Anyone doing srints or hilclimbs in there vx?
My mrs is wanting to have ago and was wandering how they fair and what class they end up in?
And or an experience of it in general the cars a n/a
Thanks
Sprints And Hilclimbs
Started by
Thealastair34
, Sep 01 2012 10:08 PM
11 replies to this topic
#1
Thealastair34
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- 988 posts
Need to get Out More
- Location:Wakefield
Posted 01 September 2012 - 10:08 PM
#2
LoafingWafu
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- 106 posts
Member
Posted 02 September 2012 - 08:17 AM
There are 2 people I know on here the regularly take part (luckman and martylmoo) both in NA cars. Provided you car is still road legal and isn't too modified you will generally be placed in road going series production for cars with engines betweeen 1800 to 2600cc (which can contain a whole array of machineary from Pumas, MX5s, Clios etc), you will normall aviod Impezas and Lancers as they are forced induction (and if you're car is an Turbo or aftermarket SC) which means you have a forced induction equivalence factor of 1.4 times your engine capacity.
At other events they group all 'kit' variant and elise variant cars together in the same category.
In general you will do well, even more so if you use list 1B tyres (A048, 888s etc).
This year I've run a Speed Champs for Elise/VX cars (summaries details here: www.selocmotorsport.org) but discussed with VXers here: http://www.vx220.org...9246-sprinting/
Next year we have sponsorship from Nitron: http://www.vx220.org...ored-by-nitron/
I've done a mini guide to sprinting which I'll post below in a second.
Cheers,
Keith.
#3
LoafingWafu
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- 106 posts
Member
Posted 02 September 2012 - 08:18 AM
I wrote this in 2009 when I did my first event. Links have been updated as and when they have changed in the MSA blue book:
Hello all,
I'm about to enter my first sprint this August bank holiday and I thought I'd jot down what I've had to do so far and how I get on. It seems that there are quite a few people interested in having a go on here and it might help those. This information has been covered before on SELOC in various posts, but this is what I've found useful. I'm not professing to be an expert in this area and if there are errors I apologise, please correct me if you notice any.
Here's what I did.
1. Find out about sprinting:
Have a read through the information on our motorsport page:
SELOC Motorsport
And these websites.
Hillclimb and Sprint Association
Slightly old now and no longer updated.
Lotus on Track - Sprinting
These will give you a basic insight into what sprinting is all about and give you links to further clubs and sites that will contain more information that is local and relevant to you.
2. Is sprinting for you:
Next step would be to contact your local club and speak to those involved in the sport and can give you a lot of very useful advice. You can find info on upcoming events and attend those as either a spectator or marshal to see how things are run and a flavour of what to expect.
Being a MSA member clubs SELOC is invited to a number of established sprint events, at present these are predominantly from the Midlands to the South. Please contact me via the forum u2u or on keith.attwood@seloc.org or post up on here and we'll endeavour to answer any of you queries.
Alternatively a list of clubs is available below:
List of organising clubs
3. Join a club:
To compete in pretty much all sprints and hillclimbs you need to be a member of a motor club. You can't just enter any sprint there is, your club needs to be on the invited list so that you can attend as a competitor. Or you need to be invited directly by the organising club.
From advice on Seloc I joined Bristol Motor Club. However SELOC now has it's own Speed Championship with invites to a number of events around the country, you will need to be a paid up member to take advantage of this.
The club will also provide a great deal of knowledge for you to tap into.
4. Join the MSA and get a license:
Nearly all organised sprints will require you to have an MSA license for you to compete. The minimum level of license required is the Non-Race National B. This will set you back about £35 and is valid until the end of December each year.
You can do all this on-line through the MSA website and it took less than a week for mine to turn up.
MSA Home
5. Your Safety Requirements
All motorsports require some level of self protection and sprinting is no different even if it is at the lower end of the scale. You'll receive the MSA Blue Book with your License card and this is the bible with regards with what is and isn't allowed.
You can either track down someone within you motor club that will let you have a peak at the book before you get yours through or you can look at the MSAs website which has it all on-line in pdf format.
