Getting into racing...
Discussion
Apologies for if this post has been done on numerous occasions or if this is ill-placed...
However, I would like to get into some kind of racing as I have an ever-expanding passion for driving, what is the best way of getting into this with the possibility of being noticed and going professional.
I understand there are courses to go on etc, but how do you attain the various licenses which I've heard of, but know so little about...
I have been driving for 5 years and would like to step things up a notch - any advice, info, good links etc would be massively appreiciated.
Cheers people
However, I would like to get into some kind of racing as I have an ever-expanding passion for driving, what is the best way of getting into this with the possibility of being noticed and going professional.
I understand there are courses to go on etc, but how do you attain the various licenses which I've heard of, but know so little about...
I have been driving for 5 years and would like to step things up a notch - any advice, info, good links etc would be massively appreiciated.
Cheers people
What sort of racing did you have in mind? What sort of budget do you have?
Sprints/hillclimbs are easy to get into as there are classes for virtually every type of car and you only need a Non race licence. For information on licences look at www.msauk.org/.
If you want to do circuit racing then there is a massive choice - single seaters, saloons, clubmans. The Caterham Academy is a good start with the fee covering entry into a mix of sprints, hillclimbs and circuit races, the car (which you keep), your ARDS test and race support.
Otherwise you can pick up a second hand race car for virtually any type of racing, take you ARDS test and hit the circuit.
Sprints/hillclimbs are easy to get into as there are classes for virtually every type of car and you only need a Non race licence. For information on licences look at www.msauk.org/.
If you want to do circuit racing then there is a massive choice - single seaters, saloons, clubmans. The Caterham Academy is a good start with the fee covering entry into a mix of sprints, hillclimbs and circuit races, the car (which you keep), your ARDS test and race support.
Otherwise you can pick up a second hand race car for virtually any type of racing, take you ARDS test and hit the circuit.
Stock Hatch Rallycross is pretty easy to get into. It's a sort of mixture of rallying and Touring Car racing. The Stock Hatch category basically involves bog-standard hatches, stripped out. I'm not sure what licence you need for it, but I've seen 17-year old kids doing it, so it can't be that hard.
I think you will find it fairly expensive I'm afraid as to keep a car in tip top condition for racing requires quite a lot of fettling and maintenance. I noticed that you posted this morning asking about whether you should use a garage to change the brake discs on your Ford Orion, so I'm guessing you're not that handy with the spanners.. (no offence meant here 
) ..or do you have a garage in mind for maintaining your car ?
Cheers,
Matt
) ..or do you have a garage in mind for maintaining your car ? Cheers,
Matt
Very observant Matt... actually I'm not too bad with the spanners, I just like to ask questions in general because a) experience is priceless, and b) i've been a member on here for bloomin' ages, but with hardly any posts to show for it... 
i'd rather have someone tell me that it's something not too difficult, where I won't need specific tools, so that I can do it myself and learn as I go along...
I do actually have 2 family friends who own garages so I get work done fairly cheap, so maintenance of the cars shouldn't be too problematic -
no offense taken by the way - i'm flattered that you've taken a shine to me...
Passing note - it's not my Ford Orion i'd be racing, (that's my cheap insurance, petrol & tax run-about) - I have a twin carb Fiesta XR2 which I quite enjoy the handling on it - does anyone here race them, and if so, what are they suited too...
Money's not so much a problem, I just want to start simple and not out of my depth, and work upwards as it were.
Thanks to everyone posting...
i'd rather have someone tell me that it's something not too difficult, where I won't need specific tools, so that I can do it myself and learn as I go along... I do actually have 2 family friends who own garages so I get work done fairly cheap, so maintenance of the cars shouldn't be too problematic -
no offense taken by the way - i'm flattered that you've taken a shine to me...
Passing note - it's not my Ford Orion i'd be racing, (that's my cheap insurance, petrol & tax run-about) - I have a twin carb Fiesta XR2 which I quite enjoy the handling on it - does anyone here race them, and if so, what are they suited too...
Money's not so much a problem, I just want to start simple and not out of my depth, and work upwards as it were.
Thanks to everyone posting...
How fast can you afford ??
I weighed up the options and entered the Caterham accademy because ......
1. Most importantly, everyone in the series is a novice, so it's as level a playing field as you're ever going to get
2. The cars are sealed. The only things you can change are suspension heights and front anti roll bars. So richer people can't throw cash at the car to make it handle better
3. Inclusive pricing, you know how much it's going to cost from the outset (and you can save £2.5k by building it yourself)
4. You keep the car at the end of the year, to either use as a road car or go on to one of many other Caterham race series
And (if you don't crash) the whole year is going to cost <£3k (taking into account re-sale on the car) which is an absolute bargain
I weighed up the options and entered the Caterham accademy because ......
