The first thing you think of when you want to get into motorsport is circuit racing. But with circuit racing you need a racecar, an MSA license, safety equipment and trailer before you even think about the fuel, tyres and race entry fees.
How would you like to know about a form of motorsport you can do without an MSA license, without any safety equipment and at a fraction of the cost?
We found out about cheap motorsport by watching two American guys on YouTube.
For us, it began by watching a video of American muscle-car aficionados Roadkill thrash the Rotsun around a track made of cones in Episode 26. We liked the idea of a mildly technical timed test, and with the £9,000 estimated cost to start racing in the BRSCC MX5 championship being a little prohibitive, we thought we might have happened on a way to take our road cars racing.
The event was called an ‘Autocross’, and we searched the tangled mess of the interweb trying to find out where one might be held here in the UK.
A search on Google pointed us towards Go Motorsport‘s page about driving in a grass field. Not ideal in cars with underbody bracing that sits barely 10mm above the ground, and not helped by the fact the events listed were hosted either in Jersey or Guernsey! Whilst we didn’t strike gold first time round, we would later find Go Motorsport would become our greatest resource.
Autotests…
Some exploratory searching led us to a page about Autotests. Described as “courses – usually on tarmac or grass areas such as car parks or smooth fields – marked out by plastic pylons or cones. They tackle a number of tests, with two [or more] attempts at each. The driver with the lowest accumulated time is the winner, although penalties are incurred for hitting cones, failing to stop on a line, or for taking the wrong route.”
Bingo!
(Although the ghastly green stuff was mentioned, in our experience we’ve only attended one event that was on grass, and that was at the MX5 national rally. All those we’ve competed at as part of a club have been on tarmac).
Further reading had us a bit bemused as to the nature of Autotests. “While you will rarely venture out of first and reverse gears…” (boo) “…you will need to get the hang of handbrake turns, J-turns and the like” (hiss). Some further research on YouTube seemed to confirm this, albeit quite spectacularly as Christopher Evans (not that one) piloted his Locost around Hagley and District Light Car Club’s Autotest.
We decided to have a go regardless, even with the MX5’s 6 speed ‘box having a famously vague reverse gear. So, we needed to find an event.
Go Motorsport came up trumps again, this time with its searchable club directory. So we chose ‘Autotests’ from the keyword drop-down, punched in our postcode and searched within a 20-mile radius. Peterborough Motorsport Club popped up. Well, there you have it. Who knew all this was going on at our doorstep?
£10 membership fee and a £30 entry fee later we headed down to the next Autotest. To our surprise, there were no reversing sections on the tests. When asked why, the club secretary told us that because AutoSOLOs were being held at the same time and they don’t include any reversing, it saves time by having both use the same course.
… and AutoSOLOs
So what’s the difference between an Autotest and an AutoSOLO?
Simply put, cars that compete in AutoSOLOs need be insured, taxed, MOT’d and driven to the event, where if you had built a prototype you could trailer it and run it in the Autotest.
Talking to a competitor in a red MX5 mk1, he told us that there was another AutoSOLO being held at Debden the following weekend. The best part being it would feature test that would be more flowing, and as a result, quicker. We couldn’t resist. Having stayed firmly in first gear the whole day with PMC, the turbo in our MX5 barely had a chance to spool up.
We followed our new friend’s advice and joined West Suffolk Motorsport Club. Sure enough, everything we’ve ever competed at since has seen first, often second, and sometimes third gears. And in Project NB that means going at a fairly considerable rate of pace.
What you need to do motorsport on a budget
The must-haves
A roadworthy car
Taxed, MOT’d, insured and driven to the event. It doesn’t matter what you’ve got, whether it’s a Nissan Micra or a Lotus Elise, you’ll be surprised how competitive you can be.
Road-legal tyres
We’d recommend using tyres with at least 2mm of tread, depending on your driving style. Driving home on the canvas isn’t safe, nor legal. Sticky rubber from list 1b and 1c tyres in the MSA ‘Blue Book’ are not permitted.
Club membership
Search on Go Motorsport for your nearest club that holds the type of event you want to join. You’ll need to pay an annual membership fee usually between £10 and £20.
Entry fee
Expect to pay around £30 for an AutoSOLO, although this can vary.
Yellow tape around your negative battery cable
We’ve had our knuckles wrapped for not having any yellow tape on our negative battery cable. It pays to keep scrutineers sweet, as they are often also marshalling and without them, you wouldn’t be racing.
A spill kit
It is strongly recommended that you carry a spill kit capable of absorbing minor spillages of up to 1.25 litres of all vehicle fluids such as oils, fuels, coolants, battery acid.
Polish
For when you inevitably hit a cone and it leaves orange on you. They don’t usually leave a scratch, however.
The nice-to-haves
Harnesses
Probably the first upgrade we would recommend as they prevent you from being thrown around the cabin, providing you have a seat that can accommodate them. One-piece seats are a definite no-no as the belts can slip off your shoulders in the event of an accident.
Which means you’ll need a…
Rollbar
Especially if you’re driving a convertible. If you roll the car without a roof and you’re wearing harnesses, the only thing between the car body and the tarmac will be your head.
Bucket seats
Combined with harnesses, you’ll be able to focus less on holding yourself in the car and more on going fast.
Costs
Competing in a single AutoSOLO championship for a year, depending on your car and driving style, you should expect the following costs:
Club membership: £20
Entry fees: £240 for eight events
Fuel: £200
Tyres: £200
Spill kit: £15
Polish:£10
Total: £685
