Steve vRS

If I were to buy a Pug 205 or similar rally car for using as a track car and maybe even attempting to compete would it be reliable and suitable enough for my daily 3 mile commute?

Also is there a good website that would detail the spec requirements for each class of rallying?

Cheers

Steve

Olly

Yes you could. In theory...

Depends on your circumstances. I did it for 2 years with a Group N (showroom class) Nova GSi painlessly enough. I had no choice: I was 21 and couldn't afford anything else. All my disposable income (around 100% at the time) was spent doing the BTRDA, so a road car was not an option.

Generally we would do an event on the weekend, and if there had been no problems or damage I would use the car until 7-10 days before the next event, when we would spend time preparing the car.

But, and its a BIG but, I did have options to fall back on. I could always use a works van if required, or mum 'n dads Discovery while the rally car was up on stands and in bits in their garage.

Nevertheless, the car did almost 10,000 miles of day to day driving in 2 years. And we weren't playing games: I did 22 rallies in 2 years in the car, won one championship in it and finished second in 2 others, and scored several class wins and many awards along the way in the car. The previous owner (Iain Scott) won the British Junior classes on the Manx and Ulster in 1993 in the car, and commuted in it as well. The car is STILL rallying, still on same shell and engine...

I always reckoned that the reason the car went so well is that I practically lived in it: using it all day, and then down the lanes most nights.

Remember mine was a Group N car though. and apart from the obvious stuff was virtually standard. A Group N or challenge car (ie 205 or Ka) could work, but forget anything else.

what would scooby do

I commuted 24 miles a day in a race spec TR7V8 convertible (circuit racer not rally)

It's a hoot providing it's reliable..

I used to set car alarms of just starting the ******..

3 miles would be a cinch even with an agressive clutch

greasemonkey

Depends how heavily modified it was. If you're literally only talking a road car with mildly modified suspension and a roll cage there's no reason to suspect the "road" bits would be much less reliable than normal. If you're talking about an Impreza WRC on the other hand, it'd be a total non-starter.

Assuming you go the mildly modified road car route, the main issues would be ones of practicality and safety. Lack of interor fittings and possible bush changes would make the car noisy, and most likely deprive you of the rear seats, while driving a cage equipped car without a helmet is more likely to result in injury in the case of an accident than not having a cage at all, even if you wear a multipoint harness. Gravel or tarmac spec suspension would also make it fidgety and uncomfortable to drive on the road.

Think the 205 Challenge has its own website, but if you're thinking BTRDA or ANCRO, look at www.btrdarally.com or www.ancro.co.uk for starters

jjones

3 miles? use a push bike.

CraigMac

a friend of mine had a group N astra on the road.

a bit scary as the bar of the cage was right by your head - would be seriously nasty in the event of any accident.....

good fun though

greasemonkey

Exactly, hence comment above about the car being less safe in this state. Proximity of cage to unprotected head can turn even a low speed parking shunt into a potentially serious head injury. Not good.

TaviaRS

Steve,

Yes, it is possible to drive a rally car on a 3 mile commute, although probably not idea depending on what state of tune it is in. If it's just for point a to point b, fine, if it's for doing lots of little trips, the harnesses and clambering in and out over the cage is a pain. Speaking of the cage, a lot of insurance companies really don't like them on the road as the risk of head injuries without a helmet on are much much increased.

As to what is allowed in various classes, that is going to depend. As a basic you have group N and group A.

The FIA group N regulations are here: http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...04_Art_254.pdf
The FIA group A regulations are here: http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...04_Art_255.pdf
General FIA regs are here: http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...04_Art_252.pdf
General FIA safety regs are here: http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...04_Art_253.pdf

OK, that's the high level stuff. You then move down to national level. Here we have the MSA (www.msauk.org) When you get a licence you will recieve the Blue Book. This has all the regs covering events in the uk. Assuming you are buying it to compete, you will need a licence. Details of how to apply are on the MSA site.

Next level down, championship regs. Championships have their own regs, based on the above 2 sets. Final set of regs are the event ones which apply specifically to the event.

Jon

Gutmann pug

Steve,

I drive a 205 GTi pretty much daily to work and back .......1 mile and also round and about in the evenings. Its alter ego is that it does as many track days as its possible to get on.
A good result was this weekend when I drove it 1204 miles to the nurburgring and back including 200 very very heavy right foot driving around the track. It didnt miss a beat the whole weekend.
However routine maintenance should be applied frequently like oil changes, brake checks etc etc....

I would also say that on long journeys it can be a pretty tiresome drive. 1200 miles in a stripped out, caged car is not amusing to be fair.

Oh and make sure you get yourself some break down recovery service...

On the plus side, when she is stripped you can load about 44,000 cans of bottles of wine in .....

CrisPDuk

What like Olly did with his Nova? Every time he broke it tooling around 'practicing' I would get a phone call to come & pick him up

I must admit though, travelling in it was a pretty painless experience, we even went to Luton & Santa Pod in it, from 'oop north', the only downsides that I can remember were the hard ride, & no stereo. I wouldn't like to try it in anything with a proper 'box & diff though, the whining & the violent steering would get on my t!ts after a while

Gutmann pug

Let me tell ya the roads in France are no joke when you have rock hard suspension. I will never again complain when i see road works in the UK and traffic jams. The french way of dealing with pot holes is to not bother...... That is a downside, but as long as you understand stuff like that before hand its up to you. I have ear plugs as the noise can get very tiresome.

Squizz

I currently have the use of an Impreza Turbo, or our Nissan 200SX being prepared for track work...

...I leave them both at home and walk the 2+ miles to work, and then home. (Having got a new job closer to home than the previous 54 mile commute round trip! )

It depends if you only have the use of 1 car, which you may need for longer journies, I suppose. If not, then don't be so bloody lazy!

astraboy

innit! Buy a bike! Summer is just round the corner, I have two cars and I still walk to the train station and back every morning...
astraboy.