Classic Sports Car Club 'Tin Tops'

[brianyoung]

Hi all, just a quick message to see if anyone on Tenths is planning or has competed in the CSCC Tin Tops series, and if so any feedback about the series would be good.

I'm looking to enter my Fiesta in a few races this year, and having competed in a 2-man enduro at Anglesey in November, the Tin Tops seems like a good series to try out.

I look forward to hearing from you if anyone is out there?

Regards, Brian.

[ANDY J]

Brian i have never raced in the tin tops but with a Fiesta you could do multiple races with the Classic Touring Car Club.How old is your Fiesta and is just one driver or two?Andy

[brianyoung]

its a 1988 MK2 Fiesta XR2

[ANDY J]

Brian depending on how modified the Fiesta is you can allways do two 20 min races with the Classic Touring Car Club one in the Pre93 championship and one in the BOSS Ford championship normally all on the same day.Cheers Andy

[andy97]

Brian, I race in CSCC Tin Tops and have done for 3 years in a Fiat Uno or Alfa 33 in Class C & now a Toyota Carina in Class A. I thoroughly enjoy it and don't really envisage racing elsewhere.

The series is great value for money and the 30 min practice and 40 minute race format (with a pit stop) really appeals to me & means that you get good dicing throughout the field, particularly after the pit stops when the order can change markedly. Driving standards are good and are well policed by our own CoC.

We had very good grids last year & this year have already taken registrations for 38 cars, up to 8 Feb, so it looks pretty healthy again. There's a good mix of cars take part from Honda Type Rs & Renault Clios in Class A to Honda CRX, Rover 216, Pug 205 1.9 and Alfa 33s in Class B to Fiesta XR2, Pug 205 1.6, Pug 106, & Alfa Suds in Class C.

I think that the fact that it isn't a championship with points at stake also means that the racing is competitive but fun & everyone seems to get on well in the paddock, too.

Entry fees etc are very competitive with membership @ £35, Car Registration @ £95 & last year entry fees ranged from £245 at Anglesey to £295 at some of the MSVT circuits for a 30 min practice and 40 min race. At many races the CSCC also usually runs a sprint Sports Vs Saloon race, too, so you can get an extra race in for just £90-100. Plenty of track time for your money, & there is the added attraction of a 1 hour race at Spa, too.

Any questions just drop me a PM. I'm sure you'll enjoy CSCC Tin Tops

Regards

Andy

PS. I am biased as I am a CSCC Committee member!

[brianyoung]

Thanks for the reply Andy,

From what you have said I assume there is no points standings over the season then? Are the races run as individual races?

Sounds like a fun series, trying to get the car repaired from a shunt at ANglesey in November just now, and was planning on certainly trying the Tin Tops events at Anglesey and Oulton, maybe Brands and Cadwell.

Can to mail me a bit more info about the series if possible as theres not a lot on the website?

Regards, Brian.

[brianyoung]

Andy J, the chassis has been modified a bit, rear coil-over suspension added, 5-link rose-jointed rear axle, and the engine has been modified with race cam, ported head and twin 40 weber carbs.

WHat are the limits for modifications in the championships you mention?

Regards, Brian.

[Al Weyman]

Be inelligible for Pre-93's in that spec but OK for Classic Thunder or Boss.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by brianyoung

Thanks for the reply Andy,

From what you have said I assume there is no points standings over the season then? Are the races run as individual races?

Sounds like a fun series, trying to get the car repaired from a shunt at ANglesey in November just now, and was planning on certainly trying the Tin Tops events at Anglesey and Oulton, maybe Brands and Cadwell.

Can to mail me a bit more info about the series if possible as theres not a lot on the website?

Regards, Brian.

Brian, there are no points as its not a Championship. Individual race awards, although I think someone decides who has been the most succesful driver over the course of the year, at the end of season bash. Not sure how "succesful" is defined.

The info on the web sit is "it" really. The emphasis is on no "BS", as inclusive as possible, good driving standards and truly outrageous mods to cars seem to be contained by the need to keep standard size & shape body shells & by the need to run original type engines.

If you have specific questions then feel free to PM me.

[MMC Andy]

Brian, I was a 1st year racer last season (at age of 44) and choose CSCC Tin Tops to make my racing bow - bought an Alfa 33 off Ebay for £350, tidied it up abit, put new tyres on and went racing. I enjoyed several podiums and a class win at Cadwell - and had the best fun ever.

The paddock is friendly and full of drivers of all abilities (the Jordan's of BTCC fame raced with us at Cadwell). But best of all, the racing is clean - enjoyed a whole season racing with not even a scratch on the car; but very close racing.

Check out "David Hornsey" You Tube videos which show a couple of CSCC races from Cadwell & Snetterton last year - I'm in the white Alfa.

Hope to see you out racing later in the season.

