Cheapest motorsports for a newbie?
Cheapest motorsports for a newbie?
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LotsOfLaughs

Original Poster:

267 posts

32 months

Before you reply "there's no such thing" or "racing from one end of Tesco carpark to the other", nobody finds you funny. Go away.

I fancy having a go at some sort of motorsports - it almost all looks fun, but I havn't the budget to be spending thousands of pounds on each event. I'm aware that there are an almost infinate number of motorsports in existance, and I just don't really know where to start.

I'm not fussed about the surface, it can be a smooth racetrack, or a dirt road with jumps, whatever, but I do want to go fast, so not autosolo or anything which involves only driving around cones in 1st and reverse gears. Nothing which needs a co-driver either.

As for the vehicle and equipment, I know it's very expensive. I'd like to have a go at it before spending so much money on something, so if there's anything I could do in my normal road car, without a rollcage, harnesses, fireproof overalls, a helmet, gloves, a bucket seat, etc, that would be great.

Failing that, what would be the cheapest, if I was prepared to build a car specifically for racing, or more likely, buy one? I'm guessing it's some kind of rallying, on the basis that the tyres and brakes last longer than they would on tarmac, but I really havn't got a clue. Another guess would be something like sprinting or hillclimbs, because the runs are short and Id imagine a set of consumables would last a season, not an event?

Currently, I know that I don't know enough, and that's about it!

Thanks!

Kawasicki

13,792 posts

252 months

24hr karting in hire karts. A few mates and a long race. Price and effort per smile ratio is unbeatable.

ettore

4,620 posts

269 months

Trialling - MCC or VSCC or your local motor club - complete hoot and very charming/civil.

…or, single venue local rallies/ road rallies - can use anything and great cheap fun.

..or, for pace, hill climbing. Venues around the country and classes for most types of car. Intense and adrenalin fuelled but £ effective, beautiful venues and great camaraderie.

Look at Motorsprt UK for all details. Motorsport is never cheap, but it can be very affordable.

FredericRobinson

4,439 posts

249 months

Enduroka?

bergclimber34

1,709 posts

10 months

Sprints and hills in a road car, in sprints you only need a lid, some gloves in minor parts, free licence, entry fees off you go. there should be scores of people doing it but it gets no publicity

giveitfish

4,221 posts

231 months

Autosolo is the cheapest entry level, no equipment required and any road legal car is ok. No commitment required and great fun.


Vsix and Vtec

1,046 posts

35 months

Im musing over something similar, my current thoughts are karting. Used karts (especially if you're not bothered about age) are fairly cheap on Ebay, £600 gets you a kart with a Honda GX200 engine, and then you just need an old transit with a homemade ramp or a block and tackle attached to the roof on a rail. If you're mechanically minded, something small like a Kart should be reasonable to work on yourself, so you're just having to learn what parts you need to fit.

Dynion Araf Uchaf

4,914 posts

240 months



If you want speed, cheap and road car then sprinting or hill climbs is your answer.

Circuit racing after you ve invested in all the kit and a car is a minimum £600 per race day.

Track days are not competitive but tick the box for speed and road car. You can do a track day for £200-300 all in. However they aren t competitive and therefore not motorsport as such.


bergclimber34

1,709 posts

10 months

The issue with karting is transporting it, you could in theory stick in your estate car, but I think those days are perhaps in the past, so you would need a trailer, plus somewhere to keep it. They are cheap though, but if you cannot do the trailer storage you can do arrive and drive, but I suppose you get what you pay for.

You can also do autusolo, but beware you might get travel sick!"!

OldGermanHeaps

4,717 posts

195 months

Banger racing.
Or grow a pair and do motocross.

Brent Hoffmeister

153 posts

33 months

Sprints and hill climbs would be about the cheapest (notwithstanding any crashes) with your own car. You’re not locked in to buying a car and you can see if you’ve got a taste for competition. Plenty of choice all over the uk.

Autograss is often overlooked if you want to try a bit of dirt. Plenty of classes, from near stock up to highly tuned bike engined specials. Again plenty of choice of venues around the uk.

Circuit racing - most organisers offer some form of accessible racing, from single class eg EnduroKa or C1s, to multi class stuff like CNC heads. Plus arrive and drive like the Focus Cup. Travel eats budget so a series based around a single circuit would help on that front. You’d be looking at £5-£10k per year depending on the number of rounds and excluding cost of purchase etc.

Karting’s already been covered.

bergclimber34

1,709 posts

10 months

Banger racing is not cheap at all, and you need to spend an awful amount of time prepping the car

OldGermanHeaps

4,717 posts

195 months

bergclimber34 said:
Banger racing is not cheap at all, and you need to spend an awful amount of time prepping the car
Really? What changed ? The guys i know who used to do it were all perpetually skint, and built their own trailers, cages, fire extinguisher for a coolant tank, used gumtree, harnesses, used gumtree fuel cell, 50 quid base car.
It was as grass roots as you could get.
Stock cars is a different beast though, 15 grand for an engine.

Jack91F

82 posts

128 months

Try watching dannydc2 on YouTube, he does a variety of motorsport related things.
He rented an mr2 off rogue motorsport to do odd rounds of the mr2 championship. What the costs are I’ve no idea but that must be the cheapest way?