Discussion
did this for 3 seasons with my mate,both ran vauxhall 2.0xe westfields ,with mods (210bhp)good fun but ,to win you need lots of money to throw at it,guys we were against spent more on engines than my whole car worth,plus the quicker u r the less value for money,3 timed (usually only 2) and 2 practice runs cost £100 a weekend,total track time,5mins,makes circiut racing look vfm,but it is a good buzz,lots of waiting though
Yeah, I've done a bit, but I'd second Peter's comments - though to be fair all forms of motorsport quickly become stupidly expensive if you are serious about winnning.
The nice thing about hillclimbing is that you can compete against yourself - trying to improve on your previous best times - and there's only you on the hill, so you don't have to worry about getting wiped out by some wannabe Schumacher with an unlimited repair budget.
There is certainly a lot of waiting around for very little track time, but I quite enjoyed that - the atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly and it is as much about the social side of discussing cars and techniques as it is about the actual competition.
You won't be terribly competitive in an Elise, though, so you'd just be doing it for fun.
The nice thing about hillclimbing is that you can compete against yourself - trying to improve on your previous best times - and there's only you on the hill, so you don't have to worry about getting wiped out by some wannabe Schumacher with an unlimited repair budget.
There is certainly a lot of waiting around for very little track time, but I quite enjoyed that - the atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly and it is as much about the social side of discussing cars and techniques as it is about the actual competition.
You won't be terribly competitive in an Elise, though, so you'd just be doing it for fun.
If you like trackdays, then I would first get into sprinting, similar to hillclimbs but performed on tracks or airfields where the tarmac (and run-offs) are often wider. Hill climbs tend to be on very narrow roads which can be really spooky at first (and are very intimidating in the wet), 85mph+ on a single track toad in 'your' road car can play mind altering games!!!
If you are serious about hillclimbing then I would suggest doing a hillclimb school such as the one at Gurston Down to see if it's really for you. You can do this without going to the expense of an MSA licence/full overalls etc.
Hopefully helpful
davidy
If you are serious about hillclimbing then I would suggest doing a hillclimb school such as the one at Gurston Down to see if it's really for you. You can do this without going to the expense of an MSA licence/full overalls etc.
Hopefully helpful
davidy
If you think you might enjoy it most hills do introductory days through the spring.
Check out the Harewood hill climb near Leeds.
Can highly recommend their day's teaching. Two drivers can share a car to make it more cost effective and they are a very friendly bunch.
No doubt to win costs £'000s but it has two advantages to circuit racing
1) You don't have to worry about other drivers and the damage they might do your car
2) Although there are numerous classes to compete in you are first and foremost competing against the clock and therefore yourself.
Having done the course at Harewood I was very tempted to enter for a season. Time doesn't permit at the moment but I will one day.
As for the bang for your buck argument and waiting around, I have a friend who runs in the Carrera Cup GB - c£200,000 a year for two hours racing and a couple of hours practice at each event supporting the touring car season.
Leaves home on a Thursday night and returns Sunday night on race 'weekends'.
Only the true 'gentleman racers' avoid sitting around for hours on end.
Check out the Harewood hill climb near Leeds.
Can highly recommend their day's teaching. Two drivers can share a car to make it more cost effective and they are a very friendly bunch.
No doubt to win costs £'000s but it has two advantages to circuit racing
1) You don't have to worry about other drivers and the damage they might do your car
2) Although there are numerous classes to compete in you are first and foremost competing against the clock and therefore yourself.
Having done the course at Harewood I was very tempted to enter for a season. Time doesn't permit at the moment but I will one day.
As for the bang for your buck argument and waiting around, I have a friend who runs in the Carrera Cup GB - c£200,000 a year for two hours racing and a couple of hours practice at each event supporting the touring car season.
Leaves home on a Thursday night and returns Sunday night on race 'weekends'.
Only the true 'gentleman racers' avoid sitting around for hours on end.
DavidY said:
If you like trackdays, then I would first get into sprinting, similar to hillclimbs but performed on tracks or airfields where the tarmac (and run-offs) are often wider.
davidy
Have to agree with DavidY, I've been doing sprinting for a few years now and its great fun. Also you tend to get more Elises and other lotus variants in Sprinting to compete against, events are also done on proper tracks like Snetterton, Brands, Silverstone, Lydden etc as well as airfields.davidy
Although you dont get a lot of track time the whole day is good fun, some would say Track days are better value for money but I miss the competion as you cant even time yourself and slower cars just get out of your way! At least on a sprint you can have a real aim to beat the next guy.
Cant wait for the 2008 season to start!!!!!!!!
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