Racing

[Rage]

I'm looking to try to get into racing but don't know the first thing about the rules of different disciplines such as track or auto grass has anyone got any advice as to which discipline to go for and which would be more fun for my money.
I'm leaning towards track but then my mate has an old citroen ax that is nearly ready for another years autograss but he has found the current cage it has is going to be against the legislation next year so it would mean alot of work and cost to put the newer cage in this year while it's in bits or strip it again next winter to make it legal for next year.
on the other hand would i be better getting something to start fresh with and maybe go with track racing? if so whats the classes? and whats the restrictions for those classes?

:confused::confused:

can someone straighten this out for me?

[dc1984]

There are so many different category's and rules to do any form of motorsport now.
A friend of mine is fortunate enough to have a fair bit of cash behind him and last season he took part in the legends class.
You will first need to sit your racing licence then if your making your own car almost everything has to be FIA approved and in date.

Personally if you can afford it, why not go for it but I prefer just sticking to track days.

David

[pottersrebel]

oval racing is probably the cheapest form of car motorsport you could get into. there`s alot of different types of racing so you have plenty choose from i.e non contact or contact.
certain autograss classes would probably cost similar to run imo track related racing tends to be more expensive due to hse and licence costs. what ever racing you decided to choose id recomend geting a car that has already been built and raced if it is your first season, i bought a new car for my first ever season and it took me most of the year getting used to the car never mind setting it up to suit me, where as a proven car will be more or less set up leaving you to get used to it

[Calamity Josh]

here's a quick description of each of the autograss classes :)
http://stneotsautograss.jimdo.com/what-is-autograss/

ohh and heres my car! :D, i've been right the way through juniors, to this, absolutely love the sport! you can honestly do it on such a tight budget if you want too, not that i've really followed that with my latest car :
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j404/CalamityJosh/550339_4739521518755_1401862582_n.jpg

[faker]

Now that's tidy. Hill climb and sprint is a cheap way to start, as is navigation rallying. Really does depend on budget.

[Rage]

here's a quick description of each of the autograss classes :)
http://stneotsautograss.jimdo.com/what-is-autograss/

ohh and heres my car! :D, i've been right the way through juniors, to this, absolutely love the sport! you can honestly do it on such a tight budget if you want too, not that i've really followed that with my latest car :
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j404/CalamityJosh/550339_4739521518755_1401862582_n.jpg

thats class 8 isn't it? my mate who has the ax has got a class 8 with a blackbird engine in the back just a shame we can't get it started. and have you got beadlockers on pug wheels? looks smart



cheers guys this is exactly the sort of info i was after to help me decide what the missus is gunna kill me for now lol

[Calamity Josh]

thats class 8 isn't it? my mate who has the ax has got a class 8 with a blackbird engine in the back just a shame we can't get it started. and have you got beadlockers on pug wheels? looks smart



cheers guys this is exactly the sort of info i was after to help me decide what the missus is gunna kill me for now lol

It's a class ten, the twin engine version, she's running a pair of suzuki gsxr 1000 k4's, putting out about 175bhp each and she's 510kg ;) and yes i've got the beadlocks to save ripping tyres off :), just realized that if your only at st ives your not far from where i race which is st neots, hence the 'SN' prefix before my number.

Take a look at the race dates on that website for our club :http://stneotsautograss.jimdo.com/race-dates/ feel free to pop along and i'll be around somewhere for a chat :)

[garyc]

How deep are your pockets, circuit racing will cost you an arm and a leg.

[Rage]

It's a class ten, the twin engine version, she's running a pair of suzuki gsxr 1000 k4's, putting out about 175bhp each and she's 510kg ;) and yes i've got the beadlocks to save ripping tyres off :), just realized that if your only at st ives your not far from where i race which is st neots, hence the 'SN' prefix before my number.

Take a look at the race dates on that website for our club :http://stneotsautograss.jimdo.com/race-dates/ feel free to pop along and i'll be around somewhere for a chat :)

cheers for the invite my mate down the road from me races at st neots and we are talking about getting his old car back into class 1 he has CA numbers he also has a class 8 that doesn't want to run for some reason so i might see you there if all goes well.

