Planning return to racing in 2010

[greasy stick]

Originally Posted by driftwood

you have completley missed the mans point
he doesnt want to own a car!!!!
1 has to spend lots of dough buying it
2 probably doesnt have space to keep car or trailer ( another expense)
3 then tow vehicle tools stands jacks etc etc
4 he doesnt want top do the prepping
5 drag car to track find helpers etc etc
6 then you have to deal with A holes when you want to sell the car

renting a race car is a far better way for many folk to go racing
ive done it and i would look at doing it again
running a race car when you have a job/ career/ business to run & a family is a pain in the ass
so give the guy useful info that helps him

How much more helpful do you want me to be?

Of course he would want to own a race car when he realises the cost saving, and all the 'kidology' that surrounds the driver when he's a rent-a-ride.

£2,000 for a test in an F301! What madness for him and he would come away from it non the wiser.

[driftwood]

Greasy stick so far its useless info your giving

there is no cost saving in owning your own car unless you have time to prep own car take it to track plus have the spare cash to buy a car store it get trailer tow vehicle tool kit jacks stands fuel cans find a friend to help AND have the money to run it so im afraid yr talking a load of cak

as for 2k in an F3 car
That is not for the newbie it is for an experienced FFord racer who wants to spend a day at a major race track to experience a modern F3 car and the long circuit
it is not to make him wise but to give the the chance to tick the box and say Ive done that
If a man could simply become wise from a days testing in a race car i have 4 people offering to pay to put you in a car to see if it can improve you!

[greasy stick]

Originally Posted by driftwood

there is no cost saving in owning your own car....

yes there is.

You are only protesting so much because you see a business opportunity in renting a car out. So you can hardly be seen to be offering objective advice.

[schuey57]

Originally Posted by 7UpJordan

Hi

This year I have not been doing any racing due to the financial crisis and I want to consolidate my finances. Next year I am planning on making a comeback.

I did 2 Formula Vee races in 2008 on arrive and drive basis which went smoothly, but I'd like to try something a little different.

I want to re-apply for my licence, the one I have is 2008 licence and I know that I will need to have a new medical carried out. But will I have to re-do the ARDS test or is that for if you've been out for many years?

I am thinking of doing something like Formula Jedi. Does anybody know what the costs are compared to Formula Vee? Also what is it like fitting into a Jedi car compared to the Vee? Because one of the problems I had is that I'm 6'1" and I never felt totally comfortable behind the Vee I was driving (this particular one was originally built for a lady!).

Are there any other series which you could recommend to me as well that might be worth it?

Thanks

quite welcome to have a sit in a v-diemen rf 83 ff2000

[driftwood]

please show me the huge saving in owning running own car

i have laid out some basic cost in owning own car so If you give £10k for car then find another £5k for trailer tow van tools do you have owt left to run it?
a place to store it mates to prep it cash to have some spare parts

mate if i wanted to learn to fly a plane i would go rent it pay the £50-100 per day cost and save heaps in not owning a plane at whatever cost plus the running costs of insuring maintaining parking it let alone taking the hit on depreciation in value etc
same goes for boats
well known phrase if it floats flies or fks rent it! same goes for race cars

I have rented race cars in the past and it is far easier to arrive drive go home & 4 weeks later pick up phone book it again
so what if it might cost more than others purport in owning running prepping transporting own car damn sight easier and that is the point you fail to recognise why the man wants to do arrive n drive
the support team is there to do it all fo rhim all he has to do is kiss wife on cheek bid farewll til tea time and wirte out a cheque= no worries they are all on the party supplying the equipement
how do you think drivers rise thru FFord f3 f3000to f1? ah yes they own each car team kit and frig around doing it all themselves- NOT !

[Benny1664]

If you said that one of your main problems with the Vee was the size of you, have you thought about trying another type of car? There are so many makes of car in Vee and they all have different sized cockpits that suit larger or taller people differently. I know one guy used to race a Sypder but didnt fit it very well as he was too tall so now he races a Storm and fits it fine.

[greasy stick]

D'Wood old son, you are comparing chalk and cheese.

