OT- trackday car

[Callum]

Right 1st of all ive been posting on here for a while with no login and have finally created 1 and joined to boo so hi!

Right im looking for some ideas on cars to turn into a trackday car. this is going to be a complete car project for me . would ideally prefer something RWD or 4WD or able to convert it.

Im only 19 so i will not be insuring the car or using it on the road. chuck some ideas at me the cheaper the car the better.

so far ive looked at
-Ford escort mk4-5a
-Ford sierra xr4i/xr4x4


cheers.
Cal

 

[Paul R]

mazda mx5, yes you will look gay on the road but on the track you will be respected (a little) as its rwd, nicely balanced and alittle bit of poke, early imports can be had quite cheaply now, find a cat d one or something, doesnt matter if your racing it.

2xHLX owner,3xHGT, (then the darkside) 1xCoupe20vt now the proud owner of a Black Coupe20vt LE!

 

[Callum]

like i said it wont go on the road. ill have a look into them, but wernt they only soft tops? im ideally looking for a hard top.

cheers. again.
Cal

 

[james]

You won't go far wrong with the sierra 4x4. i'v been using one as a track car for a while. converting it to 24v cosworth as we speak. Brakes, suspension can easily be upgrated as you go. It was good fun as standard, engine never missed a beat. It got better the more it has evolved. Cheap enough to buy at the moment too, give it a few years and some will call it a classic!!

 

[Callum]

is that the scorpio v6 cosworth?

i work for a perfomance Brake and clutch company so i can get my hands on them easy enough.

was thinking the escort might be better because of the shorter wheelbase though?

Cheers.
cal

 

[Ian]

Yes I think it will be the V6 Cosworth engine - 2.9.

I had a Sierra XR4x4 with a Turbo Technics conversion (Mk1) and it was just awesome. That's one car I truely miss as it was a real minter...

Don't miss the 9mpg though !!

 

[james]

Yes granada 24v V6,Escort is limited in engines i found. FWD is not as good, and longer wheelbase is more stable/predictable. May i ask who you work for? as i will be uprating the brakes another stage soon!

 

[Callum]

ye hence why i was planning a 4wd conversion iether by fabricating myself a floor for the escort to allow 4wd,or using the floor from a sierra (which ive been told my a mk1 escort enthusiast has been done before on ght emk4 xr3i's.

But it will be less work using a sierra.

I work for Alcon www.alcon.co.uk

I think im going to look for the right sierra and if its the right price snap it up.

do you race competitivly? out of intrest?

cheers.
Cal

 

[james]

Escort cosworth 4x4 basically is a sierra floorpan with an escort body. thats why it has the flared arches, as the sierra has a wider track. all of the mechanics are sierra, engine, box, rear axcel, beam, suspension , brakes etc etc. The escort was better suited to Rally/Rallycross etc because of the shorter wheelbase and didn't do much on the track for this reason. Sierra XR4x4 used mostly cosworth 4x4 mechanics, smaller brakes though, lsd at the rear etc so a good starting point for a track project.

 

[Tom]

4x4 won't gain you anything on a track, its added weight and geartrain losses so will actually slow you down.

Find something RWD.

 

[james]

Sierra is RWD!

 

[Tom]

I know

 

[james]

Could also try Porsche 944. a very good but underated car. front engine, RWD, 51/49 weight split. Used to race a turo years ago, still have a 968CS now and they are very very good. 924's and early 944's are cheap at the minute!!

 

[Callum]

ahh i see cheers for that.

Porsche 944s are out of my price range as a starting point they are over £1k.

as said their are variations in the sierra
xr4x4 - 4wd
xr4i - Rwd

 

[james]

XR4i are hard to come by now, the 4X4 are more plentyfull. i agree RWD is better. the 4X4 can be converted to 2WD and comes with the lsd as standard. big lazy engine, in 2.9 form, as they did do a 2.0lt twincam 4X4, the 2.9 is a lot better than the 2.8 mine you. Or you could go the other way and start with a smaller engine'd sierra and improve as you go!!

 

[ChrisR]

Hopefully someone will prove me wrong but I was always under the impression that many track days require you to prove that your car is road legal and has a full MOT.

Some even ask for confirmation of tax and insurance, even though a track isn't a public road and 99.9% of insurance policies would be rendered void at a track day.

I presume the point of this would be to prevent people turning up with a banger / deathtrap car on the back of a trailer and then going out and killing themselves and/or someone else.

I was thinking of running a track day car myself previously but the above regulations put me off. In the end I concluded that for track driving you basically have 3 options:-

1) Use your road car. (Ok for occasional 'fun track days' but not great for hard driving which would inevitably cause various problems with your cars mechanicals. Plus what if you total it?)

2) Run a 'proper' weekend / track day car which is fully road legal, insured and taxed. (like many people do with caterhams and lotus elises, etc. Very expensive)

3) Go down the motorsport route and do sprints, hillclimbs or racing. (very expensive)

As I said before, hopefully someone will prove me wrong and there will be a cheaper option out there.

I think potentially your best bet for cheap(ish) track day fun would be to get something:-
- LIGHTWEIGHT: meaning power isn't as crucial and if insurance needed it wouldn't be as expensive.
- RELIABLE/WELL BUILT: so that MOT is easier
- CHEAP/OLD: for obvious reasons
- FUN TO DRIVE: for obvious reasons

Some cars I thought of are:-
- Early 90's MX5/Eunos
- Mk1 or early Mk 2 Toyota MR2
- Old MGF (probably not though)

Obviously the ability to do as much as possible of your own repairs and modifications is a big plus.

Chris

 

[Tom]

ALL trackdays will require an MOTed, taxed car as proof that its road legal. (not that an MOT is really worth much) For a track test day or motorsport your car has to be scrutineered. You should also have track day insurance for when you hit someone.

 

[Waderider]

Track day cars

Have a wee look at retro rides for help on this sort of thing........

http://www.retro-rides.com/

 

[james]

i've never been asked to produce any MoT, etc at a track day, with any of the cars iv'e run!!the only test they performed was a noise test. below 105db for saloon type cars and 110db for single seaters/open cockpit cars.
Insurance is null and void, and track insyrance is optional.
Obviously if you turn up in a total shed the organiser or clark of the course has the right to turn you away, check mwith different organisers for there rules.
However if you wish to drive your road car to and from the track all legalities need to be forfilled.

 

[Callum]

well if tax insurence etc is needed then couldnt i just go third party in my dads name or something.

im pretty sure you dont need tax, mot and insurence and as james said he has never beenasked for it.

taken from: http://www.donington-park.co.uk/circuit/faq.asp#Q19

Q: Does my car/bike require an MOT test certificate?

A: No, the safety and suitability of your vehicle is your responsibility, the organisers reserve the right to remove any vehicle they consider to be in an unsafe condition from the circuit at anytime - in this instance no refund will be given.


http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-26158.html

it seems different tracks have different requirements.

thanks for the heads up about that i just assumed if it where to never be on the road it wouldnt need tax test and insurence.

Cal