Were going racing!!!

[Sammo123]

Me and a couple of mates have wanted to get into some sort of motor racing for ages. Well I finally got bored of waiting so we had a little meeting last night to discuss it.

We have decided to enter the CSCC Tin Tops series next year. The idea being that all 3 of us cant make it to every race so we will just share the driving (and all the costs) between us.

We are going to be ordering our Go Racing packs in the next couple of days but we are trying to work out what the initial outlay is likely to be. We have a budget in mind for a car so dont worry about that. We just need to know what else were going to need and what its likely to cost us.

Cheers for any help that follows.

Sammo

[frodo_monkey]

I guess...

Helmet £250
Suit £200
Gloves and boots £100
Nomex underwear (optional but I recommend it) £100
Transponder (if not fitted to car) £200 secondhand if you can find it...
Trailer £500 for a cheapo
Pads, oil, consumables etc etc £???

Get as much car-specific consumables etc with the car as you can, you'd be surprised how much 5l of oil, a set of pads and all filters etc cost when added together! Thats probably the basics, you might want to have a quick test of the car before your first race too...

[wildman0609]

go racing pack + ards test + medical + licence will set you back around £400-500

then add helmet, overalls, boots, gloves. £600

trailer?

tow car?

tools and equipment to run and service car?

series and club registration for cscc tin tops is not a lot

entry fee's for cscc range from £225 up to £285

[Sammo123]

Sorry if this sounds like a daft question. Whats the point of the Nomex underwear?

[andy97]

Sammo the Nomex underwear is advisory, not compulsory - its just another layer of protection.

Welcome to the CSCC, Good choice! I am sure that you will enjoy it. If I can be of any help then let me know. Drop me a PM/ e-mail with any questions you may have.

[Sammo123]

andy97 said:

Sammo the Nomex underwear is advisory, not compulsory - its just another layer of protection.

Welcome to the CSCC, Good choice! I am sure that you will enjoy it. If I can be of any help then let me know. Drop me a PM/ e-mail with any questions you may have.

Cheers Andy

I'm sure we will have plenty of questions as the time goes on. I am currently trying to find the full rules and regulations as there doesnt seem to be much info on the website.

[pistol pete]

Sammo123 said:

Sorry if this sounds like a daft question. Whats the point of the Nomex underwear?

It's optional. You need 2 layers of nomex for UK events, 3 for international. Lighter (cheaper) suits are 2 layer & if you need 3 layer, underwear can be the 3rd layer.

Fireproof clothing doesn't burn, but whatever you wear underneath it might. I think it defeats the point in a fireproof suit if you were something not fireproof against flesh.

Pete

[jagracer]

Sammo123 said:

andy97 said:

Sammo the Nomex underwear is advisory, not compulsory - its just another layer of protection.

Welcome to the CSCC, Good choice! I am sure that you will enjoy it. If I can be of any help then let me know. Drop me a PM/ e-mail with any questions you may have.

Cheers Andy

I'm sure we will have plenty of questions as the time goes on. I am currently trying to find the full rules and regulations as there doesnt seem to be much info on the website.

What you see on the website will be all the rules there are which isn't many, that's partly why it's such a popular series.

[andy97]

Jagracer is correct. The rules on the web site are it. Plus the mandatory safety rules by the MSA. It really isn't complicated to geta car to CSCC Tin Tops rules!

[Sammo123]

Ah fair enough. So the car will require a basic rollcage? Plumbed in fire extinguishers, 4/6 point harnesses and a race seat?

[dirtyboy]

quick point with helmets,... although the cheaper ones might seem tempting make sure it is fully compliant (red sticker) as with the other kart type the regs change on 2011 so it will be money down the drain cos you won't be able to use it, or that might be 2010 actually???? Anyway something like sparco formula is pretty good for club racing, about £330 from merlin motorsport, cheers

[andye30m3]

Is it also worth making sure the helmet you buy has hans posts?

I know they're not mandatory yet, do people think they could be soon?

[jnwrf01]

If you are considering racing without a hans device - then frankly your nuts. For the price of a set of tyres or a broken neck - then there is no issue.

