Scottish Elises

i know that most of you guys have done this and got the t shirt, kind of thing..........but i am dead set on entering a few if not all the hillclimbs and sprints next year....
looking to join the monklands motorsports club and getting my MSA license, for next year.....etc.
i understand that there is a blue book that you recieve, when you get your license from MSA, which states the safety regs, and what the scrutineers look for before racing?....

i will be entering the exige s2 , which i think would fit into the A8 class.....not sure?

i have already started to look at all the relevant safety/driving equipment, and would probably look to purchase FIA approved? again......not sure if required?

anyway, comments , advice and stories....would be welcome as i am a complete rookie to the world of the sprint /hillclimb clan!

leigh

There are others more up to date, but you will be in A8 with the Exige, and you will need a FIA helmet and racing suit. There is probably one on footwear as well now.

Your NAT B licence is just a case of applying for it and giving them money. You can then get your NAT A licence by getting yours signed at five events.

tut

Hi Leigh,

I can't offer much advice on the car preparation front with regards to adhering to the regs, but I'm sure the SE motorsport pose will be along soon with some advice.

Happy to help out with any spannering though ... and I'm sure there will be a few SE'rs come along to some events to cheer you on.

The only things you need to do to the car is mark up which way the ignition turns off and mark the battery earth lead with yellow tape. You will need a helmet that conforms to SNELL specification, basically a motorsport helmet with fire proof lining and not a bike helmet. Being an Exige that can be open or full face. An approved race suit, most buy nomex suits to FIA 8856-2000. You will also need FIA compliant gloves. AFAIK there is no requirement for fire retardant boots/shoes yet.
Other regs that will affect you is tyres have to be on list 1A or 1B which 048's, 888's and V700's are. The Kumho uV700 are the tyre of choice for sprints and hillclimbs but that's up to you. Other than that A8 is pretty free with regard to mods, you can't however change the silhouette of the car above the wheel center line but again you won't need to worry about that.

Mikie711 wrote:The only things you need to do to the car is mark up which way the ignition turns off and mark the battery earth lead with yellow tape. You will need a helmet that conforms to SNELL specification, basically a motorsport helmet with fire proof lining and not a bike helmet. Being an Exige that can be open or full face. An approved race suit, most buy nomex suits to FIA 8856-2000. You will also need FIA compliant gloves. AFAIK there is no requirement for fire retardant boots/shoes yet.
Other regs that will affect you is tyres have to be on list 1A or 1B which 048's, 888's and V700's are. The Kumho uV700 are the tyre of choice for sprints and hillclimbs but that's up to you. Other than that A8 is pretty free with regard to mods, you can't however change the silhouette of the car above the wheel center line but again you won't need to worry about that.

I thought gloves were optional ? Better with them anyway.

Gourlay83 wrote:

Mikie711 wrote:The only things you need to do to the car is mark up which way the ignition turns off and mark the battery earth lead with yellow tape. You will need a helmet that conforms to SNELL specification, basically a motorsport helmet with fire proof lining and not a bike helmet. Being an Exige that can be open or full face. An approved race suit, most buy nomex suits to FIA 8856-2000. You will also need FIA compliant gloves. AFAIK there is no requirement for fire retardant boots/shoes yet.
Other regs that will affect you is tyres have to be on list 1A or 1B which 048's, 888's and V700's are. The Kumho uV700 are the tyre of choice for sprints and hillclimbs but that's up to you. Other than that A8 is pretty free with regard to mods, you can't however change the silhouette of the car above the wheel center line but again you won't need to worry about that.

I thought gloves were optional ? Better with them anyway.

Gloves are required, they made them compulsory for the 2010 season.

Hi Leigh, I started doing the local sprints this year and really enjoyed it. Snell Helmet, Fire Proof Race Suit and group licsense and you're away.

You will also need to make a timing plate for the front of your car, dimensions to follow are in the blue book that comes with your licsense. Most people (as i did) just make them from 2mm Aluminium/mild steel.

I would advise that you just to turn up and enjoy it, most of the other competitiors are very helpfull. You soon sort out the helpfull guys from the "you should/need to buy this" - plane tyres after every event crew.

I'll be at a few next year, usually too fast and out of shape but enjoying myself.

Alan

P.S Another piece of advise that helped me was to try and learn the track in the practice sessions. Don't go flat out as you're driving by instict rather than learning the best line & pace.

