Race #1 - Oulton Park - September 2009

So there I was ready for my first ever race!

Nerves still hadn’t kicked in as we waited in the holding area to come round to the gird. Even on the warm up lap I was very relaxed... however once I was lined up on the grid spot, surrounded by other cars the reality kicked in.

Nerves actually got the better of me and I missed the start lights, so my start was rubbish and I lost three places. However this was a blessing in disguise, as even before we reached the first corner the two cars in front of me collided. If I had had a decent start it would have been a three car accident not a two car accident!

I tip-toed through the carnage and found myself back in 4th. I managed to catch up with the three cars in front with in a couple of laps and was blessed by the 3rd place car spinning in front of me.

By this point we were about two-thirds of the way through the race, I was out all on my own, 1st and 2nd were way off and I had no one behind. I was secretly very happy to be finishing my first race in 3rd place, even if it had been due to other peoples mistakes.

Then it all then went very wrong!

As I started to go round one of the long, fast corners the car started to cut out, as soon as I was straight again it burst into life... I am embarrassed to admit it but I was running out of petrol, I had forgotten to fill up!

There was then an accident which left a car stranded on the circuit and the red flag came out which means the race is being stopped. This was music to my ears. If a race is more than three-quarters run when it is stopped that is the end of the race, so the 3rd place was mine, or so I thought.

We weren't at three-quarter distance, the race would be restarted and the last laps run. So there I was sitting on the grid with no petrol and with no choice than to pull off the circuit.
I asked a marshall if I would get to rejoin the race if I went and got some petrol, he said it was unlikely but would be the decision of the race director.


So I shot to the on circuit petrol station, topped the car up, drove down to the pits and started pleading with another marshall. She spoke to the race director who said I couldn't restart.
I gave her the full sob story, my first ever race, running in 3rd etc. etc. She radioed the race director back and to her credit got me back in the race.

I never got your name, but who ever you are thank you so very much.


I had to wait in the pit lane until the race restarted and everyone had past the slip road on to the track. Because two of the class D cars had crashed and there were only six cars in the class for the first race, I would join the back of the pack but technically be in 4th place.

What I hadn't considered was that everyone else had done a warm up lap and I hadn't! My tyres were stone cold so when I reached the first proper corner, I had bugger all grip. I just managed to avoid leaving the circuit and having an accident but it was a tense moment.

Once I had regained my composure I attempted to catch up with everyone else; unfortunately this wasn’t to be. I started in 4th and finished in 4th.

I messed up the start, just avoided a big accident, the race was red flagged, I ran out of petrol and had to start from the pit lane.

I do hope they aren't all like this.

Oulton Park - 26th Sept 2009

Qualifying

The Oulton Park event was held on a Saturday only, most race weekends for this championship are held over two days. As it was a one day event I would be racing twice on a single day. That was the full extent of my knowledge of what lay ahead. So I arrived at the circuit having little idea of what the day would entail...

I soon found out that tea is the most important thing! With a warm cuppa in hand (the first of many) I was briefed on what lay ahead. I would need to get signed-on for the race & go through scrutineering. There would be two qualifying sessions in the morning one for each race. The races would be at 2pm and 5pm.



Signing on and scrutineering have one thing in common, queuing. The signing on only takes a few minutes. They check the forms, licences and membership bumpf. You hand over you MSA licence upgrade card and give them a cheque for the race fees and you're done.

You have to hand in the MSA licence upgrade card so it can be signed at the end of each race. Once you have completed 6 races (without incident!) you get to remove the big yellow cross sticker that all newbies are required to display on the back of the car. This is to warn the other competitors that this car is driven by someone with little or no experience.

Scrutineering involved queuing up with all the others cars to go down to the scrutineers bay. Once you make it in, the officials check the car over and make sure it is safe to race. They also check all the tags and labels on the racewear and helmet to make sure they all comply to current regulations... as I had only bought them the day before I was sure they would be fine.

Once out of scrutineering nothing to do but to drive the car back to the paddock and have another cup of tea!

Qualifying will be fairly familiar to anyone who has done trackdays. You are allocated a time on track and your best lap time determines your grid slot for the races later in the day. I did alright in first qualifying, posting a time of 2m 9s which put me a respectable 4th in class for race 1. I managed a slightly quicker time in second qualifying and would line up 3rd in class.


So far so good; I was happy and the team seemed happy.
Nothing to do but have a cup of tea and wait for the race.

The first test

Test Day Oulton Park - 25th September 2009.

As mentioned before, it had been a hectic journey to get to Oulton park. Because of my last minute dash to demon tweeks to get the equipment, I arrived without having given any thought to what I was about to do, so I was relaxed. I was sure a test day would be like a trackday.

Getting to drive straight into the paddock and park next to the car I knew I was driving was pretty good. At last it started to feel a bit real.

I met up with Trevor Ford, owner of the car and organiser of the championship and the rest of the team. Big thanks go to them for their help. After a quick hello it was time to see the car.