MSA Blue Book
Competitor Safety Regs
It is important that you check what you are buying is applicable to sprinting. For example some basic overalls and helmets will not be certified to the correct levels and so will not pass scrutineering at the event. It is also good advice to buy the best you can afford. Remember it is you safety that we're talking about. Also worthy of note is that the regs are changing for next year, so make sure what you buy will last you at least through to the next season.
I went down the second hand route to find a helmet and overalls and was lucky enough to track down the following for £400
Sparco Formula Helmet, Momo 3 layer overall, gloves, boots, underwear and balaclava.
I was lucky the helmet was the correct fitment for me. It is essential you try a helmet on before buying to make sure it is suitable for your shape of head. You can't rely on the sizing charts you find on-line.
A helmet needs to conform to these regs:
All MSA and International Events
FIA 8860-2004.
SNELL SA2010.
SNELL SA2005.
SNELL SA2000*.
SNELL SAH2010.
SFI Foundation 31.1A, 31.2A.
BS 6658 Type A/FR**.
*May be withdrawn with effect from 01/01/15.
**May be withdrawn with effect from 01/01/16.
Overalls these regs:
Clean flame-resistant overalls must be worn which
can be manufactured from Nomex III, Proban or equivalent materials. Acceptable standards are
FIA 8856-2000
FIA 1986 Standard
Competitors are required to wear flame-resistant gloves
6. Your car and its safety requirements:
Whilst for 90% of the people going into this no modifications or extra safety devices will be required you need to fully research this. This is an area I nearly fell foul off and had overlooked in my enthusiasm to get sprinting.
First of all read the regulations in the blue book to find which category your car will be classed in:
Hill Climb and Sprint Regs
These are detailed from reg 10.10 onwards.
Once you have confirmed which class you'll be in, and if you are unsure you are advised to either speak to your club or phone the MSA , you can then look at the vehicle safety requirements which are relevant to the class you are entering.
This is detailed in reg 10.1.1 in the above link.
Where the Elise/Exige sits within the class structure is sometimes a bone of contention. Depending on whether you judge your variant of car to have been produced in volumes of 1000 or more per year or if you think it fits in the 20-1000 cars per year. If it's the former enter yourself in Road Going Production, if it's the latter Road Going Specialist Production. In specialist production engine changes are allowed. At some events all Elise variant cars are grouped together in specialist production, at others I've seen cars spread between the two classes.
Also look over the safety regs for vehicles in the blue book.
Vehicle Safety Regs
Also, even though you may be running normal road tyres, make sure they are listed in either of the following 1A or 1B lists.
List 1A and 1B Tyres
7. Enter an event:
Your club will let you know what events are coming up. Entry forms in general are available on-line and these will contain details of the event the classes they are running etc etc.
By signing up HERE you will be u2u'd as an when events are added.
If you want to get stuck in straight away we have our own speed championship running over 9 rounds with bragging rights to the eventual winner.
More info HERE
Entry fees vary but are normally in the £60 - £120 bracket depending on venue.
8. Prepare your car:
It goes without saying that your car should be in good condition. If your not completely competent with a set of spanners I'd recommend taking it to a lotus specialist, particularly one with a motorsport background to get a full health check. Make sure you're telling them what you are going to be using it for and they can advise accordingly. I took my car to lotus specialist Steve Gugliemli. It highlighted a number of issues which were all rectified and I had a geo done that was appropriate to what I would be using the car for.
You'll need a timing strut at the front of the car as well. The LOT guys will supplies these if you enter their series, however for most other events you'll have to make one yourself. Helpfully this has been covered in the TechWiki.
Making a timing strut
You'll also require numbers for the side of your car. These will vary from sprint to sprint and you'll be told of your number once your entry to the sprint has been accepted and the entries list produced (around 2 weeks prior to the event). The numbers need to be contrasting to the colour of your car. You should not arrive or leave the event with the number showing on your vehicle. Either cover it up or remove it. Sticky numbers can be obtained from lots of places. I got mine from Merlin Motorsport.
Race Numbers
You'll also need a few other stickers to denote the way to turn your ignition off. I bought this sticker set and it seems to cover all eventualities:
Other stickers
You'll also have to cover your battery earth lead in yellow tape to let people know which one it is in an emergency.
