How to get started in Rallycross. (If you've seen it on Top Gear and are interested!)

[silver bullet]

Step 1. Get a race licence from the MSA. A Non-Race National B is the entry level licence MSA Licence Application Form (click here)

Step 2. Join a club BTRDA (click here) MDA (click here) LHMC (click here)

Step 3. Get a car. The easiest and often cheapest way is to buy a second hand one. There are often cars for sale on e-bay, and most of the rallycross websites have for sale sections. However if you would like to build your own, the regulations are available to download from the BTRDA & MDA website. This forum is also a good place to come for advice and information.

Step 4. Get a race suit, helmet, gloves etc Demon Tweeks is a good place to start to look for what you want, but shop around for the best deals

Step 5. Get out on the track and go race.

It's as simple as that!


The usual entry level classes are Stockhatch or Minicross, and you can be out racing in these classes for around £2000.
If you have a bigger budget and some experience you could start off in the Supermodified or Suzuki Swift classes

If you have any questions feel free to ask, either on here, or pop along to a race meeting and have a word with the drivers, they will be more than willing to help out with advice and info.

[alan cartwright]

Hi first of all thanks for posting this as After watching top gear I'm keen as mustard to have a go .Although I have never attended a meeting it looks just the sort of thing that would be perfect for me as after 22 years of short oval racing the novelty of turning left as well as right is very appealing.
I run a small breakers yard so cars are easy to get and I have a reasonably good workshop and a car transporter even a crew that used to help out before I stopped oval racing .
I thought the under 1.6 standard hatch is a good place to start so today I bought a little 1.4 16v rover 25 ,well two actually [one for spares]
So a few questions for you as I have no clue at all apart from last nights program and a very confusing search on the Internet about rules etc.
1. what class would this car be in
2.where are the nearest tracks to me in west oxford shire
3.is there a meeting on this week near me so I can go and have a look
4.is it best to lock the diff .
5.what is the cost per meeting roughly to enter.
6. can I make my own roll cage or do you have to buy one .

Thanks in advance there's probably lots more questions but really I just want to get started o building the cat asap and have a go .
Ta Alan

[silver bullet]

Here are some answers hope they help.
1. a 1.4 16v Rover would be in the Stockhatch class. There have been a couple of those in the past, the most successful being Simon Horton, he got the car well sorted and had some good results.
I you wanted you could do some, engine, body, and suspension mods and run it in the Supermodified upto 1600 class. Brian Thornton runs one of those, but I'm not sure what engine he has in it.
2. The nearest tracks to you would be Lydden Hill in Kent, or Mallory Park in Leicestershire.
3. The next meeting is 24th March at Lydden
4. In Stockhatch the diff has to remain standard. In Supermod you are allowed to have a LSD. A locked diff would not be advised as we have to turn both left and right, so stagger is not used
5. At the moment entry to a Clubmans Championship round is £200-£215, although winter series meetings may be cheaper.
6. Unless you are an expert fabricator, and have experience of building a MSA spec rollcage, I would always advise buying one, or visiting a specialist manufacturer.
It's probably safer, and definitely less hassle at scrutineering

[alan cartwright]

Thanks for the reply ,I am in the process of applying for the licence as we speak and I am going to make a start on stripping the rover tomorrow night .The plan is to leave it standard so it can be used in the stock hatch to start off with then hopefully after a while move on to a proper RWD car which is what I'm happiest racing normally .
looking at the tv footage the main problem is visibility above all else so can you mod the squirters/wipers to be on all the time with a bigger washer bottle ? I can live with a poor suspension set up as long as I can see where I'm going .
Tyres are the next thing whats the preferred/allowed type and who do I contact to get a cage is it mail order or do I have to take the car to have it fitted.
Sorry for all the questions but I really have no clue about it all.
Thanks Alan

[arkitekt]

Step 0. Dont live in the US.

My country turned Rallycross into a DMV driving test. Not the reasonalby-accessible, wheel-to-wheel action motorsport the Brits started.

the GRC is also a joke. i only hope that it sparks an interest in local groups starting regional events. Going from 1 coast to the other is not really feasible for the amateur lot, also The joker lap is terrible.

