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