Hi Leigh,

I have just finished the scottish hillclimb championship, And i must say for a newcomer to the whole sprint/hill thing this year everyone has been very supportive and i can safely say that i have made a good amount of new mates - its much like the SE community, and as Alan has said... you will soon figure out who's helpful and who needs ocd councelling!!

if you have nay question feel free to give me a shout as i know i had a fair few when i was looking to start up this time last year!!

you will have fun im sure.

all you will need is the conforming helmet, suit, gloves for you and for the car, a timing strut, the negative battery terminal wrapped in YELLOW insulating tape and an on/off sticker on you ignition.

get yourself along to http://www.scottish-sprinting.co.uk/flatchat/ there is lots of help and advice to be had there also.

oh - 1 last thing - forrestburn and Doune are a MUST

ClarkyBoy wrote:... and Doune are a MUST

Call me chicken, but I'd not particularly like to write off an Exige chassis on the barriers at Doune in my first season... Caterham or something (where the chassis is mendable), sure, but go into the armco side-on at Doune, or glance it badly enough at the speeds you'll be doing and you'd be very likely to rip out a suspension mount...

As with all motorsport though, if you want to be properly fast, you'll have to not mind a total loss of the car. You can still compete and be pretty good while having a wee margin, but to be up top, you need to leave no margin...

/not trying to put you off at all - just ensuring you know what's at stake in some of these venues

Agree with Shug there, Doune is pretty daunting for first timers.

If I was competing again I would only enter the Sprint Championship. It used to be better when KH was included, I came 6th overall there in the wet out of over 100 cars in 2003, but it is no longer one of the tracks.

tut

Leigh, drop me your address and i'll send down a timing strut that will fit your Exige, save you a job.

Don't listen too much to those who think Doune is more dangerous than anywhere else, there are more accidents at other events, there are all sorts of reasons for this, but having been around the scene for a good few years I know that the events that people perceive to be safe as houses as usually the ones where more people get hurt and cars get damaged . . . Fintray, for example, is an event that many of the more experienced folk rate as far more risky than Doune by a good margin . . .

Anyways, make sure you understand what kit is about or likely to be made obsolete before buying safety gear, proban race suits for example will likely get banned at some point, and check the helmet standards too . . . save you buying something that will be made obsolete before it wears out . . .

Just turn up, take your time, learn what it's all about, have some banter and try to avoid the red mist and you'll have a great time, you cannot compete from Hospital or with a broken car . . .

There's always something to learn . . . I did my first proper power turn the other weekend . . . took a lot of willpower to not do a few donuts . . . I also came 2nd FTD and first in class on one day and last in class the next day, in the same car, on the same track, and in the same weather conditions . . . still learning from that too . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hGh6tYyFTU

Fd

As fd says, Doune is only as scary and dangerous as you make it. Fintray is actually just as bad and I've seen plenty of car killing accidents at Kames and Forrestburn.

One key point though - don't buy a Proban suit - they have been owtlawed for the 2012 season - you need a 2-layer Nomex suit for next year.

For your first event, you might want to try somewhere like Kames because you get 3 laps on every run - it is much quicker to learn about the car and how far you can push it than at a hillclimb event. An Exige would be very competitive in class A8 - you're probably aware that all the class records are held by a supercharged S1 Exige

And yes - it can be great fun - especially when you win! I got my first class win in my new car on Sunday - a great end to the season.

Cheers,

As always the SE advice is impeccable and fore coming, I thank you!

Mike
PM sent

A few questions have come to mind,

Umm no mention of harness and bar? … I did ask dom about his and he has a four point fitted to his 135 sport……….. is this just a no brainer and a must?

Kevham,
I wasn’t aware that the records are held by an s/c s1 exige……….however, mine is a modest S2 N/A…so think the records are safe for the mean time, but who knows …….

Alan,
Tire shaving sounds interesting…is this something the other A8 class drivers do to their cars? Does it make a whole lot of time difference….. Say 1/10th sec? I have just got some toyo r888’s fitted; are they planable?

Clarkie
Thanks for the linky…

leigh

Interesting, I'm planning on entering next year also, had planned to be out this year but a house move and a few mechanical maladies put paid to that... As Shug says, I'd not be so keen on using the Exige for that, any accident damage could be expensive, so will be using my Clio 182 instead. Doune in particular looks very narrow

Jamie

[EDIT] 1000 posts!!!