Starting hillclimbing - 600-1100cc Single seater costs?
Discussion
Hi. I'm looking at possibly having a go at hillclimbing next year, sharing a car with my dad. It's early stages and we'll join the club and buy the books, ( any advice on either would be great ), but in the mean time we'd be gratefull of any pointers. We would have a pretty modest budget of around £7k with which to buy and run a car&trailer and fund a season. We fancy entering the 600-1100cc bike engined single seater class in the Harewood championship but we're unsure of running costs for an entry level car? The other option is I sell my beloved Griff500, ( £10/£11k) and buy a Caterfield to run as road/hillclimb car?
It seems there are a few older bike engined cars, ( OMS, Jedi, Hitec ) popping up around £5-£7k mark including trailers/spares/tyres/moulds etc.
We appreciate that for this money we're not going to get a class winning car but if poss we'd prefer an OMS or Jedi over a one off special due to build quality/crash protection, parts availability, community, etc..How do Hitec compare?
Also are there any specialists close to Leeds/Harrogate area that prep,rebuild this sort of machinery?
Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.
It seems there are a few older bike engined cars, ( OMS, Jedi, Hitec ) popping up around £5-£7k mark including trailers/spares/tyres/moulds etc.
We appreciate that for this money we're not going to get a class winning car but if poss we'd prefer an OMS or Jedi over a one off special due to build quality/crash protection, parts availability, community, etc..How do Hitec compare?
Also are there any specialists close to Leeds/Harrogate area that prep,rebuild this sort of machinery?
Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Edited by Edmundo2 on Wednesday 14th October 20:28
to be honest, they are pretty light on actual running costs. dependant upon compound, tyres can last a season even if double driven. fuel and oil etc are minimal. naturally the spares and repairs fund is whatever you want it to be.....
if you use a regular motorbike engine such as an R1 or a GSXR1000, they appear quite a bit on breakers websites owing to accidents and as such engines can be had quite cheap. sure they are stock but as spares they are worth while acquiring.
re class wins, you might be surprised, it takes a lot of commitment to drive one of those cars quickly and having watched a lot of them go up hills, i think that a lot of people dont get too close to the cars limits thus a class win or two isnt out of the question in a well set up car like a Jedi or an OMS.
if you use a regular motorbike engine such as an R1 or a GSXR1000, they appear quite a bit on breakers websites owing to accidents and as such engines can be had quite cheap. sure they are stock but as spares they are worth while acquiring.
re class wins, you might be surprised, it takes a lot of commitment to drive one of those cars quickly and having watched a lot of them go up hills, i think that a lot of people dont get too close to the cars limits thus a class win or two isnt out of the question in a well set up car like a Jedi or an OMS.
A Jedi or an OMS would be an excellent choice to start in hillclimbing.
I was fortunate enough to win the 1100cc Championship at Gurston Down a number of years ago in a Jedi, which was built by John Corbyn (owner of Jedi Racing Cars) - I ran a Yamaha Exup engine which was not particularly trick - it had been bored to 1040 cc, sump baffles to stop oil surge on long bends, and a stronger clutch basket fitted - not much else.
I would look for a car that has a fairly standard spec - that way, you may be able to get a car in good condition, that you can upgrade as time and budget allows. The GSXR or the Yamaha motor are slightly older technology, but they are fairly bullet-proof. Both of them were originally with carbs (although some people may have fitted after-market injection kits)
You can upgrade the standard carbs with Mikuni flat-slides (which is what I eventually did) and this gives a bit more power. You can stiffen the standard Jedi space-frame chassis by bracing it in additional places, although some owners may have already done this.
An OMS is an equally good bet, although I know less about these - a phone call to Steve Owen at OMS Racing Cars would be an idea - and he may be able to tell you more about any cars that you see for sale.
I hope this helps.
Regards
I was fortunate enough to win the 1100cc Championship at Gurston Down a number of years ago in a Jedi, which was built by John Corbyn (owner of Jedi Racing Cars) - I ran a Yamaha Exup engine which was not particularly trick - it had been bored to 1040 cc, sump baffles to stop oil surge on long bends, and a stronger clutch basket fitted - not much else.
I would look for a car that has a fairly standard spec - that way, you may be able to get a car in good condition, that you can upgrade as time and budget allows. The GSXR or the Yamaha motor are slightly older technology, but they are fairly bullet-proof. Both of them were originally with carbs (although some people may have fitted after-market injection kits)
You can upgrade the standard carbs with Mikuni flat-slides (which is what I eventually did) and this gives a bit more power. You can stiffen the standard Jedi space-frame chassis by bracing it in additional places, although some owners may have already done this.
An OMS is an equally good bet, although I know less about these - a phone call to Steve Owen at OMS Racing Cars would be an idea - and he may be able to tell you more about any cars that you see for sale.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Edited by pilbeam_mp62 on Thursday 15th October 11:36
GreenV8S said:
Have you thought about sprinting the Griffith instead? The entry costs are the same, fuel/tyre costs on the hill are negligible and if you're sensible you can limit the risks. That saves a lot of the investment for track cars, trailers etc.
Yes I have considered it but I really fancy trying a single seater + would worry about body work damage on Griff as can't really afford to loose money on it. Also I'll save £500 a year on insurance,tax,mot, etc..Tough decision re what to do? GreenV8S said:
Edmundo2 said:
Tough decision re what to do?
It would pay you to start off in a road going car anyway until you've earned your Nat A license - unless you already have one."B" licence is sufficient for that engine capacity, no ?
Regards
This looks like a lot of car for the money.
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listing/26513/OMS_PR...
(Note :- I have no connection at all with the seller)
If you don't want to be in the 1600 cc class, I am sure you could move this engine on, and put a smaller, more standard, GSXR in it AND get some change !
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Hillclimbing in a single seater is GREAT FUN !!
Regards
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listing/26513/OMS_PR...
(Note :- I have no connection at all with the seller)
If you don't want to be in the 1600 cc class, I am sure you could move this engine on, and put a smaller, more standard, GSXR in it AND get some change !
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Hillclimbing in a single seater is GREAT FUN !!
Regards
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