Fancy trying something totally different. Fed up playing racing games on the playstation and want a reason to get covered in oil and grease at weekends. Well how about Motor Racing .......... Below is a summary of my journey into motor racing and a rough breakdown of costs.

Steve’s story (in his own words) ......

Everyone needs goals. One of mine was to obtain a national race license before the grand old age of 40, and to compete in a regular race series. It was only towards the end of 2005, just before my 32nd birthday, that I realised that time was passing me by and now would be as good a time as any to take my first steps into motor sport. The last thing I wanted was to go past my deadline and regret not having done it. Life’s too short !

To be sure that this was the right thing for me I booked a track day at Oulton Park with Steve Cheetham (SC) in a race prepared Porsche 924. The day wasn’t cheap but it gave me a real glimpse of what motor racing is all about. The car had an intercom system and SC was keen for us to push the car as hard as possible. The driving experience was great but the car probably spent longer in the pits on a jack, than it did on the track.

I came away from Oulton a little disappointed. On the day I didn’t get to drive the 924 as much as I’d hoped, but more importantly I realised that motor racing involves getting your hands dirty and lots of hanging around. Things do go wrong and a certain level of mechanical ability is most definitely required to get by. I’ve spent my working career in offices and my weekends playing cricket. There was no way I could pick up a sufficient level of mechanical know how in 6 months, to be able to compete in 2006.

My racing dream was over, until Jace stepped in with his greased overalls and pocketful of spanners. Jace is not a mechanic by trade but has tinkered with many cars over the years. Having Jace not only solves the immediate mechanical gap but also gives me the ideal opportunity to learn as I go through the season. Who knows by the end of 2006 I may even be able to change a wheel without assistance.

So my enthusiasm and drive to compete was back. I just needed to get a license, to buy a car and re-mortgage the house. Knowing which order to do things was slightly more tricky so I have noted my findings in order below :

• 1 - Apply for a “Go Racing” pack from the MSA. This pack is compulsory, costs about £50 and will give you some basic info on how to obtain your license (and an application form).


• 2 - Get your doctor to sign off the medical section of your license application. My doctor charged just over £100 for this.


• 3 - Book your driving assessment through an ARDS centre. The standard assessment will take half a day and consists of some driver training, a written exam (mainly on flags and safety) and a 15-20 minute driving assessment on track. I went to Silverstone and paid a little extra for the full days training. This included caterham car control skills, a cradled A4 and extra track driving in a Lotus Elise.


• 4 - Throughout all this you need to consider which race series you would like to compete in for the upcoming year. Originally I was looking to compete in the Porsche 924 series but having had mechanical problems at Oulton I then looked further afield to the Locost championship and Mighty Minis.


• 5 - Once I had decided on Mighty Minis I then had to buy a car. You can convert a road car (which I ruled out straight away) or buy a race prepared car. I spoke to many members of the Mighty Mini community seeking guidance on particular cars and regulations etc. I eventually chose car number 88 that came 4th in the series in 2005. It had some bodywork damage and needed a paintjob. Nothing that can’t be fixed. The previous owner was passionate about his car and had converted it himself 4 years ago. Unfortunately he is not able to compete this year due to new rules that have been introduced to encourage new entrants into the sport.


• 6 - You’ll need to buy a trailer to tow your race vehicle. Logically it would make sense to buy this before you buy the car, although you may be lucky and buy a car / trailer package. Another option would be to rent a trailer (about £35 for the day).


• 7 - Finally you’ll need some race gear. I would highly recommend the Autosport International Show which has many retailer stands (See news article dated 13/01/2006). I believe this event is held every Jaunary.

So I’m all set to race. Just hope with all the gear I’ve purchased, the new paintjob and a broken bank balance I make it past the first race. Bring it on ......



Costs of Competing

There are a couple of websites that list out the costs of competing in Mighty Minis. Some of these websites are out of date so I have attempted to piece together an update based on my experience so far :

Obtaining your MSA Racing License (one off costs)

Go Racing Pack (compulsory for new entrants)	£50
Medical (compulsory for new entrants)	£100
ARDS test	£225
Additional tuition taken with ARDS test	£125
License Application	£50
Total	£550

Mighty Mini (one off costs)

Race Car (current market value of MM per sales)	£3500
Trailer (2nd hand lightweight decent trailer)	£1200
Other (ratchet straps, jerry can etc etc)	£100
Contingency (ie costs to conform to new year regs)	£200
Total	£5000

Racewear (one off costs)

Helmet & bag (very important – needs to be good fit etc)	£220
Race overalls	£200
Race boots (not essential but advisable)	£60
Race gloves	£40
Balaclava	£15
Total	£535

Total One Off Costs

£6085

Annual Costs

Mighty Mini Championship Registration	£150
BRSCC Membership (£145 in first year)	£130
Race Entries (13 races at £170)	£2210
Race Fuel (assume 20litres per weekend x 13 races @90p)	£235
Fuel to and from track (£60 x 9 venues)	£540
Accommodation costs (£35 B&B per night x 10 nights)	£350
Tyres (assume 8 tyres @ £50)	£400
Brake pads discs	£60
Other Consumables (oil, filters etc)	£100
Contingency	£300

Total Annual Costs

£4475

Total Year One Costs

£10560

My preferred route into MMs was to buy a race prepared car. An alternative (and there are plenty that do) would be to buy a standard Mini Cooper and convert it yourself into a race car. My intention is to tinker with the car as much as possible at weekends, thus keeping standard maintenance costs down.

Everyone knows motor racing isn’t the cheapest hobby in the world (especially when you work it out on a cost per “race hour” basis) but the Mighty Mini championship appears to offer one of the cheapest introductions to the sport.

Just remember. Life is for Living !!!

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