetings per year with the odd exception where I might do a couple more.
It's costing me 3-5k pa for racing and the odd test, but there's normally around 2-3k to spend over the winter on prep and the like. SO a season is actually costing me 6-8k. I reckon I can car hire a car for one event for £1500 all in, so I could do maybe 4-5 events or 4 events and a test for no more money, and I free up my winters of having to find extra cash and working on the car at the weekend during the racing season. The downside is if I wanted to do a full season, that would cost me a lot more, and if I bend it I've got to pay for the repair there and then.
I blew up my engine last weekend, and that's going to cost me a min 3k to repair, and in the meantime I'm not racing... May be its time to sell up and hire?
bigothunter said:
Camaro said:
Could very easily buy yourself a drag car and really scare the crap out of yourself. Anything with about 700hp and a transbrake will get you bitten hard and wonder why people go around in circles all day.
Interest in vehicle dynamics including braking and cornering not just straight line performance.The point I was making is that circuit racing isn’t the be all and end all of racing in the UK
Camaro said:
bigothunter said:
Camaro said:
Could very easily buy yourself a drag car and really scare the crap out of yourself. Anything with about 700hp and a transbrake will get you bitten hard and wonder why people go around in circles all day.
Interest in vehicle dynamics including braking and cornering not just straight line performance.The point I was making is that circuit racing isn’t the be all and end all of racing in the UK
But as always, each to his own. There's room for us all
Like every other current or former Caterham Graduates Club racer I have spoken to, I still look at that club as an almost unbeatable proposition for a beginning circuit racer, which is why I plug it at every opportunity.
Not the answer for you, OP, but for others who might read the thread.
I also think it would be brilliant fun to buy and fully develop a bike engined 'Sevenesque', or some kind of bonkers rotary. You could start from scratch or one of a number of existing chassis, or you could start with something like a Mallock clubman's car? which is strikingly similar to a seven but with the sensible addition of a reduced frontal area and aerodynamic bodywork.
Something like that could make an incredible hillclimb or sprint car.
What always put me off the idea of hills is how little room for error there is. I am currently trying hard to improve my driving in Formula Ford but when I go somewhere like Oulton or Cadwell I can't help but drive within myself. More so than I used to in Caterhams. I took the FF to a big, open circuit with runoff for the first time last month and was able to try much harder (and still come 11th
)
Not the answer for you, OP, but for others who might read the thread.
I also think it would be brilliant fun to buy and fully develop a bike engined 'Sevenesque', or some kind of bonkers rotary. You could start from scratch or one of a number of existing chassis, or you could start with something like a Mallock clubman's car? which is strikingly similar to a seven but with the sensible addition of a reduced frontal area and aerodynamic bodywork.
Something like that could make an incredible hillclimb or sprint car.
What always put me off the idea of hills is how little room for error there is. I am currently trying hard to improve my driving in Formula Ford but when I go somewhere like Oulton or Cadwell I can't help but drive within myself. More so than I used to in Caterhams. I took the FF to a big, open circuit with runoff for the first time last month and was able to try much harder (and still come 11th
)HustleRussell said:
Like every other current or former Caterham Graduates Club racer I have spoken to, I still look at that club as an almost unbeatable proposition for a beginning circuit racer, which is why I plug it at every opportunity.
Not the answer for you, OP, but for others who might read the thread.
I also think it would be brilliant fun to buy and fully develop a bike engined 'Sevenesque', or some kind of bonkers rotary. You could start from scratch or one of a number of existing chassis, or you could start with something like a Mallock clubman's car? which is strikingly similar to a seven but with the sensible addition of a reduced frontal area and aerodynamic bodywork.
Something like that could make an incredible hillclimb or sprint car.
What always put me off the idea of hills is how little room for error there is. I am currently trying hard to improve my driving in Formula Ford but when I go somewhere like Oulton or Cadwell I can't help but drive within myself. More so than I used to in Caterhams. I took the FF to a big, open circuit with runoff for the first time last month and was able to try much harder (and still come 11th)
Yeah I agree, it took me 10 years of career progression to feel as comfortable and enjoy the raw racing as much as I did in Grads, and I still enjoy the odd race in it every few yearsNot the answer for you, OP, but for others who might read the thread.
I also think it would be brilliant fun to buy and fully develop a bike engined 'Sevenesque', or some kind of bonkers rotary. You could start from scratch or one of a number of existing chassis, or you could start with something like a Mallock clubman's car? which is strikingly similar to a seven but with the sensible addition of a reduced frontal area and aerodynamic bodywork.
Something like that could make an incredible hillclimb or sprint car.
What always put me off the idea of hills is how little room for error there is. I am currently trying hard to improve my driving in Formula Ford but when I go somewhere like Oulton or Cadwell I can't help but drive within myself. More so than I used to in Caterhams. I took the FF to a big, open circuit with runoff for the first time last month and was able to try much harder (and still come 11th
)I also agree that something like a clubman’s car, an older single seater or even a radical if you’re willing to put the hours in might provide more of a thrill in actually driving and mastering the thing than a Caterham although at the expense of the quality of racing and at slightly higher cost
https://www.national-autograss.com/
This....
You can make it as expensive or cheap as you like..
10 classes to choose from, from 1.0 mini/micra to twin bike engine spaceframe vehicles
Season is mid March to early November
I have been involved for over 30 years, love it!!
Tom
This....
You can make it as expensive or cheap as you like..
10 classes to choose from, from 1.0 mini/micra to twin bike engine spaceframe vehicles
Season is mid March to early November
I have been involved for over 30 years, love it!!
Tom
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