We spent 10 mins getting the seat sorted out for me and making sure I was comfortable in car.

Then it was time to get into my far too shiny race gear. I have never felt so self conscious, with all the seasoned drivers in battle-worn race suits and helmets, I stood out like a sore thumb. I was glad to get into the car and get out on to the circuit.

If you have done trackdays, a test day will be pretty familiar. Different types of cars get given different windows to get out on track. The tin tops like us don't run at the same time as the open wheel cars. However, there are some very fast cars out on track at the same time, from different championships.

The “everyone is here to have a good time” rules of trackdays go out the window. Some of the drivers are taking it very seriously and you had better be ready to have someone chop you at 100mph into a corner... it will happen and the first time it does you'll jump out of your skin.

Tim Sweet, eventual class D champion of 2009, was kind enough to let me follow him round for half a dozen laps to familiarise myself with the car and circuit. Big thanks go to him for taking time out of his own test day to babysit me.

I spent the rest of the afternoon pounding round learning the track and gaining confidence in the car. By the end of the day I felt relaxed and was sure I wouldn't make a tit of myself. The guys from BMWRDC who were looking after the car seemed happy enough with me too, which put me at ease.

It was well worth doing the test day, it gave me confidence in myself, the car, and that the race the next day would be OK.

After that there was little for it but to head back to the hotel for some grub and an early night ready for race day.

Choosing where to race and what car to drive

After getting my race licence it was time to choose an event. The best place to start is the Motor Sport Association, they have a full list of clubs in a directory on the website.

There are loads of club championship in the UK, so picking the right one can be daunting. After lots and lots of looking around I narrowed it down to 3 championships; the Porsche 924 Championship run by the Porsche Racing Drivers Club, the Hot Hatch Championship run by the 750 Motor Club and of course The Kumho BMW Championship run by BMWRDC and BARC

I chose the BMWRDC event because they had a car available to rent for a single race weekend. I had found cars to buy for the other two events, a race prepared 924 would have been £5-£7,000 and I found a Ford Fiesta XR2 for the Hot Hatch Championship for just £3,000.

The BMWRDC club car was available to rent for just £400 for the race weekend and £150 for the test day. As costs had gone well past the original budget this was the best option.

The BMWRDC club car is a Class D spec BMW 318is. This is a fairly new class and was set up to be a cost effective way of entering the championship. The rules are very rigid which helps keep cost under control.

So after a chat with Trevor Ford (trevorgeorgeford@hotmail.com) at the BMWRDC I confirmed my use of the car and signed up for the next event. The race would be in 3 weeks time at Oulton Park.

If you have read my previous posts you will be able to guess what happens next... yes it is time to pay out some more money.

I had to register with the BMWRDC: cost £225. I had to register with BARC: cost £110. I had to pay the race entry fees £290.
I also thought it would be good to do the test day on the Friday before the race for a bit of familiarisation. So £160 for a 1/2 day test, £150 to rent the car for the test day and a further £400 to rent the car for race day.

So total costs including ARDS test and race gear had reached a frankly scary £2,800... and at that point I still had sat in the car.

Next, the race... finally!

Getting the kit... time to go shopping:

Having the right gear is so important. Not only could it protect you in the case of an accident but has to pass stringent FIA tests and if it isn't up to spec you will not be allowed to race!
Even if you have been doing trackdays and have your own helmet etc... you may find, as I did, that none of your gear passes the stringent FIA tests.

At the very least you need to get; a crash helmet, race suit, fireproof undies, race boots & gloves.

So on the morning of my first race I went shopping, nothing like leaving it to the last minute!

I went to motorsport specialist Demon Tweeks to get the equipment I needed. It was also on the way to the race which was handy under the circumstances.

I had spoken to James Ramage at Demon Tweeks a week before and had sorted out most of what I needed. He arranged to meet me early to collect and check it all fitted. It is imperative that this stuff fits!

I knew it would to be an expensive shopping trip from my chats with James so I had budgeted a maximum of £1000 to get everything. I was sure this would be sufficient, it wasn’t!

The Helmet:

The advice is always buy the best you can afford. I had heard very good things about ARAI Helmets but from £500 upwards they are pricey. James had suggested the BELL GP5 helmet as an excellent alternative. This would only be £359 and was still be an excellent high quality helmet.

When I tried on the Bell it just didn’t fit my head well, I tried 2 other makes in the same price range but none was quite right, so I tried the ARAI GP-5K (£560) and sods law it fitted like a glove, so there was nothing to do but bite the bullet and bend the VISA.

The Suit, Undies, Gloves & Boots

The rest of the gear was pretty much on budget. I did have to buy a more expensive race suit as the cheaper one I was planning to get pulled nastily on the unmentionables... no problem paying a little more for that!

The boots, gloves and fireproof undies I had chosen were all fine.
All of this gear was manufactured by Sparco.

How Much?