You peddling your second-hand bangers for hire is in no way a comparison for running a light single.

You don't have to pay airfield parking fees to store your single-seater at a licenced field, nor do you have to keep it maintained to CAA standards, by a licenced engineer, (and I doubt your apparenty limited talents in car-set up come anywhere near to one of those) nor do you have to have it insured like a light aircraft.

On the other hand, you can buy a cheap Piper Cub or Tomahawk for a few thousand quid and keep it in you field and fly it , unserviced & radio-less for next to nothing as long as you keep to the open FIR.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you have very little race tuition experience and even less car preparation knowledge. Your trying to build this into some sort of black art. Where do you get your prices from? it cost nothing like £5,000 for a trailer. What about this 'support-team' you think is so important? Seems a bit expensive to have a couple of blokes wash and polish your car between qualifying and race, jsut to look busy. A season racing as a rent-a-ride is far more expensive than doing it yourself, you know that, and your constant denials do not change the facts.

[driftwood]

jesus what sht you speak and you cant even read properly
5k for van trailer tools is what i said
cant be bothered with yr nonsense i want to talk with intelligent people that pay attention to facts

[marblerun]

I’ve really enjoyed this thread – one of the best.
I like the original suggestion of Formula Jedi – a couple of teams do arrive and drive and I would guess would be in budget. LWB model will take the taller driver.
As for shunts – I had a huge one at Lydden earlier this year with massive front end impact. I could have walked away but got on the stretcher as a precaution. The car and I were both racing at Silverstone the following weekend.
I’ll now make way for the Jedi bashers!!!!! But you cannot deny they are super quick.

[driftwood]

John nowt against jedis fast cars for the $ but i like my feet atached to my ankles to my shins- axle line feet rule circumnavigated this cars design on a technicallity!

i looked at an Osella se21 sports car with the notion of purchasing
saw footwell when nose was off changed my mind there n then
I would advise making carbon fibre crutches and wheel chair just in case !

[MarkG]

I'm enjoying this thread
My view is a half-way view between greasy stick and driftwood. If you're good enough to run at the front, the problem with arrive-and-drive is you run mid-pack. I would buy the car (most will resell at similar price to purchace price so not a lot of money wasted there), ensure it's front-running capable (decent engine and tyres), then have it run for you by someone who knows about setup for the various circuits and can prepare a reliable car. Then it's up to you, the driver, if you run at the front or midfield. I would have thought most drivers would want to sit in a KNOWN competitive car and accept it's then down to him(her). I'm not sure if it's possible to get a KNOWN front-running car in an arrive-and-drive package??? I'm talking club-racing here, not F Renault or F3 etc, where it is arrive-and-drive effectively, but in a completely different world.

[Thundersports]

driftwood have you suddenly become over concerned about your feet!? That Minardi F2 car you raced in Euroboss looked fairly catastrophic for your legs and ankles in a front impact.

[driftwood]

markg the point of teh mans thread was not what is best or how to go motor racing or shall i turn left or right im not sure
it was how to get going again and he is HAPPY with rental arrive n drive and it is mor ethan likely due to the reasons ive stated cash lay out for car kit storage prepping etc etc and etc again
but some how people cannot grasp that point

thundersports how little you know about race car construction!

[Thundersports]

Mr driftwood are your feet not in front of the front axle line in the Minardi?

[driftwood]

all cars from 1982-84 where built like this
mine is kevlar carbon honeyombe tub with a crash box nose cone so not an issue compared to FFord VD 83/4 or jedi car made of what?!! DOH

why do you think porsche made 962? for fun! no it was FIA made the rule change about feet axle line BUt Jedi was built before the rule change and therefore they where still able by a minor tecnicality to carry on with his existing design and build cars like that

[flatbroke]

This is a good Thread .

all I will say is yes you can run a car cheaper than with a team but some times the money is not the point.


I have worked at the highest level of motorsport for many years and also run my own race cars on the side , and let me tell you some of the late nights and early morning I would have been far better turning up at the track putting suit on and racing with a team than doing it your self.