[Rage]

garyc surely it's a case of taking a car and putting it on a crash diet then playing with the engine and suspension and putting in the regulation safety kit like a cage seat harness etc so where is the difference this is what i want to find out as at the moment, call it dumb if you like, i can only see that what ever racing i'm going for the car basically stays the same. stripped out with a specific cage seat and harness fueltank and battery box then for track one setup of suspension and tyres and for grass another setup of tyres and suspension. either way it's the specifics of them that i want to find out so i can see which way i want to go. ive been trying to get a car on the track for years but build space has always been against me now i can get build space and my skills are better i want to have a toy so i can go fast legally and save my licence lol i just need to find out which way i want to go

[Andy]

autograss stockhatch,has to be one of the most,if not,cheapest forms of motorsport!

[mowgli]

1 single track race meeting will cost you about £500 for the cheapest class....

the circuits make their money out of the competitors, and any spectators is a bonus..

i'd be looking at Karts or autograss, ovals or maybe even banger racing..if you want cheap motorsport.....

suddenly track days start looking good... or you do what james hunt did... buy an A35 van & thrash the 4rse off it on the public road cos it really doesn't do more than 70mph.

[Calamity Josh]

]
i'd be looking at Karts or autograss, ovals or maybe even banger racing..if you want cheap motorsport.....


sadly kartings really not cheap :(

[mowgli]

turn up & pay is pretty cheap....compared to a lotof other stuff

[Rage]

if i build a car for track and use it at track days instead of competing how does the setup of the car change i.e. roll cage, seat, harness etc compared to the requirements of competing?

[mowgli]

a track day car only has to be road legal. don't some places ask that it has a valid mot??

a race car has to satisfy the msa regulations for its class of racing, as in rollcage design & specific material, seat needs to be correct date & spec, harnesses too, and the fire safety stuff has to be up to the mark too.

[Andy]

Building a "track" car is pretty pointless imo as unless you compete,whats its purpose??

[mowgli]

/\ its something that i've never understood.. why people seem to spend loads of money to make a track day car with tons of competition parts, when a track day is meant to be a non competitive activity, you might as well buy a £200 sh!tter with ten minutes of mot, thrash the bottom off it & then weigh it in afterwards

[Rage]

you have a point there mowgli but i want a toy and i just don't have the stupid money that insurance want to rob me of each year at least with a track car i can sheet it up for a year if things get tight and not have to worry about getting the family shopping or doc appointments etc. plus there is the reliability issues of a road legal track car. just looking for every opinion possible and the rules and regs that go with different racing disciplines as to which will best suit me

[marc69]

I originally thought about hillclimbs, other motorsports and sprints etc, it looked so expensive and to pay several hundred pounds to drive up a hill 3 times is just daft unless you are really hoping to get a career in motorsport.

therefore track days. So far I have not spent a lot of money on cars for this but, I have put in a lot of time because although it is not competitive, the first time I did it in my standard SR, the suspension was just not up to it and the brakes, by the second lap they had faded completely. So for a decent track car you will have to upgrade from standard Nova parts but at the same time it makes your car (if it is a road car) better anyway. Last year ( and perhaps March) I used a mildly tuned 1.4. with good suspension and brakes, stripping out the intterior etc (free) made a difference, it was fabulous fun everytime. Unless you pay a fortune, you are not insured on the track so have to take the chance that if you or someone else damages your car...tough. Therefore I would never advise spending thousands and thousands on it, it needs to stay a bit f fun and a hobby, in my opinion.

Now the not competitive part, track days are not supposed to be competitive but you really don't want to be the Sunday driver in everyone else's way. You start to get to know folk and on the track it does get a little competitive, at Knockhill there is a Chevette, Mx5 and a few other cars that the 1.4 was almost competitive (and better on the bends) than and we would be desperate to get past each other, again informally but made it fun.