The upshot of all this was a bill of £1300... but James who was a great help did reduce the cost a little as I was buying a fair bit in one go to around £1100, that softened the blow.

The expense to get the licence and race gear, totalled a frankly scary £1,600 and I hadn't even sat in a car at this point!

That may sound expensive but it is almost all of it is a one off cost.
The suit, helmet and boots will last a good few years if looked after. The only item that I will need to pay for each year is the £51 for the MSA National B race licence.

off to that first race...

Demon Tweaks and James in particular were a great help I would recommend them to anyone. You can reach James on 01978 663022 or on JamesR@demon-tweeks.co.uk or see:www.demon-tweeks.co.uk

Race Licence:

Before you can get near that first race you will need arrange to do an ARDS test to get your Race National ‘B’ Licence.

First port of call is the MSA (Motor Sports Association) you’ll need to order a “MSA Go Racing Starter Pack”

Once you have gone through the pack and realise that all you really need is the application form and the rest is mostly junk sales stuff, the £57 seems a little steep.

You then need to go and get a medical. This should cost around £75.
As a 35 year old, recently quit smoker, who wouldn’t know what to do with a piece of gym equipment I was more than a little nervous... had those years of abuse done me some damage?... well I need not have worried as I left with a signed and stamped form.

Once the medical part of the form is completed it is time to arrange the ARDS test. This will cost around £225-£275. The ARDS test is available most race circuits in the UK.

I went to Bedford Autodrome due to its nearby location.

It is a great circuit with loads of space and run off, so it is very safe. However it is a long circuit, and as you only get a few familiarisation laps, remembering where each corner goes is not always easy.
In hindsight a shorter circuit like Brands Hatch may have been a better option... as I found out!

Exam Time

The written test is about 30 mins long and fairly simple. However you need to get 100% correct answers on section one and I think it 8 out of 10 questions in section two. You get to watch a video first and it gives you all the answers, so listen carefully and you'll be fine.
I got one wrong, apparently the one everyone gets wrong... mirror signal manoeuvre is all I will say.

Out on track

After the test it is out on to the circuit. At Bedford they had Vauxhall VX220 Turbos in which to do the practical part of the test... these little cars are great fun.

Although I didn’t realise it at the time my instructor was none other than touring car driver Steven Kane. He took me round for some vary hairy fast laps then it was over to me.

On my laps I nearly blew it completely. I was driving far too quickly and entering what I thought was a fast left hand corner the car suddenly lurched and lost power. Unbeknown to me the cars are duel control and Steven had performed an emergency stop which were followed by the words “if you don’t f**king calm down I will fail you”... not a good start. But when it became clear that the apparently fast left was in fact a hairpin we became friends again. This was the problem with Bedford and it nearly cost me. If you fail the written you can re-sit it, if you fail the practical you have to pay the full £225 to £275 again!

After 2 or 3 more laps we came into the pits and I was told the good news that I had passed the practical test (just) and we just had to wait to the written results, which came back with a positive outcome.

I had heard it say that only a fool will fail the ARDS test. Don’t believe it - I came very close - or maybe I’m a fool!

Listen to what they tell you to do and go round at 9/10’s they aren’t looking for the next Schumacher so don’t try to impress them. You’ll end up looking silly... I did.

A few days later the form comes back all signed and stamped and then it is sent back off to the MSA with yet other cheque, this time for £51. A few weeks later in post arrives that little card that proves you are a racing driver (kind of!)

The cost of all this is around £400-450

Then it is off racing. Well no, actually there is more expense first!...

PA

How it all started:

A bit of background on how I ended up here writing this bog.

I started going to track days about 4 or 5 years ago. It has been great fun. The first couple I did I used my road car but then a friend and I built a Porsche 944 track car.

Having the track only car took the worry out of damaging your daily driver but even though I was lucky to be able to share the cost it was still an expensive hobby. With all the money we invested in the car we started to take it increasingly seriously which meant more money. It was when another bill came in that I started thinking that a season racing at club level couldn’t be much more expensive... Could it?

Fast forward 3 years: The track car was sold to make way for a house a couple of years ago.
Apart from a couple of trips to The Nuerburgring and a track day in my road car (which I was sure I would write off) I haven’t been out on circuit and I have been feeling the need.

So I decided to take the jump went for my race licence and entered a one off race at Oulton Park in the BMWRDC Kumho BMW Championship which is part of he British Automobile Racing Club. That was in September 2009.

By the very first corner I was hooked...
As my (very wonderful) wife said when I got out the car with a grin like a Cheshire cat; “oh dear we are going to be spending all our money on this aren’t we!”

It is very addictive. So much so that I now find myself committed to doing a full season in the championship for 2010.

What's next?

Over the coming days I’ll detail what it took to get to that first race and what I have done so far for this year. I’ll continue to post in the build up and during the season.
I hope that ultimately this blog will be a useful resource for anyone looking to get into club racing, they can learn from my hopefully infrequent mistakes...

PA