Well this is where I'm up to at the moment, I'll let you know in a week how I got on and what else might be applicable.
Thanks to all those that have helped and given me advice so far.
9. What to take on the day
The right attitude is the main one. It's not a track day, and it's also not a race. It's you against yourself mainly. And if you just aim to have an improvement in your times throughout the day you will have achieved something.
Take with you the following items as the bare essentials:
- Tyre pressure gauge
- Foot pump
- Oil
- Coolant
- Cable ties
- Gaffa tape
- Small selection of tools.
You should consider taking a Jack as well and also possibly a plastic sheet to put under the vehicle to protect the ground oil leaks (some venues insist on this).
Documents required:
- MSA License
- Motor club membership card
- MOT / V5 / Insurance (if entering road going class)
Make sure you get a good nights sleep before hand.
10. On the day itself
Turn up in good time to enable you to sign on and attend the drivers briefing. You'll be parked up in competing classes generally. Find out when scruitineering is and be with your car at the allotted time. Have everything available to hand and be prepared to show any area of the car they ask for. When they looked at mine they spent the majority of the time checking that the seat and seat belt were attached correctly.
Finally ENJOY YOURSELF. It's addictive and a whole different type of adrenaline rush to a trackday.
Any questions please ask below or contact me via u2u or email on keith.attwood@seloc.org
Hello all,
I'm about to enter my first sprint this August bank holiday and I thought I'd jot down what I've had to do so far and how I get on. It seems that there are quite a few people interested in having a go on here and it might help those. This information has been covered before on SELOC in various posts, but this is what I've found useful. I'm not professing to be an expert in this area and if there are errors I apologise, please correct me if you notice any.
Here's what I did.
1. Find out about sprinting:
Have a read through the information on our motorsport page:
SELOC Motorsport
And these websites.
Hillclimb and Sprint Association
Slightly old now and no longer updated.
Lotus on Track - Sprinting
These will give you a basic insight into what sprinting is all about and give you links to further clubs and sites that will contain more information that is local and relevant to you.
2. Is sprinting for you:
Next step would be to contact your local club and speak to those involved in the sport and can give you a lot of very useful advice. You can find info on upcoming events and attend those as either a spectator or marshal to see how things are run and a flavour of what to expect.
Being a MSA member clubs SELOC is invited to a number of established sprint events, at present these are predominantly from the Midlands to the South. Please contact me via the forum u2u or on keith.attwood@seloc.org or post up on here and we'll endeavour to answer any of you queries.
Alternatively a list of clubs is available below:
List of organising clubs
3. Join a club:
To compete in pretty much all sprints and hillclimbs you need to be a member of a motor club. You can't just enter any sprint there is, your club needs to be on the invited list so that you can attend as a competitor. Or you need to be invited directly by the organising club.
From advice on Seloc I joined Bristol Motor Club. However SELOC now has it's own Speed Championship with invites to a number of events around the country, you will need to be a paid up member to take advantage of this.
The club will also provide a great deal of knowledge for you to tap into.
4. Join the MSA and get a license:
Nearly all organised sprints will require you to have an MSA license for you to compete. The minimum level of license required is the Non-Race National B. This will set you back about £35 and is valid until the end of December each year.
You can do all this on-line through the MSA website and it took less than a week for mine to turn up.
MSA Home
5. Your Safety Requirements
All motorsports require some level of self protection and sprinting is no different even if it is at the lower end of the scale. You'll receive the MSA Blue Book with your License card and this is the bible with regards with what is and isn't allowed.
You can either track down someone within you motor club that will let you have a peak at the book before you get yours through or you can look at the MSAs website which has it all on-line in pdf format.
MSA Blue Book
Competitor Safety Regs
It is important that you check what you are buying is applicable to sprinting. For example some basic overalls and helmets will not be certified to the correct levels and so will not pass scrutineering at the event. It is also good advice to buy the best you can afford. Remember it is you safety that we're talking about. Also worthy of note is that the regs are changing for next year, so make sure what you buy will last you at least through to the next season.