[marc69]

The car also had a cage. I have just finiished preparing another car and hoping to try it out soon. With having more experience, I fitted the cage, it can be removed as it is bolted in, the car can easily be converted to road use, the middle cage bar is just two bolts making the rear seats accesible and the two side bars could be undone also but they are not really in the way. The bucket seat is 4 bolts and then the harness to remove, then put in a standard seat, so could be useable as an everyday runner town with an hours work. Some folk turn up with hardcore cras and others with mild tuning etc, I personally would recommend the cage, syuspension and brakes as a must, for peace of mind if nothing else.

[Rage]

i already have a mk3 cavalier with bigger brakes lowered stiffer suspension bigger tyres and a strut brace but thats the family run about and at 196000 miles i don't think she would take to well to me racing round a track regularly hence why i was looking at the idea of a track car thats completely separate to the needed cars.
Also the idea of building a track ready car then using it for track days is to basically test the car and see what i like or don't like about track as i have never been on track. Ican then find a club and race properly

[merv beckett]

iv done two sorts of racing short oval and track racing there alot different but i think doing 3 years of cheap oval racing has made me a better track racer. the cost is far different there is a list of both to give you an idea

oval racing
-car 600
-race wear 100
-what need to race n/a
-licence 50
-years racing 200
-tyres 25 each
-damage to car go scrap yard
-people watching average 500 max

so for first year no more than 1000, 2nd half that
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613831006721.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/540157_10151229009822269_1662063189_n2.jpg

track racing (classic stock hatch 750 motor club) this is almost cheapiest track championship your find
-car 2500
-race wear 1000
-what need to race ards test 400
-licence 150
-years racing 2000
-tyres 110 each
-damage to car need brand new really
-people watching 2000+
-highlights motor tv/and races in back of autosport magazine

so first year about 6000+, 2nd 3000+
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613831008741.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613830983061.jpg

hope this gives you an idea check out my pages your see more of this
www.facebook.com/MJmotorsport (http://www.facebook.com/MJmotorsport)
@mjmotorsport_32

[L14MNP]

I just hammer it off the limiter up the bypass.

Cheaper than all of this MSA guff. There's always someone who wants a go, too.

[Rage]

merv beckett cheers for that info really helpful and liking the pics aswell

L14MNP I've only got 3 points left thanks to that so i want to save it for the track

[L14MNP]

merv beckett cheers for that info really helpful and liking the pics aswell

L14MNP I've only got 3 points left thanks to that so i want to save it for the track

lol Oh dear! No wonder you're called Rage!

[Rage]

lol thats kinda the idea lol mk3 cav is too easy to cruise at speeds the fuzz like to flash pretty lights at you for

[pottersrebel]

iv done two sorts of racing short oval and track racing there alot different but i think doing 3 years of cheap oval racing has made me a better track racer. the cost is far different there is a list of both to give you an idea

oval racing
-car 600
-race wear 100
-what need to race n/a
-licence 50
-years racing 200
-tyres 25 each
-damage to car go scrap yard
-people watching average 500 max

so for first year no more than 1000, 2nd half that
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613831006721.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/540157_10151229009822269_1662063189_n2.jpg

track racing (classic stock hatch 750 motor club) this is almost cheapiest track championship your find
-car 2500
-race wear 1000
-what need to race ards test 400
-licence 150
-years racing 2000
-tyres 110 each
-damage to car need brand new really
-people watching 2000+
-highlights motor tv/and races in back of autosport magazine

so first year about 6000+, 2nd 3000+
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613831008741.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/mervbeckett/13613830983061.jpg

hope this gives you an idea check out my pages your see more of this
www.facebook.com/MJmotorsport (http://www.facebook.com/MJmotorsport)
@mjmotorsport_32
I havent done track racing but can definately agree with the statement about oval racing helping make you a better track driver. with oval racing u turn just one way i.e right and you learn how to take that corner at the highest speed possible within the cars limits. As to whats best for you thou is down to budget and what you expect out of your racing, if you expect to be winning every meeting double your budget or u can do like me and spend a poo load of cash having fun expecting finish last. i race short oval and have a race almost every weekend from march till november ( approx 35 meetings, 3 races per meeting) and ill spend no where near what it costs to run on a circuit