I'm moving in to a house with a couple of mates on my course in the Summer and like most students we're already focusing on the important things, like getting a project car of some kind.
We've thrown a few ideas around and what started as a cheap stripped out hatch back for road rallies and the odd track day increasingly got more and more expensive. We're now thinking that preparing a road legal car isn't the right way to go, for road rallies the cars we already have are fine and in all likelihood a more modified car would just be a pain on the road. Then there is the issue of cost of getting it on the road which is going to be £600 insurance (I got a very reasonable quote through Adrian Flux, 3 drivers, limited mileage, Rover 214 stage rally car), £120 tax, £60 MOT. In contrast a track car of some sort would only incur the cost of a trailer test and trailer plus a bit more fuel before we actually get somewhere, which shouldn't be £800.
Then we get to the question of what to go for, a track day car would be fun, but TBH trackdays are fun in the cheap road cars we've got already and lack that competitive edge. Speed events would be appealing but there's the cost of safety equipment and very limited time in car for the money. Circuit racing is prohibitively expensive, we'd need an ARDS course each and all the relevant safety equipment before we even get to the cost of the entries. Stage rallying is ultimately what we'd like to do, but its the same as circuit racing plus the cost of intercoms and personally I would refuse to go anywhere near a stage rally car that didn't have an extensive weld in rollcage, which we have no way of building and no chance of paying for.
The option we reckon might be the best to take is the short oval racing route, I've only been to a couple of meetings (one at Grimley one at Standlake) and have been generally very impressed with it, close but clean racing, cheap cars, nominal entry fees and close enough (local track is 7 miles away I think) that any old trailer would do behind even a typical student motor. I'm going to the meeting at Standlake tomorrow as well to take a closer look at the cars and will try and speak to some competitors to get some more ideas.
The main issues for us would be that we will have restricted access to welding equipment, there is somewhere I can do it, but I would probably have to trail the car there each night and the welding equipment is pretty basic. Ironically given the fact that I'm going to be paying my share by building rollcages I do not consider myself a sufficiently competent welder to weld a rollcage and have no access to tube benders in Oxford, its the one thing I wish to avoid skimping on/getting second hand because I am sure there are plenty of people out there who couldn't do half a good as job as I could who will happily produce a bad example (I've seen enough reasonably big budget circuit cars done appallingly badly and don't fancy taking the chance). There is someone I've seen who looks like he produces good bolt in cages for these cars for around £300, though they aren't seamless, I'll probably try and see if it is possible to get the main hoops/crosses in CDS and then have the door bars in the cheaper seamed tube, that way it would both be stronger and eligible for more things if we wanted it to (the door bars fit right up to the outer skin of the door, so not allowed in MSA racing anyway). Other than the rollcage I think most of the major costs are covered, I've got access to good FIA seatbelts/helmets/overalls that are all invalid due to age but that I know the history of so am happy to use.
I'd be interested to here from anybody involved in such things as to what realistic budgets and running costs might be?
We've thrown a few ideas around and what started as a cheap stripped out hatch back for road rallies and the odd track day increasingly got more and more expensive. We're now thinking that preparing a road legal car isn't the right way to go, for road rallies the cars we already have are fine and in all likelihood a more modified car would just be a pain on the road. Then there is the issue of cost of getting it on the road which is going to be £600 insurance (I got a very reasonable quote through Adrian Flux, 3 drivers, limited mileage, Rover 214 stage rally car), £120 tax, £60 MOT. In contrast a track car of some sort would only incur the cost of a trailer test and trailer plus a bit more fuel before we actually get somewhere, which shouldn't be £800.
Then we get to the question of what to go for, a track day car would be fun, but TBH trackdays are fun in the cheap road cars we've got already and lack that competitive edge. Speed events would be appealing but there's the cost of safety equipment and very limited time in car for the money. Circuit racing is prohibitively expensive, we'd need an ARDS course each and all the relevant safety equipment before we even get to the cost of the entries. Stage rallying is ultimately what we'd like to do, but its the same as circuit racing plus the cost of intercoms and personally I would refuse to go anywhere near a stage rally car that didn't have an extensive weld in rollcage, which we have no way of building and no chance of paying for.
The option we reckon might be the best to take is the short oval racing route, I've only been to a couple of meetings (one at Grimley one at Standlake) and have been generally very impressed with it, close but clean racing, cheap cars, nominal entry fees and close enough (local track is 7 miles away I think) that any old trailer would do behind even a typical student motor. I'm going to the meeting at Standlake tomorrow as well to take a closer look at the cars and will try and speak to some competitors to get some more ideas.
The main issues for us would be that we will have restricted access to welding equipment, there is somewhere I can do it, but I would probably have to trail the car there each night and the welding equipment is pretty basic. Ironically given the fact that I'm going to be paying my share by building rollcages I do not consider myself a sufficiently competent welder to weld a rollcage and have no access to tube benders in Oxford, its the one thing I wish to avoid skimping on/getting second hand because I am sure there are plenty of people out there who couldn't do half a good as job as I could who will happily produce a bad example (I've seen enough reasonably big budget circuit cars done appallingly badly and don't fancy taking the chance). There is someone I've seen who looks like he produces good bolt in cages for these cars for around £300, though they aren't seamless, I'll probably try and see if it is possible to get the main hoops/crosses in CDS and then have the door bars in the cheaper seamed tube, that way it would both be stronger and eligible for more things if we wanted it to (the door bars fit right up to the outer skin of the door, so not allowed in MSA racing anyway). Other than the rollcage I think most of the major costs are covered, I've got access to good FIA seatbelts/helmets/overalls that are all invalid due to age but that I know the history of so am happy to use.
I'd be interested to here from anybody involved in such things as to what realistic budgets and running costs might be?
) and you'll have a blast.