[Peter Mallett]

I understand that race seats don't have to be "lifed" as they are for FIA events. That means there's a lot of good seats going begging becuase they are out of date. This could be good for Rally Crossers and club racers too.

[AngryDog]

Hi,

I have had a look at the various forms etc and have a few question's.

1) License - is it the Non Race National B £41 under the Rally section?
2) Is sponsorship of the car allowed?

I am assuming you are allowed to use the same car through the season, and that if it gets damaged as long as it is safely repaired its all ok?

Thanks

Mike

[AlamakiRX]

Alan and Angry dog

Great to read your posts and see you interested in competing.

I have sent you both a PM (Private mail) with contact details on to discuss, i currently compete (Stockhatch), have cars for sale and can advise on costs, licenses and cars etc

Cheers

[silver bullet]

Originally Posted by alan cartwright

looking at the tv footage the main problem is visibility above all else so can you mod the squirters/wipers to be on all the time with a bigger washer bottle ? I can live with a poor suspension set up as long as I can see where I'm going .
Tyres are the next thing whats the preferred/allowed type and who do I contact to get a cage is it mail order or do I have to take the car to have it fitted.
Sorry for all the questions but I really have no clue about it all.
Thanks Alan

The easiest way to get around the visibility thing is to wire your washers into the wiper switch, although a better way is to put it on a separate switch. You will need a bigger wash water bottle, at least a gallon.
IIRC tyres for Stockhatch have to be on the MSA 1a/1b list (ie road legal) but if you check the rules it will tell you.
You can get a mail order cage and fit it yourself, or go to a specialist cage manufacturer. IIRC you said your car was a Metro/Rover 100, so they my be a bit more difficult to find, and therefore a little more expensive, but if you check out companys like Safety Devices, Rollcentre and Demon Tweeks, you should be able to find something, if not Google is you friend

Originally Posted by AngryDog

Hi,

I have had a look at the various forms etc and have a few question's.

1) License - is it the Non Race National B £41 under the Rally section?
2) Is sponsorship of the car allowed?

I am assuming you are allowed to use the same car through the season, and that if it gets damaged as long as it is safely repaired its all ok?

Thanks

Mike

I'm not sure if you need to do a BARS test (extra cost) if you apply for the rally Nat B. The Non Race Nat B in the Speed section is the one I would recommend
Sponsorship is fine, in fact the more you can get sponsored the better
Yes you can use the same car all year. The car has to be checked before every meeting, so yes if there is damage, it has to be safely repaired, lets face we can reach speeds in excess of 100 mph so you need to be confident in the safety of your car.

[phil taylor]

is there any web site or link available that list all race tracks that hold/host rally cross events

[AlamakiRX]

Originally Posted by phil taylor

is there any web site or link available that list all race tracks that hold/host rally cross events

check out:
www.rallycrossuk.com
www.britishrallycross.com
www.rallycross.com
www.btrda.com
www.rallycrossworld.com

All circuits, all info, championship events there.

[Gti6]

Hello,
I am currently thinking about building a rallycross car and going racing
I'm half way through a track car build so it's not too late to change direction plus I'm about 15mins from Lydden Hill

The car is a 306 GTi6
The burning question I have is; does my seAt need to be an fia approved/in date one? The reason I ask is because rally design do a brilliant copy of the sparco pro evo 2000 at a very tempting cost but it is not fia approved :/

Also are things like bonnet pins etc allowed (I'm looking to save weight)

Thanks in advance, I did look in regs but I can be a bit simple of mind at times

Alan

[NMMotorsport]

Brilliant info, cheers everyone

[Mcfly]

Hi folks,

New on here so please forgive the (probably) stupid questions!
1. The top gear guys joined in on one race day, is it possible to do this and not be part of a championship as such?
2. Im from Northern Ireland and I noticed that rounds 3&4 of the BTRDA championship is at Nutts Corner on June 3&4, which is quite local to me. Does that mean those are the only dates rallycross is available to compete in NI?
Basically I would be interested in doing some rallycross racing, but would like to do it fairly regularly without having to travel to mainland Britain every time!!