I went down the second hand route to find a helmet and overalls and was lucky enough to track down the following for £400
Sparco Formula Helmet, Momo 3 layer overall, gloves, boots, underwear and balaclava.
I was lucky the helmet was the correct fitment for me. It is essential you try a helmet on before buying to make sure it is suitable for your shape of head. You can't rely on the sizing charts you find on-line.
A helmet needs to conform to these regs:
All MSA and International Events
FIA 8860-2004.
SNELL SA2010.
SNELL SA2005.
SNELL SA2000*.
SNELL SAH2010.
SFI Foundation 31.1A, 31.2A.
BS 6658 Type A/FR**.
*May be withdrawn with effect from 01/01/15.
**May be withdrawn with effect from 01/01/16.
Overalls these regs:
Clean flame-resistant overalls must be worn which
can be manufactured from Nomex III, Proban or equivalent materials. Acceptable standards are
FIA 8856-2000
FIA 1986 Standard
Competitors are required to wear flame-resistant gloves
6. Your car and its safety requirements:
Whilst for 90% of the people going into this no modifications or extra safety devices will be required you need to fully research this. This is an area I nearly fell foul off and had overlooked in my enthusiasm to get sprinting.
First of all read the regulations in the blue book to find which category your car will be classed in:
Hill Climb and Sprint Regs
These are detailed from reg 10.10 onwards.
Once you have confirmed which class you'll be in, and if you are unsure you are advised to either speak to your club or phone the MSA , you can then look at the vehicle safety requirements which are relevant to the class you are entering.
This is detailed in reg 10.1.1 in the above link.
Where the Elise/Exige sits within the class structure is sometimes a bone of contention. Depending on whether you judge your variant of car to have been produced in volumes of 1000 or more per year or if you think it fits in the 20-1000 cars per year. If it's the former enter yourself in Road Going Production, if it's the latter Road Going Specialist Production. In specialist production engine changes are allowed. At some events all Elise variant cars are grouped together in specialist production, at others I've seen cars spread between the two classes.
Also look over the safety regs for vehicles in the blue book.
Vehicle Safety Regs
Also, even though you may be running normal road tyres, make sure they are listed in either of the following 1A or 1B lists.
List 1A and 1B Tyres
7. Enter an event:
Your club will let you know what events are coming up. Entry forms in general are available on-line and these will contain details of the event the classes they are running etc etc.
By signing up HERE you will be u2u'd as an when events are added.
If you want to get stuck in straight away we have our own speed championship running over 9 rounds with bragging rights to the eventual winner.
More info HERE
Entry fees vary but are normally in the £60 - £120 bracket depending on venue.
8. Prepare your car:
It goes without saying that your car should be in good condition. If your not completely competent with a set of spanners I'd recommend taking it to a lotus specialist, particularly one with a motorsport background to get a full health check. Make sure you're telling them what you are going to be using it for and they can advise accordingly. I took my car to lotus specialist Steve Gugliemli. It highlighted a number of issues which were all rectified and I had a geo done that was appropriate to what I would be using the car for.
You'll need a timing strut at the front of the car as well. The LOT guys will supplies these if you enter their series, however for most other events you'll have to make one yourself. Helpfully this has been covered in the TechWiki.
Making a timing strut
You'll also require numbers for the side of your car. These will vary from sprint to sprint and you'll be told of your number once your entry to the sprint has been accepted and the entries list produced (around 2 weeks prior to the event). The numbers need to be contrasting to the colour of your car. You should not arrive or leave the event with the number showing on your vehicle. Either cover it up or remove it. Sticky numbers can be obtained from lots of places. I got mine from Merlin Motorsport.
Race Numbers
You'll also need a few other stickers to denote the way to turn your ignition off. I bought this sticker set and it seems to cover all eventualities:
Other stickers
You'll also have to cover your battery earth lead in yellow tape to let people know which one it is in an emergency.
Well this is where I'm up to at the moment, I'll let you know in a week how I got on and what else might be applicable.
Thanks to all those that have helped and given me advice so far.