I am happy to send you details of guys that have had their neck saved in the last 12months by then - and indeed one guy - who didn;t wear one on the basis of cost - and then spent 6m on the sofa with a broken neck.

[fergus]

Sammo123 said:

Ah fair enough. So the car will require a basic rollcage? Plumbed in fire extinguishers, 4/6 point harnesses and a race seat?

+ electrical master switch.

Make sure the fire ext is in date and has been serviced recently. Being stuck upside down in a burning car with a duff fire ext won't be much fun.

Get a decent seat that won't fold or snap in a crash, and make sure your belts are corretly anchored (and in-date).

check the blue book for the correct cage type and minimum number of mounting points for the series you'll enter.

+ echo the HANS comments above (make sure it's fitted correctly though....)

Make sure you have enough tools between you to do (basic) maintenance both in the paddock and at home afterwards.

Personally, I'd draw up a basic contract between each of you to prevent any heated arguments later. The large one will be what happens in the event of an engine letting go. I think the usual case is - if you're driving at the time, you're liable for the costs of putting it back to a condition where it can enter another race. Keep it simple.

Good luck.

[Sammo123]

I think the decision has been made that if the engine lets go the first time, then we will share the cost. If a particular person blows it a couple of times then it will be down to them as its gotta be something to do with there driving style

[jagracer]

fergus said:

Personally, I'd draw up a basic contract between each of you to prevent any heated arguments later. The large one will be what happens in the event of an engine letting go. I think the usual case is - if you're driving at the time, you're liable for the costs of putting it back to a condition where it can enter another race. Keep it simple.

Good luck.

Never really heard of that one, if more than one person drives the car then they are all wearing out the mechanical parts, and engines do let go when you least expect it, I would say mechanical failures are a shared cost.

[anonymous-user]

Sammo123 said:

I think the decision has been made that if the engine lets go the first time, then we will share the cost. If a particular person blows it a couple of times then it will be down to them as its gotta be something to do with there driving style

if a particular person blows an engine a couple of times you are looking at spending a massive amount of cash! engine rebuilds are not cheap. personally i would go with the "you bend it you mend it" principle and also pay into a repair fund. then if it goes bang, you use the repair fun and whoever was driving at the time stumps up the rest to get it back going.

also, whatever car you buy and prep, buy a second for spares. things like bootlids, doors, wings etc are much cheaper if you buy a tired old (possible MoT failure) car whole rather than as one off spares...

[fergus]

jagracer said:

fergus said:

Personally, I'd draw up a basic contract between each of you to prevent any heated arguments later. The large one will be what happens in the event of an engine letting go. I think the usual case is - if you're driving at the time, you're liable for the costs of putting it back to a condition where it can enter another race. Keep it simple.

Good luck.

Never really heard of that one, if more than one person drives the car then they are all wearing out the mechanical parts, and engines do let go when you least expect it, I would say mechanical failures are a shared cost.

Missing a gear on downchanges, buzzing the engine, etc is more likely to make the engine go. If it goes down to mechanical reasons whilst not being placed under massive duress, then I'd suggest your prep hasn't been to attentive...

+ what Pablo said. If someone crashes the car, whether directly their fault or not (often difficult to argue either way), who repairs the car.

A simple contract, agreed by all at the start of the series, may save some friendships down the line.

[Sammo123]

pablo said:

Sammo123 said:

I think the decision has been made that if the engine lets go the first time, then we will share the cost. If a particular person blows it a couple of times then it will be down to them as its gotta be something to do with there driving style

if a particular person blows an engine a couple of times you are looking at spending a massive amount of cash! engine rebuilds are not cheap. personally i would go with the "you bend it you mend it" principle and also pay into a repair fund. then if it goes bang, you use the repair fun and whoever was driving at the time stumps up the rest to get it back going.

also, whatever car you buy and prep, buy a second for spares. things like bootlids, doors, wings etc are much cheaper if you buy a tired old (possible MoT failure) car whole rather than as one off spares...

Were not worried about rebuild costs as 2 of us used to be mechanics so will do all the labour which just leaves the cost of parts.

[lewis1]

get a data logger, then you can check why the engine blew up and see if the driver did indeed hit the limiter alot or ignore the water temp etc