Sprints, Auto test, Track days in Scotland

[slickchange]

Hi Guys,
Anyone here go to any of these events? I'd like to get involved is some regular cheap(ish) type of motorsport and trackdays and have loads of questions! I've been to Knockhill and Croft on track days before but realisticly I'm not going to win anything just interested in doing it.
What options are their for hill climbs / sprints / auto testing within a reasonable drive from Edinburgh? What local organisations do I need to join to be able to compete? How do I find out about events or clubs?
For trackdays, Is Knockhill the only Scottish track? Does Crail still have a circuit type track still (their website doesn't work or I'd check myself) or is it all drag racing there? Has anyone been to a track day at Kalmes? At 800metres, is it too small for cars?
Thanks

[JohnS]

Head on over to http://scottish-sprinting.co.uk/flatchat/

Lots of info about the sprints and hillclimbs. There are a few within a reasonable drive from Edinburgh.

John

[RDM]

There's a test day at Kames on Sunday, nip down and have a look.

http://www.eastayrshirecc.co.uk/calendar#October11

[johnycarrera]

You can only really do Kames in an old mini or a Go-Kart. My Mk11 Escort was too big in the 80s so today's cars wouldn't be much use there IMO

[Kiltie]

johnycarrera said:

You can only really do Kames in an old mini or a Go-Kart. My Mk11 Escort was too big in the 80s so today's cars wouldn't be much use there IMO

This isn't the case. Kames is fine for any car.

It's a round of the British Sprint Championship and the competitors coming up from down south rave about the facility.

Cheers,

Eric

[Kiltie]

slickchange said:

... trackdays ...

Suggest you look out for posts here by JohnS and Adam Kindness.

slickchange said:

... hillclimbs / sprints ...

The 2011 calendar for Scottish speed events is here. 2012 will be pretty similar although I believe a couple of the sprint weekends will be cut.

Are you up to speed with what you'll need to compete? (MSA licence, suit / helmet etc. and what you'll need to do to the car).

As John suggests above, a great source of advice for newcomers is FlatChat and there's a good summary here.

My advice would be to enter the two championships in 2012 as a newcomer (free for newcomers) and then you know you'll be gauranteed to receive the regulations and application for each event through the post or by email.

Something to think about as well is to volunteer as a marshal for a couple of events before competing.

Feel free to email me through my profile if you want to know any more about sprinting and / or hillclimbing.

slickchange said:

... auto testing ...

Auto tests are organised at club level so the advice is ... join a club. I was going to suggest DCC but I can't see any mention of auto tests on their website. Perhaps someone else can suggest an alternative (MSA affiliated) in your neck of the woods.

Cheers,

Eric

[SportsLibre]

General info and links to all the Scottish motor sport clubs and upcoming events http://www.scottishcarclubs.com/ for the Scottish association of car clubs.

[Olivera]

I don't want to be too disparaging, but Kames is a bit of a mickey mouse track. Great for karts or remote control cars but that's about it.

[Kiltie]

Olivera said:

I don't want to be too disparaging, but Kames is a bit of a mickey mouse track. Great for karts or remote control cars but that's about it.

Eh? When were you there?

As I said above ...

Kiltie said:

It's a round of the British Sprint Championship and the competitors coming up from down south rave about the facility.

Some random pics here.

Cheers,

Eric

[johnycarrera]

My comment appears to be misguided then so I apologise, that's the way it was in 89-90 and I've not been back since, I take it Kames has been widened and lengthened since then? Also it had zero facilities back then although I didn't care about that, just the driving

[RDM]

Check out some of the you tube vids for Kames, Miko Hirvonen
in the WRC etc.

[slickchange]

Awesome, Thanks for the local info.

[Kiltie]

johnycarrera said:

My comment appears to be misguided then so I apologise, that's the way it was in 89-90 and I've not been back since, I take it Kames has been widened and lengthened since then? Also it had zero facilities back then although I didn't care about that, just the driving

No apology necessary.

You should come for one of the Scottish and / or British sprint championship rounds to see how it is these days.

From the EACC website ...

EACC said:

The Complex was built by members of EACC in the early 1980’s and opened in 1984. It is still owned and operated by the Club. The track was resurfaced in 2000 after a 3 year project with the help of Lottery funding as well as funds from other motorsport clubs.

The track is a testing 800m long 3.5m wide tarmack surface with generous run-off areas. One "run" is timed as 3 laps from a standing start if running clockwise, or 2.5 laps if used anti-clockwise.

There is parking for 400 cars, tarmac paddocks, a toilet block and a Cafe offering excellent value for money snacks. We have full PA facilities and for most events we have a commentator. The main car park offers an excellent view of the track from within the parked cars but spectators are welcome to wander round and have a look at the competing cars during events.

IIRC, it's the only purpose built sprint venue in the UK.

Seriously, if it's good enough for 4.0l V8 Pilbeam-Judds and 3.5l V8 Gould- NMEs ... it's good enough ...

RDM said:

... Miko Hirvonen ...

click

Cheers,

Eric

[johnycarrera]

Sounds great I'll have to come and watch an event

[slickchange]

lol if Kames is good enough for a 4.0L Judds single seater to get the power down, then it'll be fine for me in mine!!

[tvrolet]

So....a bit off topic/on topic....
been plotting to maybe do a sprint or two in the humble tvrolet next year. Problem is I can't work out what class it would run it, and while it's planned as a bit of fun no-one wants to be totally out-classed so if I end up in a class with loads of big-power Evos and Scoobies I may not bother. So, anyone with some in-depth knowledge of the regs care to suggest where it would end up, and I guess more importantly what the regular movers and ahakers are in the class?

Car is road registered as a TVR Tuscan; but this is based on a chassis/tub that TVR only built as a race car and was never a road car model, plus a Chevrolet 6300cc engine (original would have been a TVR AJP race motor). I know there has been at least one other [race] TVR Tuscan that sprinted, but it was just 'as last raced' (and as built by the factory), while I built mine to be SVAd and road registed, so mine carries a lot of extra road-legal gear and weight. I guess it might be in the same class as a road legal Cobra replica, if any of them ever get sprinted. Any ideas? Let the debate begin.

[alicrozier]

I'd suggest it might qualify for B6 (Modified), otherwise C3 (Sports Libre)?
Info here, will point you to the specific blue book sections:
http://www.scottish-sprinting.co.uk/info.html

Either way there would be 'potential' to be significantly outclassed, depends what turns up though.

Not wishing to discourage but I doubt it would be anything like competitive overall in those divisions...


Edit to add, from 2011 entry list:
B6
Alistair Grant B6 4552 MG BGT V8
Melvyn Hartley B6 1997 Autotune Gemini
Philip Rowlands B6 1860 Sylva Leader
C3
David Seaton C3 4941 Pilbeam MP43/BMW
Graeme Bremner D C3 1299 T Radical Prosport
Jennifer Bremner D/L C3 1299 T Radical Prosport
John Plenderleith C3 1300 T Radical Prosport
Allan McDonald C3 1300 T Morris Mini-Justy

(radicals forced induction, hence that class?)

Edited by alicrozier on Friday 21st October 13:06

[chunkymonkey71]

Anyone going on Sunday? I might take my 3 year old up to see the fast cars!

He's mad about racing!

Last time I was at kames, a friend of mine rolled his car on the way there.

[Klingon1999]

Entry List for Sunday is here :-

http://www.eastayrshirecc.co.uk/entrants

I'll be there

D.A.D.