1. Most importantly, everyone in the series is a novice, so it's as level a playing field as you're ever going to get
2. The cars are sealed. The only things you can change are suspension heights and front anti roll bars. So richer people can't throw cash at the car to make it handle better
3. Inclusive pricing, you know how much it's going to cost from the outset (and you can save £2.5k by building it yourself)
4. You keep the car at the end of the year, to either use as a road car or go on to one of many other Caterham race series
And (if you don't crash) the whole year is going to cost <£3k (taking into account re-sale on the car) which is an absolute bargain
The car is part of the package yes
£16k and you get
The car (in bits) *
your Medical
ARDS test (Aassociation of Racing Driver Schools) **
A free test/track day
8 championship events ***
And they are asking £15k for last years race cars at the showroom in Caterham so if you wanted to sell up at the end of the year, it works out quite reasonably
* it's an extra £2.5k to get them to build it for you
** Once you've passed this you get your MSA national B licence
*** this year 3 sprints, 1 hillclimb and 4 races
>> Forgot to say, they organise everything for you, which really helps, licence, events etc etc and there's factory support at the events just in case you stuff it.
>> Edited by Incorrigible on Tuesday 26th April 12:19
£16k and you get
The car (in bits) *
your Medical
ARDS test (Aassociation of Racing Driver Schools) **
A free test/track day
8 championship events ***
And they are asking £15k for last years race cars at the showroom in Caterham so if you wanted to sell up at the end of the year, it works out quite reasonably
* it's an extra £2.5k to get them to build it for you
** Once you've passed this you get your MSA national B licence
*** this year 3 sprints, 1 hillclimb and 4 races
>> Forgot to say, they organise everything for you, which really helps, licence, events etc etc and there's factory support at the events just in case you stuff it.
>> Edited by Incorrigible on Tuesday 26th April 12:19
106rallye1 said:
if yu have a fezzer then try stock hatch racing
you should be able to convert the car for £2000 and race it for around £400 per weekend all in.
www.750mc.co.uk - Look on site for stock hatch championship.
Caterham academy is very good value. It will be good to see how Ben gets on this year and what his thoughts are towards the end - may even add the Caterham forum to my favourites to see how it goes .
However, there is additional information required to add to the above post. The £3k budget is for depreciation, race entry, ADRS test and medical - which is great.
However, there are a lot of extras that bite you in the arse with this racing game that you have to be made aware of. When you start totting up:-
Fuel,
Spares,
Tyres,
Accomodation,
Transport,
Transport vehicle maintenance,
And the enevitable prang
it comes to a lot higher.
In my first season in Ginettas, I spent around £12k running the car for the year (not including depreciaition admitedly, but the cars tend to keep their value pretty well.
Subtract from that £3500 for race entry, £250 for ARDS test in the interest of fairness, then there is still nearly £8.5k unaccounted for - far more than half the budget.
OK, I did have a big off, but still, these things happen!!!
On the flip side, I got 14 races on the countries top circuits, which the Academy does not provide, so on a value for money thing, I'd go Ginettas rather than Academy (although possibly not too great for novices any more after the profile has got a bit high).
And, whilst I didn't miss racing on the mini Stowe circuit at Silverstone, I didn't get to try sprinting or hillclimbing, which some people may really want to have a go at.
There are a number of series out there that are good value, and between them you tend to get what you pay for.
At the end of the day, racing is very expensive, and at 23 years old as a novice, the chances of you ever making any money at it are infinitesimally small.
You need to get a good handle on what the budget actually is before starting out in a series. Bloody good fun though.
Re insurance - on cheap cars it doesn't really make sense - rates are so high that if you only have a big off every couple of events you are quids in without it.
Rich
. However, there is additional information required to add to the above post. The £3k budget is for depreciation, race entry, ADRS test and medical - which is great.
However, there are a lot of extras that bite you in the arse with this racing game that you have to be made aware of. When you start totting up:-
Fuel,
Spares,
Tyres,
Accomodation,
Transport,
Transport vehicle maintenance,
And the enevitable prang
it comes to a lot higher.
In my first season in Ginettas, I spent around £12k running the car for the year (not including depreciaition admitedly, but the cars tend to keep their value pretty well.
Subtract from that £3500 for race entry, £250 for ARDS test in the interest of fairness, then there is still nearly £8.5k unaccounted for - far more than half the budget.
OK, I did have a big off, but still, these things happen!!!
On the flip side, I got 14 races on the countries top circuits, which the Academy does not provide, so on a value for money thing, I'd go Ginettas rather than Academy (although possibly not too great for novices any more after the profile has got a bit high).
And, whilst I didn't miss racing on the mini Stowe circuit at Silverstone, I didn't get to try sprinting or hillclimbing, which some people may really want to have a go at.
There are a number of series out there that are good value, and between them you tend to get what you pay for.
At the end of the day, racing is very expensive, and at 23 years old as a novice, the chances of you ever making any money at it are infinitesimally small.
You need to get a good handle on what the budget actually is before starting out in a series. Bloody good fun though. Re insurance - on cheap cars it doesn't really make sense - rates are so high that if you only have a big off every couple of events you are quids in without it.