9. What to take on the day
The right attitude is the main one. It's not a track day, and it's also not a race. It's you against yourself mainly. And if you just aim to have an improvement in your times throughout the day you will have achieved something.
Take with you the following items as the bare essentials:
- Tyre pressure gauge
- Foot pump
- Oil
- Coolant
- Cable ties
- Gaffa tape
- Small selection of tools.
You should consider taking a Jack as well and also possibly a plastic sheet to put under the vehicle to protect the ground oil leaks (some venues insist on this).
Documents required:
- MSA License
- Motor club membership card
- MOT / V5 / Insurance (if entering road going class)
Make sure you get a good nights sleep before hand.
10. On the day itself
Turn up in good time to enable you to sign on and attend the drivers briefing. You'll be parked up in competing classes generally. Find out when scruitineering is and be with your car at the allotted time. Have everything available to hand and be prepared to show any area of the car they ask for. When they looked at mine they spent the majority of the time checking that the seat and seat belt were attached correctly.
Finally ENJOY YOURSELF. It's addictive and a whole different type of adrenaline rush to a trackday.
Any questions please ask below or contact me via u2u or email on keith.attwood@seloc.org
#4
Thealastair34
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- 988 posts
Need to get Out More
- Location:Wakefield
Posted 02 September 2012 - 08:41 AM
What a reply!
Thanks Keith will give it a read and get stuff sorted for next season
Cheers Alastair
#5
rob999
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Cat in a Hat
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Posted 02 September 2012 - 08:50 AM
Tailslide does hill climbs in his SC VX I think. Worth a pm.
#6
LoafingWafu
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- 106 posts
Member
Posted 02 September 2012 - 08:58 AM
Now worries Alastair. Think this club is local to your might be worth getting in contact for a chat and to find an event close to you to go and have a look at.
http://www.simonasht...WDMSC/index.htm
http://www.simonasht...WDMSC/index.htm
#7
Bumblebee
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- Gender:Female
- Location:York
Posted 02 September 2012 - 09:07 AM
What a reply!
Thanks Keith will give it a read and get stuff sorted for next season
Cheers Alastair
How about harewood hillclimb? Its not too far away
#8
CocoPops
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- Gender:Male
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Posted 02 September 2012 - 11:03 AM
Excellent reply Mr Loafing! 
#9
Thealastair34
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- 988 posts
Need to get Out More
- Location:Wakefield
Posted 02 September 2012 - 11:18 AM
What a reply!
Thanks Keith will give it a read and get stuff sorted for next season
Cheers Alastair
How about harewood hillclimb? Its not too far away
will be doing auto 66 sprint and hilclimb and maybe a couple of the westfield speed series they both run up harewood, going to get her a training day up at harewood they seem good
#10
LoafingWafu
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- 106 posts
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Posted 02 September 2012 - 11:25 AM
Excellent reply Mr Loafing!
Coco,
If you like please feel free to edit so that its more relevant guide to VXs if required, I've had it stickied in our motorsport forum for a fair while. Happy to help out, as it was a bit daunting when I first opened a blue book to try and get into this!
#11
luckman
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Posted 04 September 2012 - 12:52 PM
Not much I can add to Keith's (LoafingWafu) excellent reply. I have sprinted in an MR2, Evo and, now, an unmodified VX na. I enjoy the VX most because the twisty bits are more exciting to me than just jamming your foot to the floor and staring at the horizon and the twisty bits are obviously where the VX excels over most competition. Two things to consider. Firstly, I lose out on the faster circuits where outright speed wins out over cornering ability. I am going to try to counter this by fitting the ITB kit over the winter. Secondly, roadgoing class doesn't mean some won't have spent a lot of time and money modifying their vehicle; you may find yourself losing out to an "inferior" vehicle but which has been heavily modified to produce masses of BHP and as much weight taken out of it as possible. My response to that is to look at Keith's SELOC Championship (funds permitting) next year which has a proper handicap system that levels the playing field. By the way, Keith is neither a loafer nor a WAFU but a bl**dy good bloke, in my book.
#12
JohnTurbo
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Posted 04 September 2012 - 05:15 PM
I had him down as an eccentric Chinese bloke, clearly I was a little off the park.
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