Arrive & Drive Packages
Discussion
Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, im new to the site in terms of posting but have long admired PH.
I was just looking for some seasoned advice on arrive and drive packages really. I have been looking for a way back into racing since i finished Uni many years ago following a fair bit of karting in my youth, so bought myself a Stock Hatch Saxo for the 750mc series however i underestimated how important a committed team was to getting good track time so have come to the decision it would be best to sell the car and look to use the money for arrive and drive meetings perhaps or test days to get some track time.
My questions really revolve around;
Thanks, Jay
I was just looking for some seasoned advice on arrive and drive packages really. I have been looking for a way back into racing since i finished Uni many years ago following a fair bit of karting in my youth, so bought myself a Stock Hatch Saxo for the 750mc series however i underestimated how important a committed team was to getting good track time so have come to the decision it would be best to sell the car and look to use the money for arrive and drive meetings perhaps or test days to get some track time.
My questions really revolve around;
- Do you have to commit to a season for arrive and drive or can you do a couple of meetings per season?
- My dream would be to test a Ginetta as ive seen much in the press about packages you can get into but obviously i wouldnt think teams would offer a test to just anyone so is there committment to then get a seat for the season?
Thanks, Jay
Hi Jay
I race with max5 in the mx5 series running the mk3 mx5's We hire out cars for one off events/weekends
In 2011 we will have standalone races and also be doing the barc sports car races.
Feel free to call me on 07770 566599 if you want more info....
I can talk quicker than I can type......
Paul
I race with max5 in the mx5 series running the mk3 mx5's We hire out cars for one off events/weekends
In 2011 we will have standalone races and also be doing the barc sports car races.
Feel free to call me on 07770 566599 if you want more info....
I can talk quicker than I can type......
Paul
Jay - I've been looking at the Ginetta G40's for next year running on the GT Cup progamme and unless you have c.15-20k burning a hole in your pocket you can pretty much rule that out.
I'm currently running in Sports 2000 which are fantastic cars and provide a huge level of experience and thrills for very little outlay - with the added bonus that they will outrun most everything else that you can pick up for the same money, as well as much more expensive machinery like the Ferrari's, Porsche's etc.
A season can cost as little as 3k. Let me know if you want any more info.
P.s. I also might have a car for sale if you're interested!
I'm currently running in Sports 2000 which are fantastic cars and provide a huge level of experience and thrills for very little outlay - with the added bonus that they will outrun most everything else that you can pick up for the same money, as well as much more expensive machinery like the Ferrari's, Porsche's etc.
A season can cost as little as 3k. Let me know if you want any more info.
P.s. I also might have a car for sale if you're interested!
I think you will find it incredibly easy to test/run with nearly any team you wish - the economy is far from good and most teams will fall over themselves to run you for one test or an entire season.
I don't know how much racing you have done but you may find that some proper tuition with full data back up to be of real help in finding those crucial minutes/second/tenths - there are a number on instructors that appear on this site or advertise.
It seems to me over the years that those who are quick in a FF1600 are normally quick in anything and that would be a reasonably "cheap" way to get some more experience with a good team.
Have fun
I don't know how much racing you have done but you may find that some proper tuition with full data back up to be of real help in finding those crucial minutes/second/tenths - there are a number on instructors that appear on this site or advertise.
It seems to me over the years that those who are quick in a FF1600 are normally quick in anything and that would be a reasonably "cheap" way to get some more experience with a good team.
Have fun
Firstly, thanks ever so much for the fantastic response, I can see why people rave about the forums on here so much, its all greatly appreciated!
Paul, the MX5 series does look very good, I have had a look into it previously and the MK3’s seem great fun too! I’ve made a note of your number so may well give you a bell to get some more detail. The only potential pitfall I have, which also relates to Kickstarts’ option of FF1600, is that im 6’5 so this put a halt to my racing as a teenager and pretty much rules out the single seater option and means tin-tops are the only feasible option. Having said that, the MX5 roadcar is a little restrictive due to most of my height being in my legs and impossible to drive but id imagine this could be overcome in the race version as you can move things about more in the cockpit?!
Robbie, the Sports 2000 look superb and in fact are just the kind of thing that interest me in terms of open cockpit, sports car looking machines (During Uni i dreamt of Radicals!). I had no idea the costs would be that reasonable too. I would love to get more info on this if you have anything? And thanks for the offer of the car, id be keen to see info on it although as I say, I realised when I bought the Saxo VTR that I don’t really have the committed team behind me to run a car at the minute so would be keen to take up an arrive and drive package in the meantime to get circuit experience.
Kickstart, thanks for the advice on tuition, I think this could really benefit as I guess its like building up a CV at this point to show experience, data and tuition undertaken. Ill have a scour of the internet to see what might be the best option. My background so far is a brief encounter in karts as a youngster with a couple of tests in a Formula Ford before the height really kicked in so only now have I been in a position to try and get back into racing so looking for a good cost effective way back in.