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Mcfly

1. The top gear guys joined in on one race day, is it possible to do this and not be part of a championship as such?

You don't have to do all the rounds of a championship, once you've got your licence you're free to pick and choose which events you do. Different championships have different class structures and some cars may not be eligible for all championships (Supercars not in the clubmans championship, 205's not in the British Championship for example).

Originally Posted by Mcfly

2. Im from Northern Ireland and I noticed that rounds 3&4 of the BTRDA championship is at Nutts Corner on June 3&4, which is quite local to me. Does that mean those are the only dates rallycross is available to compete in NI?

They're probably the only NI dates - but the Irish championship runs at Mondello Park so you don't have to cross the water to get your fix!

[alan cartwright]

Well the rover is all striped out ,just the dash and front window ,got my licence through the post but still struggling to find a bolt in cage and the speck numbers for the seat,harnesses and helmet/overalls etc.
A few of us are heading to the meeting this saturday so if anyone has any second hand kit that they want to sell that might be of use to me my ph no is 07976535957 or leave a message on here Ta Alan

[mikey_d]

hi i am looking to get involved in the sport after knockhill today i have done lots of trackdays in evos etc also drifting in my old skyline...

and this looks mega fun i am wondering if there is a age limet on the car i am looking to buy a saxo vts and build it..

[rx-guru]

Originally Posted by mikey_d

hi i am looking to get involved in the sport after knockhill today i have done lots of trackdays in evos etc also drifting in my old skyline...

and this looks mega fun i am wondering if there is a age limet on the car i am looking to buy a saxo vts and build it..

See other thread.

[AlamakiRX]

All the below should help:

http://www.gomotorsport.net/en-GB/go...allycross.html

http://www.btrda.com/Rallycross

http://www.btrda.com/images/uploaded/75_7684557.pdf

[Mcfly]

Wonder why a non race B license is enough for Rallycross? I've been looking into budget Fiesta Zetec racing at a local circuit and it asks for a Race B license.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Mcfly

Wonder why a non race B license is enough for Rallycross? I've been looking into budget Fiesta Zetec racing at a local circuit and it asks for a Race B license.

Rallycross is classed as a speed event rather than racing - in theory you're racing against the clock. The winner of the event is the person with the quickest time in the final.

[Mcfly]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Rallycross is classed as a speed event rather than racing - in theory you're racing against the clock. The winner of the event is the person with the quickest time in the final.

Ahaaa it makes sense now! Actually now you say that, I think that was mentioned on Top Gear.

[StockHatch782]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

Rallycross is classed as a speed event rather than racing - in theory you're racing against the clock. The winner of the event is the person with the quickest time in the final.

But isn't that also true of any racing? If you finish first, you've set the quickest time by default!

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by StockHatch782

But isn't that also true of any racing? If you finish first, you've set the quickest time by default!

It's works differently in the heats though - the points given are spread across the heats - so you might win your heat but still only be 8th quickest from a given set of heats. So if there are 3 heats of 6 cars in theory it's possible for the fastest 6 times to come from the same heat and the winner of one heat may have set the 13th quickest time overall. The finals are a different kettle of fish as you point out - first to the flag wins.

[StockHatch782]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

It's works differently in the heats though - the points given are spread across the heats - so you might win your heat but still only be 8th quickest from a given set of heats. So if there are 3 heats of 6 cars in theory it's possible for the fastest 6 times to come from the same heat and the winner of one heat may have set the 13th quickest time overall. The finals are a different kettle of fish as you point out - first to the flag wins.

Rather than working all that out I generally just wait until the sheet is displayed telling me which final I'm in! I think my maths teacher has a lot to answer for (although interestingly(?) my I.T. teacher was a certain Roy Gravestock, whose name is on the list of previous stock hatch champions).

I only raised the rather pernickety point because you were talking about the finals and I don't like to see you making yourself look silly, Bert...! But now you've redeemed yourself and are, in fact, correct. So well done.