Jon - suggest that whatever budget you come up with, multiply it by three, maybe four!

As far as weblinks are concerned, try www.billgwynne.com. If you want to see what it's all about first, a day at a rally school is a good idea, and Gwynnie's is very good. You'll have to do the BARS course before you get a comp licence anyway, so an accredited school is as good a place to start as any.

[Edited by Spooky - 11/4/2002 6:05:37 PM]

Me and a couple of mates got talking down the pub (as you do :rolleyes: ) and I mentioned I saw a Pug 1.6 GTi for sale for under £500. we all agreed it would be an ideal first rallye car project but then we wandered off into dream land (as you do when down the pub :rolleyes: :D )

Seriously, can I have some pointers about what to do, who to get in touch with as this is something I have always been interested in. Links to any websites would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Jon

Get yourself a comp licence and hire yourself a rally car for the day and do a small event(gravel preferably)This way you will find out(very quickly) if you can drive or not..May sound harsh but will save you a fortune in time and money the long run if you find out that you cant!.

Sunday Driver..

I dont think whether you can drive well or not matters (as long as you can actually drive the thing) but having fun and 'getting out there' does matter.

Festa..

Firstly, join a local club who is active in rallying and start servicing, marshalling and getting involved in events. Then get your competition licence (wait till the new year as they run Jan-Dec) and do your stage rally course at a BARS rallyschool to get your licence to be able to actually drive. (See www.msauk.org for details). If youre navigating only, a national B NON-Race licence is the one to go for.

Be aware that you WILL NOT be the next British Champion or get into the WRC and rally for the fun of it..

Choose your class carefully. Most airfield events run 5 classes or similar -

A - up to 1300cc or 1400cc (depending on region) (2wd)
B - up to 1600cc (2wd)
C - Up to 2000cc (2wd)
D - Over 2000cc (2wd)
E - 4wd Turbo cars

Other events may run more complicated classes. Class A is the cheapest class to compete in with Novas, 106s, 205 Rallyes, Corsa occasionally. Class B is getting increasingly expensive to compete in - Corsas, Escort Mk2s, etc etc...up to Class E - Evos, Escorts Cossies, Scoobies etc

Buy a pre-prepared car - it will work out a lot cheaper than prepping one yourself.

Dont scrimp on safety items like cages, seats or harnesses and prep the car well. Suspension gets a hammering on roughish events - consider rallyspec Bilsteins as your first port of call - not cheap but cheaper than replacing your suspension after every event coz its f*cked. Sort out brakes etc at the same time then look at engine last - the time is made up by being able to drive through corners faster and braking later.

Tyres make a huge difference to the handling and speed you compete at. I use Yoko A032R tyres (185/60/14) and use a set of fronts and 1/2 a set of rears an event - but this depends on how hard you drive it and what type of event.

My competitor website is at www.pmrallyesport.co.uk (http://www.pmrallyesport.co.uk) but isnt quite finished yet but might be worth a look.

My Budget per single venue event (60-80 mile)

Tyres 3 @ £75 = £225 (full set fronts, half set rears)
Fuel 40l @ 80p/l = £32
Entry Fee £150
Towcar £40 / day
Towcar Fuel £30
Food etc: £20

Wear and Tear: £100-£200 per event

Finally - dont add up all the costs! Codriver usually pays entry fee in my case and I cover all other costs.

Paul

Thanks Paul,

Some useful points I had over looked. I will check out your site and others and put a budget together - this will shake out the dreamers from the team I'm sure :)

Have a look here (http://www.205challenge.com)

Bob:)

but be aware that the 205 challenge will probably cost more in reality..

Paul..

Paul your brilliant I could read you for hours!http://www.clicksmilies.com/sammlung/mittelgrosse/mittelgr079.gif

Hmmm, the thought of you 'reading' Paul in bed is not one that'll linger for long, hopefully...

Aww shucks Bryan :-) LOL (Yes that was shucks and not sucks!)

Now go and play with QC and Des!

Im just trying to pass on the experience I learnt over the last 2 years and Spooky.. dead right. Make a budget then double it.. My budget there is fairly realistic though assuming I dont do major damage.

Paul..