Thanks again for all your advice chaps, as I say, its greatly appreciated! If anyone else has info on a potential route forward then I would love to hear ideas, the more the merrier!
Jay
Paul, the MX5 series does look very good, I have had a look into it previously and the MK3’s seem great fun too! I’ve made a note of your number so may well give you a bell to get some more detail. The only potential pitfall I have, which also relates to Kickstarts’ option of FF1600, is that im 6’5 so this put a halt to my racing as a teenager and pretty much rules out the single seater option and means tin-tops are the only feasible option. Having said that, the MX5 roadcar is a little restrictive due to most of my height being in my legs and impossible to drive but id imagine this could be overcome in the race version as you can move things about more in the cockpit?!
Robbie, the Sports 2000 look superb and in fact are just the kind of thing that interest me in terms of open cockpit, sports car looking machines (During Uni i dreamt of Radicals!). I had no idea the costs would be that reasonable too. I would love to get more info on this if you have anything? And thanks for the offer of the car, id be keen to see info on it although as I say, I realised when I bought the Saxo VTR that I don’t really have the committed team behind me to run a car at the minute so would be keen to take up an arrive and drive package in the meantime to get circuit experience.
Kickstart, thanks for the advice on tuition, I think this could really benefit as I guess its like building up a CV at this point to show experience, data and tuition undertaken. Ill have a scour of the internet to see what might be the best option. My background so far is a brief encounter in karts as a youngster with a couple of tests in a Formula Ford before the height really kicked in so only now have I been in a position to try and get back into racing so looking for a good cost effective way back in.
Thanks again for all your advice chaps, as I say, its greatly appreciated! If anyone else has info on a potential route forward then I would love to hear ideas, the more the merrier!
Jay
Hi Jay,
We are offering arrive and drive packages using our Westfield Aerorace in 2011 (mainly in the BARC open sportscar series but the car is eligible for other championships too).
I don't think height will be too much of an issue in the car as it has an adjustable seat so should be able to accommodate you. Might be worth having a look at our website to see if anything takes your fancy: http://www.macgracing.co.uk/racing.shtml We offer full packages on racedays including hospitality and tuition, so its a pretty comprehensive package. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
Happy to help.
Jonny
We are offering arrive and drive packages using our Westfield Aerorace in 2011 (mainly in the BARC open sportscar series but the car is eligible for other championships too).
I don't think height will be too much of an issue in the car as it has an adjustable seat so should be able to accommodate you. Might be worth having a look at our website to see if anything takes your fancy: http://www.macgracing.co.uk/racing.shtml We offer full packages on racedays including hospitality and tuition, so its a pretty comprehensive package. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
Happy to help.
Jonny
We do arrive and drive in the MX5 series as well.
Or, if you're up for a bit of challenge:
http://www.mazdascholarship.com/
Or, if you're up for a bit of challenge:
http://www.mazdascholarship.com/
Hi Jonny,
Thanks for the post, it looks like a heck of a set up you have there and very impressive.
I have looked into Caterham-esque cars before but always thought id be too tall so could maybe be worth a try as you say. Would you be able to let me know the kind of costs involved in tuition at a circuit initially perhaps? (PM if that suits?) as this could be a good way to get up to speed (pardon the horrible pun). Thanks again, appreciate the time to post.
Roo, thanks for the link, it looks good! ill bear this in mind when i narrow my options down a little more and again, thanks for dropping the post for me.
Jay
Thanks for the post, it looks like a heck of a set up you have there and very impressive.
I have looked into Caterham-esque cars before but always thought id be too tall so could maybe be worth a try as you say. Would you be able to let me know the kind of costs involved in tuition at a circuit initially perhaps? (PM if that suits?) as this could be a good way to get up to speed (pardon the horrible pun). Thanks again, appreciate the time to post.
Roo, thanks for the link, it looks good! ill bear this in mind when i narrow my options down a little more and again, thanks for dropping the post for me.
Jay
LLTallJay said:
* Do you have to commit to a season for arrive and drive or can you do a couple of meetings per season?
In answer to your questions, no you don't have to commit to a season for arrive and drive and yes most teams will happily offer you a test if they think you're serious enough and/or are prepared to pay the cost of the test.- My dream would be to test a Ginetta as ive seen much in the press about packages you can get into but obviously i wouldnt think teams would offer a test to just anyone so is there commitment to then get a seat for the season?
Ginetta do test days, they used to run them at Donnington for around £300 which was fully refundable if you bought a car. Contact them directly for more info. However be aware that a year in G40 will cost you circa £50k and over £100k in G50.
Regarding your height I would forget about single seaters. You may find one that you could squeeze into but it would need to be modified and adapted which would rule our arrive and drive unless you were prepared to commit to a full season.
Cheers PW75, the Caterham would be a great option if my height/legs will allow a decent drive. The Bookatrack site looks really useful though, so thanks for that!