Things you need to run a single seater car well is a flat floor and scales and knowledge , both can be very expensive.

plus there are all the other parts , storage , trailer /truck , eazy up , pit board jump battey , tools , jacks , stands , cranes/hoists , jugs funnels , fuels cans , spares ,

[7UpJordan]

Hi

Sorry I haven't checked back for a while, I'm still racking my brain deciding what I could do next year, so many potential good choices...

The most intriguing one I've seen mentioned is Monoposto, from what I've read and seen there are quite a few different different types of cars used. There seem to be quite a lot of F3 derived cars which I think would be a little bit out of my league to drive, but the ex Formula Vauxhall Junior cars look interesting.

Just can't seem to decide what to go for, Formula Fords, Formula Jedi, Monoposto all seem like likely candidates.

[driftwood]

dont bother with FVJnr car waste of time money
get FFord plenty of places to race around UK AND you can do some mono libre races if you want more track time

[Triple J Motorsport]

Or cracking Van Diemen RF02 FFZetec complete with spares for peanuts and do F4 Mono1800 SEMSEC Libre races and Festival...PM me I have a list of FFZetec cars between £5K - £10K.

[driftwood]

zetec is a limiting car compared to Kent 1600 FFord which you can do a lot more with like many FF1600 races as well as libre mono f4
however 7up is looking at arrive n drive than owning a car

[steveng]

Just a point about size. I'm 6'4" and 90Kg, many single seaters just don't fit me but my Van Diemen Formula Ireland does and my Vauxhall Junior 16v did. I cannot get into Ralts or Dallaras to name two. One of the problems is the width of the cockpit, I am not a porker in any way (apart from my table manners perhaps) and I can often sort out the length issues by removing the seat or moving the peddles but the width of the cockpit is fixed.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by 7UpJordan

Hi

Sorry I haven't checked back for a while, I'm still racking my brain deciding what I could do next year, so many potential good choices...

The most intriguing one I've seen mentioned is Monoposto, from what I've read and seen there are quite a few different different types of cars used. There seem to be quite a lot of F3 derived cars which I think would be a little bit out of my league to drive, but the ex Formula Vauxhall Junior cars look interesting.

Just can't seem to decide what to go for, Formula Fords, Formula Jedi, Monoposto all seem like likely candidates.

I think Nick Edginton offers "arrive and drive" in a F Ford Zetec for both F4 & Monoposto 1800. The Anstruther family offer "arrive and drive" in a Vauxhall Junior (both 8v & 16V) in Monoposto 1600 or 1800. You may have to look on the Monoposto web site for contact details, or PM me.

Nothing wrong with Vauxhall Juniors by the way - good strong chassis and the 16v engines are way better than a Zetec. Their only downside is that I think that Monoposto is the only place where you can race them these days (maybe F4 as well, not sure any more - I ran mine in F4 a few times but it was several years ago), as opposed to a F Ford 1600 where there are loads of race series. As a result Vauxhall Juniors tend to be cheaper to buy and therefore maybe cheaper to hire. If you are looking for arrive and drive then you can mix and match I suppose.

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by driftwood

zetec is a limiting car compared to Kent 1600 FFord which you can do a lot more with like many FF1600 races as well as libre mono f4
however 7up is looking at arrive n drive than owning a car

Can't race a FF1600 in F4 and age restrictions on FF1600s monoposto

[JohnMiller]

Originally Posted by steveng

Just a point about size. I'm 6'4" and 90Kg, many single seaters just don't fit me but my Van Diemen Formula Ireland does and my Vauxhall Junior 16v did. I cannot get into Ralts or Dallaras to name two. One of the problems is the width of the cockpit, I am not a porker in any way (apart from my table manners perhaps) and I can often sort out the length issues by removing the seat or moving the peddles but the width of the cockpit is fixed.

Hi Steven

You wouldn't have any problems in a Dallara 99 on.

[steveng]

Thanks John, I am deligted with the F Ireland for now but when the time comes to change I will add more recent Dallaras to the list. I have always thought that a real F3 car would be wasted on a driver of my limited talent...