Infomation On Starting out

[TH191]

Hello,

i have currently been racing sidecars on the grasstrack scene and looking to venture into road racing, been looking at the F2's, so the reason for this post and i hope it is in the right place is, what are the general costings on a rough basis; i.e bike cost, entries, what equipment would i need to purchase? any cost i have over looked, i beleive tires are not neccersary new every meeting. Is their alot of maintence costing?

i would also be interested in what clubs can i join and how often meetings are? sorry extremely green to this side, i am taking a trip to alton park on the 30th to have a look around.

many thanks

[steve-e]

For dates, have a look on the calendar on the front. "Dates 2015" will give you an idea how often clubs are out and about.

Bike costs, from 4k up to 25k secondhand, if you've got more to spend you'll find a way to spend it.

Other stuff I'll leave up to the guys who are doing it now, I'm getting out of touch with starting in the sport.

[TH191]

Thank you Steve-e, will take a look on the dates page.

[SlowPhil]

Come and race with me, get out for less than a grand! Call me at any time on 07730784975.
Take a look at http://www.steveenglish.com/index.php/s ... decar-show

[Lockside]

team lockside have a shellbourne r6 injection f2 for sale ex steve norbury 112.89 tt lap contact Charlie killduff

[steve-e]

Don't do anything SlowPhil suggests It ends up getting messy - slowly

[Bendy T]

We started last year, Come and find us at Oulton Park, #20.

[Gavin Browne]

We started last year too. We'll be racing at East fortune with the NEMCRC on 23rd and 24th May if you fancy coming along. We're number 50. PM me if you'd like to ask any questions over the phone.

[KatieMsidecar]

I have just been asked for info on starting out because of a post I put on Maria Costello's Woman on A Motorcycle, so here is the first instalment I sent her:

ACU roadrace licence: first you need to join a club, see later. You will need to attend a classroom session at Rugby (all year) or organised by your club (Jan, Feb or March only). You will need to do a track session too. Simon Smith is working on a sidecar session, but as far as I know, at the moment there is no provision for sidecar driving, so you will have to do it on a solo. Speed doesn’t matter, but obviously you need to be able to ride a solo and have access to a bike you can use on track.

When applying for your licence, you may want to consider getting a hillclimb and sprint one as well as roadrace. Hillclimbs and sprints are much cheaper than circuit racing, and many drivers and passengers do them to improve their skills.

Take your competitor’s record card with you to your first meeting, as you need to gain 10 signatures for race finishes at three different circuits before you can stop wearing the orange novice jacket.

Before joining your club, you need to decide what class/type you are going for. Is your aim ultimately the TT, or the British F1 Championship? Are you doing this on a small budget? Do you enjoy the mechanical side, getting the best out of a bike? If so, you may consider vintage, classic, post classic or F350

If small budget, consider the BEARS series run by the British Historic Racing club www.britishhistoricracing.co.uk. BEARS is British, European and American bikes, made before 1987. The sidecar must be attached and leading link forks are not allowed. Unfortunately the website doesn’t seem to give any more info, so contact slowphil@steveenglish.com, phone 07730 784975.

If TT, you might as well start with an F2. If you buy an older one with carbs, it is eligible for the FSRA pre-injection championship which is run with the F350 and post classics. They also run the British F2 championship. See fsra.org.uk for dates.

If British F1, sponsor Roger Body subsidises entries in this class with the BMCRC, known as Bemsee. www.bemsee.net. They have a useful Rookie Info pack which you can download, which is more detailed about the licence requirements. A carb F1 is eligible for the FSRA pre-inj championship in 2015, as above.

Most clubs run Open Sidecars, although most are F2s being the most popular class. Entries range from £90 a day for Tonfanau to £260 for a typical 2 day meeting. Some clubs run practice days, often at the beginning of the season, and very rarely a track day organiser may offer a sidecar class. Llandow Circuit in South Wales doesn’t host races, but can be used for testing. About £90 a day.

[steve-e]

^^ That is really useful thank you. It's changed a lot since I got mine in 1986