Andy

[snowen250]

From a purely spectator point of view this series is, like anything on the CSCC bill, one of the best around.The racing is excellent as are the people in the paddock who never object to me having a look around their race cars when they are working on them. Along with the Cannons/MSA tintop series for this level of saloon cars i would say this series is amongst the best. I have heard great things about the Pre-93s and the BOSS series but i havent seen enough to really comment. Simon

[joss Ronchetti]

I have raced with virtually every club and can catagorically say that the CSCC have won the prize for me as having the worst 'jobsworth' pain the ass scrutineer in the country,
Who sent us to the naughty corner and then repeatedly sent us to the back of the Q, even when there was no Q!!....the crime, turning up before our allocated slot although there was no Q!
Think of 'Dick Dasterdly' and you will know who I mean

[andy97]

Ah but Joss, the CSCC has its idiosynchrocies, but it works. I, too, have raced with most of the clubs in the UK, and the CSCC meetings are the best organised and least hassle in my view.

[joss Ronchetti]

I was only refering to odd scrutineer
The rest of the guys on the two occasions I raced in the future Classics were a good friendly lot in 2008
Unfourtunately my non standard H pattern Hewland Gearbox no longer makes me not eligible for anything now in the CSCC or I would have been in one of their meetings this coming season:'(

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by joss Ronchetti

I have raced with virtually every club and can catagorically say that the CSCC have won the prize for me as having the worst 'jobsworth' pain the ass scrutineer in the country,
Who sent us to the naughty corner and then repeatedly sent us to the back of the Q, even when there was no Q!!....the crime, turning up before our allocated slot although there was no Q!
Think of 'Dick Dasterdly' and you will know who I mean

Sounds like signing on as well Joss

[RushyRacer]

Originally Posted by joss Ronchetti

I have raced with virtually every club and can catagorically say that the CSCC have won the prize for me as having the worst 'jobsworth' pain the ass scrutineer in the country,
Who sent us to the naughty corner and then repeatedly sent us to the back of the Q, even when there was no Q!!....the crime, turning up before our allocated slot although there was no Q!
Think of 'Dick Dasterdly' and you will know who I mean

In defence the scrutineers are not CSCC people, they are part of the MSA team allocated to the meeting. But if you are a naughty boy ( by not sticking to the timings set out in your finals, if you actually read them ) expect to be punished and being polite goes a long way , even if you are not totally in the wrong

[andy robinson]

yeh but if theres no cue you always sieze the opertunity, your actually doing THEM a favour as later when its busy you will be one less to check over, had this a couple of year ago,
"it not yet your slot"

"but im the only person in the cue"

"but in not 10.30 yet"

"get a life"

boils my pee sometimes

[davspeed]

Originally Posted by andy robinson

yeh but if theres no cue you always sieze the opertunity, your actually doing THEM a favour as later when its busy you will be one less to check over, had this a couple of year ago,
"it not yet your slot"

"but im the only person in the cue"

"but in not 10.30 yet"

"get a life"

boils my pee sometimes

It is very hard to fault the running of the CSCC and I really do enjoy racing with them, but the signing on thing has happened to me a couple of times. I have been at meetings and gone over about ten minutes before my allotted time to see no queue only to be told not your time yet go and wait. Four of us stood outside the office at Cadwell last season like a row of naughty school boys while there was nobody inside actually signing on.
Racing is supposed to be a fun hobby I get enough grief from officialdom at work and don’t need it on my days off. While I understand rules must be made and stuck to I have been very close to packing in several times over nit picking at meetings.

[RushyRacer]

We can understand some of your frustrations about sticking to alloted times , however the reasoning behind it is that if you sign on early , you can bet you will start queuing ( not cue ing ) early at scrutineering and whilst you may be ready to go to scrutineering some poor unfortunates may have had problems when the trailer gremlins have struck & whilst the car was perfect when they loaded it the previous night on race day, it won't start or whatever so they are getting to scrutineering at the end of the time window allocated for their race , and now look, there 6 cars from the race after theirs queing in front of them.
Any chance we can push in mate we are etc etc

So to TRY & prevent the knock on effect of ealy arrivals we try to stick to the times allocated in the finals . QED

[Al Weyman]

Yeah i can see Rushy's point here as it happens. many times I have been stuck in a long scrutineering queue with the qually getting ever closer and up front are cars that are not out for ages.

[SFurness]

At Cadwell last year the queue got a "bit out of synch" when it was pointed out, the scrutineers rearranged the cars in the correct order and everybody got on with it.


Brilliant.



Steve

[brianyoung]

Hi guys,

The series certainly sounds like good, genuine fun which is what I'm looking for. Anyone I have spoken to through my Formula Ford connections have complimented the friendliness of Classic Car Club members at any events they have attended.

I am busy knocking the bumps and dents out of the Fiesta, started stripping the engine at work this morning to give it a little look over as she has been abused on a number of single venue rallies and track days over the past 3 years and her race debut at Anglesey last November.

Certainly plan to be out for the Oulton and Anglesey rounds, and perhaps Cadwell. And I'm in discussions with one of my Formula Ford buddies about doing Brands as that is down his neck of the woods!

Hopefully we'll be able to come along and mix in with the regulars.

I'll keep you posted!

Regards,
Brian.

[COLIN STUBBS]

I had a couple of excellent races in tintops at Cadwell and Snett last year and thoroughly enjoyed it! Heres some of mine from 08,
Hope the new owners not watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geVXwaYaxog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BK5XPzeTNA

[Si Frowen]

I am mate and I was T-cutting that front wing only yesterday...

But don't worry, it's a race car; you have to expect a few crunches here and there

[COLIN STUBBS]

Wondered if that might spring a responce!
Well done mate where are those pics?