Thanks for the info 1, i had pretty much ruled out single seaters when in my teens as i found even then that my legs just made it impossible to drive (and ended my F1 dream sadly haha. I think open sports cars (Sports 2000) or tin tops is the only viable option really but again i appreciate the info.
This is what made me sign up, you cant buy this kind of knowledge-base!
Thanks for the info 1, i had pretty much ruled out single seaters when in my teens as i found even then that my legs just made it impossible to drive (and ended my F1 dream sadly haha. I think open sports cars (Sports 2000) or tin tops is the only viable option really but again i appreciate the info.
This is what made me sign up, you cant buy this kind of knowledge-base!
carl_w said:
Can't find any prices on the Bookatrack site, unless I'm missing something?
Book a Track R300 Hire1 said:
carl_w said:
Can't find any prices on the Bookatrack site, unless I'm missing something?
Book a Track R300 Hirehow about this? http://bookatrack.com/-pb_Track-Car-Hire?54
Another Sports 2000 competitor here.
There are quite a few teams who will arrange arrive and drive deals for you and most will tailor the package to suit your needs.
You can hire a car or have the team run your own car. My own arrangements are that the team prepare my car and deliver it to the circuit, but I do all the work on the car on race day so saving the cost of a mechanic. I plan to do all the races but unfortunately can’t commit to the whole season, the team are OK with that and we’ll just take it one race at a time.
The series has a good mix of circuits with championships for Historic, Pinto and Duratec cars, plus extra race 1 hour races and a race at Spa.
I’m sure that between Robbie and Myself we can pass on any info that you need.
Andy
There are quite a few teams who will arrange arrive and drive deals for you and most will tailor the package to suit your needs.
You can hire a car or have the team run your own car. My own arrangements are that the team prepare my car and deliver it to the circuit, but I do all the work on the car on race day so saving the cost of a mechanic. I plan to do all the races but unfortunately can’t commit to the whole season, the team are OK with that and we’ll just take it one race at a time.
The series has a good mix of circuits with championships for Historic, Pinto and Duratec cars, plus extra race 1 hour races and a race at Spa.
I’m sure that between Robbie and Myself we can pass on any info that you need.
Andy
The Bookatrack caterhams are great and if they still have Simon Mason as the instructor that is a pretty good package
I can imagine that it would be hard to know what cars you will fit in so why not go to the autosport and Race retro shows so that you will get to sit in lots of cars and see what actually fits. On the single seater front I suspect you are too tall but it may be that would fit in a classic single seater (eg FF2000) as the cabins tend to be a bit more roomy.
If you went to classic cars eg 1960's mustangs then you would fit without a problem and get to do some epic racing like the Spa 6 hours, Nurburgring etc - unfortunately as always in racing budget in the main issue.
Have fun
I can imagine that it would be hard to know what cars you will fit in so why not go to the autosport and Race retro shows so that you will get to sit in lots of cars and see what actually fits. On the single seater front I suspect you are too tall but it may be that would fit in a classic single seater (eg FF2000) as the cabins tend to be a bit more roomy.
If you went to classic cars eg 1960's mustangs then you would fit without a problem and get to do some epic racing like the Spa 6 hours, Nurburgring etc - unfortunately as always in racing budget in the main issue.
Have fun
If you fancy something sportscar I'll be running both my cars for arrive and drive in the TVR Challenge this year.
I've got a TVR Tasmin, fitted with 24v cossy engine circa 220bhp and possibly a sequential box, and a TVR Tuscan Challenge car with a 5ltr rover circa 350bhp.
Both cars have won their class in the past, and The tuscan the overall title. The Tasmins engine is a brand new build, and the tuscans is having a rebuild after it dropped a core plug out.... whilst leading...
The TVR series has 5 well spaced rounds, starting in May, so plenty of time for testing and raising funds...
Height shouldnt be a problem, im only 6ft but tall in the back so I have the seats low and forward. should be plenty of scope to move them back a little and the height should be fine.
At club level just about every series I've seen has a good paddock craic and everyone helps everyone else. So its more of a case of picking something you fancy driving that fits your budget and goes to the circuits you want to race on.
have Fun
G
I've got a TVR Tasmin, fitted with 24v cossy engine circa 220bhp and possibly a sequential box, and a TVR Tuscan Challenge car with a 5ltr rover circa 350bhp.
Both cars have won their class in the past, and The tuscan the overall title. The Tasmins engine is a brand new build, and the tuscans is having a rebuild after it dropped a core plug out.... whilst leading...
The TVR series has 5 well spaced rounds, starting in May, so plenty of time for testing and raising funds...
Height shouldnt be a problem, im only 6ft but tall in the back so I have the seats low and forward. should be plenty of scope to move them back a little and the height should be fine.
At club level just about every series I've seen has a good paddock craic and everyone helps everyone else. So its more of a case of picking something you fancy driving that fits your budget and goes to the circuits you want to race on.
have Fun
G
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