Rich
As daydreamer says that's not quite the whole picture
I hope to do a track or test day at each of the circuits we're racing at (one double header and one had no provision for that so 6 days @ £100 at least)
Trailers are expensive but you get a discount at Brian James Trailers if you're in the accademy, new trailer £1200, and you'll get at least a grand back when you sell it.
You could always drive to the events, as some people are doing this year. The factory support will get you home if you prang it beyond repair
The Ginettas and Locosts are possibly slightly better value, but you'll be up against seasoned racers. If you can stomach the initial purchase price I think the caterhams are better for the complete novice. You can always flog it and buy a Ginetta for the following year
I hope to do a track or test day at each of the circuits we're racing at (one double header and one had no provision for that so 6 days @ £100 at least)
Trailers are expensive but you get a discount at Brian James Trailers if you're in the accademy, new trailer £1200, and you'll get at least a grand back when you sell it.
You could always drive to the events, as some people are doing this year. The factory support will get you home if you prang it beyond repair
The Ginettas and Locosts are possibly slightly better value, but you'll be up against seasoned racers. If you can stomach the initial purchase price I think the caterhams are better for the complete novice. You can always flog it and buy a Ginetta for the following year
If you want very cheap racing purely to get on track for the fun factor The MG Metro cup or similar small one make series are where to look. www.mgmetrocup.co.uk/
The XR2 series in Scotland (don't know about down south) tends to be very... enthusiastic... there are always cars getting damaged. I would spectate at a good few club races before making any decisions. You will also get the chance to talk to a lot of current competitors then which will give you a good idea of what your car needs, and the potential cost of running it.
re. car preperation, you should be able to prepare the car yourself to an "entry level" spec for ~£2k, however, in many sports/saloon series there are people spending funny money. like nearly twice my salary on a gearbox (interesting if you mash it first time out as you are not used to a sequential box). Hence why I believe that a one make series with tight rules on what you can modify is the way to go for entry level.
Whatever you do it will cost more than you expect and you will and up with an overdraft by the end of every season.
I think you will also find (as with many sports), that people like you to think they have much much more comercial backing that they really do, and hence though some people do not have an everyday "job", many of them probably have no income and are supported by parents/gf/bf/etc.
Caterham/Ginneta series are both good vfm if you can afford it, but I know that as a 24 year old, I am busy paying off existing (uni) debt and currently have to keep a very close eye on the Smiles/£ ratio at the moment, hence I have a race prep'd trackday car, with the intention of learning to drive on track, then going racing at some point in future.
Hope some of that made sence,
Pete
The XR2 series in Scotland (don't know about down south) tends to be very... enthusiastic... there are always cars getting damaged. I would spectate at a good few club races before making any decisions. You will also get the chance to talk to a lot of current competitors then which will give you a good idea of what your car needs, and the potential cost of running it.
re. car preperation, you should be able to prepare the car yourself to an "entry level" spec for ~£2k, however, in many sports/saloon series there are people spending funny money. like nearly twice my salary on a gearbox (interesting if you mash it first time out as you are not used to a sequential box). Hence why I believe that a one make series with tight rules on what you can modify is the way to go for entry level.
Whatever you do it will cost more than you expect and you will and up with an overdraft by the end of every season.
I think you will also find (as with many sports), that people like you to think they have much much more comercial backing that they really do, and hence though some people do not have an everyday "job", many of them probably have no income and are supported by parents/gf/bf/etc.
Caterham/Ginneta series are both good vfm if you can afford it, but I know that as a 24 year old, I am busy paying off existing (uni) debt and currently have to keep a very close eye on the Smiles/£ ratio at the moment, hence I have a race prep'd trackday car, with the intention of learning to drive on track, then going racing at some point in future.
Hope some of that made sence,
Pete
I'm not in it, but I remember someone on here saying this looked like one of the better value series to race in this year.
www.max5racing.com/
1st race had 35 entrants I think. You can buy a prepared car for just under £7k so all you have to pay is everything else.....(as mentioned above...fuel/spares/tyres/accom/entry fees etc....)
edit:www.mx5scholarship.co.uk/ .. might be worth a look...
>> Edited by Munter on Tuesday 26th April 14:55
www.max5racing.com/
1st race had 35 entrants I think. You can buy a prepared car for just under £7k so all you have to pay is everything else.....(as mentioned above...fuel/spares/tyres/accom/entry fees etc....)
edit:www.mx5scholarship.co.uk/ .. might be worth a look...
>> Edited by Munter on Tuesday 26th April 14:55
The XR2 could run in Group One Touring Cars - www.csccgb.co.uk.
Having said that I do that now and would definitely consider MAX5 or Caterham Graduates - no class structure and sealed components to keep costs down.
Oh - and I spent 3K in my first season too.
Its been about three to four times that ever since..
Having said that I do that now and would definitely consider MAX5 or Caterham Graduates - no class structure and sealed components to keep costs down.
Oh - and I spent 3K in my first season too.
Its been about three to four times that ever since..
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