Sprints, hillclimbs and autotests
Discussion
Hi,
Does anyone here use their kit for low cost club competition? I'm thinking something very casual and cheap, no national championships or anything!
If so, do you operate under a sort of handicap system and do you think it keeps things competitive? I presume (perhaps wrongly?) that most people would be using production cars for things like that, so I wondered how kits were received, obviously tending to be much lighter than mainstream cars with the same engine spec.
Chris
Does anyone here use their kit for low cost club competition? I'm thinking something very casual and cheap, no national championships or anything!
If so, do you operate under a sort of handicap system and do you think it keeps things competitive? I presume (perhaps wrongly?) that most people would be using production cars for things like that, so I wondered how kits were received, obviously tending to be much lighter than mainstream cars with the same engine spec.
Chris
Sprints and Hillclimbs have their own classes for spaceframed kit cars.
Short answer is that you need to get hold of a copy of the rulebook from the HSA, 'cos if you're not careful you can find yourself in a class called 'Sports Libre', up against dedicated sports races like Mallocks and OMS's.
Short answer is that you need to get hold of a copy of the rulebook from the HSA, 'cos if you're not careful you can find yourself in a class called 'Sports Libre', up against dedicated sports races like Mallocks and OMS's.
Edited by Sam_68 on Monday 27th April 12:42
Sam is dead right.
I have been hillclimbing for 18 years and have seen twists to the rule that have caught people out.
Most clubs will have a help area on their web sights.
I marshal at Aytotests and many kit cars compete there, from Beach Buggies of old to Locatorfields (etc)
Cheap sport and certainly no push over. It is very very competative.
try www.hdlcc.com
I have been hillclimbing for 18 years and have seen twists to the rule that have caught people out.
Most clubs will have a help area on their web sights.
I marshal at Aytotests and many kit cars compete there, from Beach Buggies of old to Locatorfields (etc)
Cheap sport and certainly no push over. It is very very competative.
try www.hdlcc.com
Sam_68 said:
Sprints and Hillclimbs have their own classes for spaceframed kit cars.
Short answer is that you need to get hold of a copy of the rulebook from the HSA, 'cos if you're not careful you can find yourself in a class called 'Sports Libre', up against dedicated sports races like Mallocks and OMS's.
That's kind of what I feared. Short answer is that you need to get hold of a copy of the rulebook from the HSA, 'cos if you're not careful you can find yourself in a class called 'Sports Libre', up against dedicated sports races like Mallocks and OMS's.
The thing is - even ignoring the pure race cars for a second - I'd be looking to get something with proper weather gear, a relatively low-stressed engine and so on - it'd be a road and track-day car first, with a bit of informal competition very much as an afterthought. If I did go in for anything like that I wouldn't be looking for a competitive edge from the lightest chassis allowed or anything, but conversely it makes no sense unless there's something broadly similar to compete against.
I think the answer would be a local motor club - something like Herts County Aero or CSMA. The latter meets within litterally 5 minutes of my house I've just noticed.
Most sprints and hillclimbs have Kit Car classes and if the car is roadgoing you won't end up in Sports Libre. You will however be up against a lot of well sorted cars - Caterhams, Westfields, Sylvas, etc. Classes are usually based on engine size (up to 1700cc and over 1700cc) and tyres (list 1A or List 1B). Joining a local motor club is definitely a good start. You then need to read the regulations for whatever events you would like to enter to see where your car would fit.
As you say, the clubs seem to classify kit cars as up to, and above, 1700cc.
Does that mean that a westfiled, say, with a standard Mondeo-spec 1.8 Ford Zetec would be in the same class as a national hillclimb championship xpec SEight with a 5-litre TVR V8 in there as long as the latter they're both MOT'd?
The bottom line is whatever car I turned up in if I went ahead with it would be something capable of driving a reasonable distance on the road. I suppose someone who's got the time and money to develop it into a strict competition car (albeit in a road going class) will always have an advantage. It's all for fun anyway, the idea is simply something one step beyond a track day...
Does that mean that a westfiled, say, with a standard Mondeo-spec 1.8 Ford Zetec would be in the same class as a national hillclimb championship xpec SEight with a 5-litre TVR V8 in there as long as the latter they're both MOT'd?
The bottom line is whatever car I turned up in if I went ahead with it would be something capable of driving a reasonable distance on the road. I suppose someone who's got the time and money to develop it into a strict competition car (albeit in a road going class) will always have an advantage. It's all for fun anyway, the idea is simply something one step beyond a track day...
As said; the classes are well defined.
Sprint classes are largely similar to hillclimb classes, so a cooking Westie witha 2 litre Duratec or Pinto would be in a class up to 2000cc.
That class could be set on road tyres (list 1A as they are known) or slicks.
Be very sure there are seriously fast Westfields etc in the road going/ MoT/etc class, but also be sure they are a great bunch of people.
Get to a meeting close to you and and chat with owners for the low-down.
Sprint classes are largely similar to hillclimb classes, so a cooking Westie witha 2 litre Duratec or Pinto would be in a class up to 2000cc.
That class could be set on road tyres (list 1A as they are known) or slicks.
Be very sure there are seriously fast Westfields etc in the road going/ MoT/etc class, but also be sure they are a great bunch of people.
Get to a meeting close to you and and chat with owners for the low-down.
Shaun_E said:
...if the car is roadgoing you won't end up in Sports Libre.
Not necessarily so, as I have found to my cost. Some organisers take a more flexible approach but many will apply a rule that to be classified within the 'kit car' classes, you need to run a full windscreen. For example see these regulations.To be fair, a full windscreen can easily cost you up to 5mph on peak speed, so you can undertand the desire to enforce a 'level playing field' approach.
But as Shaun says, you will be up against a lot of well-developed competition even in the Road Modified Kit classes, regardless, so don;t expect to turn up and win in typical roadgoing kit.
Having said which, lots of people are there just to compete against themselves and the clock, so it may not matter to you that you don;t stand a realistic chance of going home with a trophy.
Chris
As 911Hillclimber said get along to a sprint or hillclimb. From the MSA web site I found http://www.asemc.org.uk/ That's the Association of South Eastern motor clubs, they run the Championship closest to you click on calender and speed, you will find dates and places plus regs. I am sure some of the drivers will give you some general advice. Find a club that is local to you and organises a sprint or hillclimb and I am sure you will soon find someone how will talk you through what is required and how to get started.
Best of luck
JohnEM
Link to MSA http://www.msauk.org/site/cms/contentChapterView.a...
As 911Hillclimber said get along to a sprint or hillclimb. From the MSA web site I found http://www.asemc.org.uk/ That's the Association of South Eastern motor clubs, they run the Championship closest to you click on calender and speed, you will find dates and places plus regs. I am sure some of the drivers will give you some general advice. Find a club that is local to you and organises a sprint or hillclimb and I am sure you will soon find someone how will talk you through what is required and how to get started.
Best of luck
JohnEM
Link to MSA http://www.msauk.org/site/cms/contentChapterView.a...
Gassing Station | Kit Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff