Single seat racing
Discussion
Hi Guys
I have been thinking of perhaps looking into buying a single seat racing car either for trackdays or possibly to race in a series. I have looked at a few types of car and like the look of a formula renault.
Has anyone or does anyone currently own a single seat track car and what are they like to run and own? How easy are they to look after and work on, do you need to be a mechanic to maintain these cars and what are the typical costs involved?
I have already got my MSA racing pack so know all about geting racing licenses etc but don't really know what is involved in own a singler seater
Any help or advice is very much appreciated
Trev
I have been thinking of perhaps looking into buying a single seat racing car either for trackdays or possibly to race in a series. I have looked at a few types of car and like the look of a formula renault.
Has anyone or does anyone currently own a single seat track car and what are they like to run and own? How easy are they to look after and work on, do you need to be a mechanic to maintain these cars and what are the typical costs involved?
I have already got my MSA racing pack so know all about geting racing licenses etc but don't really know what is involved in own a singler seater
Any help or advice is very much appreciated
Trev
Single seater racing cars are not necessarily that expenisve to maintain but it depends on how serious you are about it. If you want to be a front runner in whatever championship you enter then it starts getting expensive. You'll need regular engine rebuilds and alot of testing time to get the setup right for each circuit, as the setup on a single seater has a much greater effect on the times compared to a saloon car for example. This also mean that you will likely need a mechanic or possibly several to help.
You can tell the difference in cost between single seaters and tin tops, just by the fact that even club level forula ford teams look very proffesional compared to a similar level of tin tops.
You can tell the difference in cost between single seaters and tin tops, just by the fact that even club level forula ford teams look very proffesional compared to a similar level of tin tops.
if its just for track days I think it would be unneccesarily expensive to use a f renault, get a ff1600, there are some afordable ones out there or even a formula vee, much cheaper and easier to work on.
i bought my ff for less than 3k
there is then always the chance of cheaply dropping in on a race at some point, for the experience ( even if it only at the back, or mid pack)
going round a track is one thing,
doing it in anger is TOTALY different and miles better.
then if you ever want to sell it you have a ready market at your fingertips, coz theres always some jonny who wants a ff or a vee.
i bought my ff for less than 3k
there is then always the chance of cheaply dropping in on a race at some point, for the experience ( even if it only at the back, or mid pack)
going round a track is one thing,
doing it in anger is TOTALY different and miles better.
then if you ever want to sell it you have a ready market at your fingertips, coz theres always some jonny who wants a ff or a vee.
First of all there are very few track day companies that will allow single seaters to run with road cars and i don't think that there are many that run single seater only sessions. Donington Park allow single seaters at their own track days but I'm not sure that I would want to run in amongst road cars and I don't think that it would be that satisfying to speed past them on the starights and have to follow the next one round the twisty bits.
As for racing a single seater I did this for 4 years in Monoposto 1800 and Monoposto 2000. Suitable cars are cheap to buy (A Vauxhall Lotus or F Renault for about £5-6.5K, a F Ford Zetec for about £4.5-6K)and can be cheaper to run than a saloon or Caterham etc, particularly if you get second hand tyres from race teams (£10-15 each, usually). Working on them is straightforward and there are plenty of people who will help you with set up or on race days for a small fee. You can run them on your own but it does help to have someone to belt you in, lug the slave battery around, help push the car to scrutineering etc - others in the club will help out, though. Particularly a newbie.
Driving a single seater is an awesome buzz and even at my back of the grid pace, I enjoyed it and it felt very special. However, single seater can require comittment & skill to drive quickly and after 4 years of trying I decided to give saloons a go and now race a small fwd hatchback which is much slower but more forgiving for me and my levels of talent. However, the costs of running my small hatchback have proven to be more expensive than the single seater.
Single seaters are designed to be raced, with components that are up to the job (and light weight also helps)- choose wisely & inspect things regularly and they can be very reliable. My hatch back is quite highly modified and things are stressed in a manner that was not intended as a result - I've had to have the gear box rebuilt, change the clutch and build a new engine - not cheap! Monoposto club single seaters use standard road car engines - the 2 litre Vauxhall twin cam is favourite in Mono 2000 & these seam to be bullet proof, whilst Mono 1800 is usually the hunting ground of the 1800 Ford Zetec in F Ford Zetec trim. Again, bullet proof. Plenty of people run these for several seasons without a rebuild, or refresh them themselves.
As for the cost of repair after the inevitable shunt, single seater repairs are cheaper than you may think. I had a couple of minor bangs in my time, each time requiring some bodywork & a wishbone or rocker or two - £500-600 a corner, inc labour. A wishbone for a Zetec F Ford or F Vauxhall Lotus would be about £70.
My advice, for what its worth, is to look at the Monoposto web site (www.monoposto.co.uk) and join their forum - ask advice, someone will help you out. Go to one of their meetings and talk to the guys in the paddock. On the car front, an ideal car to start with would be a F Ford Zetec in Mono 1800 or a Vauxhall Lotus in Mono 2000.
Costs. Hmmmm...you can spend what you like but I reckon that each race I entered over 4 years cost me £400. And that was all in...entry fees, annual club membership, fuel, transport, spares, accident damage, second hand tyres, paying someone to help me out at the track & do repair work etc. All in. That said, I tended to only race at the local events so limiting overnight stays and I only tested a few times. Once the car was set up to a datum level I rarely changed things as i wasn't good enough to notice the difference. That may have contibuted to why I was at the back but mostly i think improvements come from within the driver. Once you have honed your own performance, then maybe you can start fiddling with things to try to get that extra improvement. I also entered a few of the excellent (and cheap to enter) single seater races that the CTCRC run at Silverstone Stowe 3 or 4 times a year. I was definately racing at the budget end of the scale!
Hope that helps. Ask any questions you like & I can even put you in touch with people with cars to sell, if you want.
As for racing a single seater I did this for 4 years in Monoposto 1800 and Monoposto 2000. Suitable cars are cheap to buy (A Vauxhall Lotus or F Renault for about £5-6.5K, a F Ford Zetec for about £4.5-6K)and can be cheaper to run than a saloon or Caterham etc, particularly if you get second hand tyres from race teams (£10-15 each, usually). Working on them is straightforward and there are plenty of people who will help you with set up or on race days for a small fee. You can run them on your own but it does help to have someone to belt you in, lug the slave battery around, help push the car to scrutineering etc - others in the club will help out, though. Particularly a newbie.
Driving a single seater is an awesome buzz and even at my back of the grid pace, I enjoyed it and it felt very special. However, single seater can require comittment & skill to drive quickly and after 4 years of trying I decided to give saloons a go and now race a small fwd hatchback which is much slower but more forgiving for me and my levels of talent. However, the costs of running my small hatchback have proven to be more expensive than the single seater.
Single seaters are designed to be raced, with components that are up to the job (and light weight also helps)- choose wisely & inspect things regularly and they can be very reliable. My hatch back is quite highly modified and things are stressed in a manner that was not intended as a result - I've had to have the gear box rebuilt, change the clutch and build a new engine - not cheap! Monoposto club single seaters use standard road car engines - the 2 litre Vauxhall twin cam is favourite in Mono 2000 & these seam to be bullet proof, whilst Mono 1800 is usually the hunting ground of the 1800 Ford Zetec in F Ford Zetec trim. Again, bullet proof. Plenty of people run these for several seasons without a rebuild, or refresh them themselves.
As for the cost of repair after the inevitable shunt, single seater repairs are cheaper than you may think. I had a couple of minor bangs in my time, each time requiring some bodywork & a wishbone or rocker or two - £500-600 a corner, inc labour. A wishbone for a Zetec F Ford or F Vauxhall Lotus would be about £70.
My advice, for what its worth, is to look at the Monoposto web site (www.monoposto.co.uk) and join their forum - ask advice, someone will help you out. Go to one of their meetings and talk to the guys in the paddock. On the car front, an ideal car to start with would be a F Ford Zetec in Mono 1800 or a Vauxhall Lotus in Mono 2000.
Costs. Hmmmm...you can spend what you like but I reckon that each race I entered over 4 years cost me £400. And that was all in...entry fees, annual club membership, fuel, transport, spares, accident damage, second hand tyres, paying someone to help me out at the track & do repair work etc. All in. That said, I tended to only race at the local events so limiting overnight stays and I only tested a few times. Once the car was set up to a datum level I rarely changed things as i wasn't good enough to notice the difference. That may have contibuted to why I was at the back but mostly i think improvements come from within the driver. Once you have honed your own performance, then maybe you can start fiddling with things to try to get that extra improvement. I also entered a few of the excellent (and cheap to enter) single seater races that the CTCRC run at Silverstone Stowe 3 or 4 times a year. I was definately racing at the budget end of the scale!
Hope that helps. Ask any questions you like & I can even put you in touch with people with cars to sell, if you want.
Edited by andy97 on Saturday 14th July 13:18
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