Wigton Motor Club
The North's Leading Motor Club

There are plenty of types of motorsport that you can take part in with a standard modern or classic car.

The most popular are autotests. Autotests are where you have follow the correct route around a set of cones laid out in a field or car park following a defined route given to you on a card. You are timed to the second and there are penalties for not taking the correct route or for hitting the cones. Several tests are run during the day and the winner is the driver with the lowest total score at the end of the event. You can start doing autotests when you are 14.

Production Car Trials (PCTs) are based on a series of “hills” laid out on a grassy slope. From a standing start you have to get your car as far up the course as possible. The further up the fewer points you get. If you get past the last “gate” you get a “clean” sheet or zero points. The courses are changed during the day and you get perhaps a total of 30 hills on an event. The results are usually worked out by an index of performance so all the classes have an equal chance.

There are no precise cut off dates for classics fortunately. They are generally older cars that people enjoy owning. As a rough guide this would be pre 1981 but there are many great cars made after that date.

The club organises a number of runs for classics each year and we are invited to those run by other clubs like MG Cumbria. Some of these are run on an evening and finish at a pub for sandwiches while others last the whole day and go further afield.

Our major classic event is the Cumbria Classic Weekend which usually takes place on the third weekend of August. The Rose & Thistle Challenge heads off to both sides of the Border on the Saturday and the Cumbria Classic Car Show takes place at Dalemain House on the Sunday. There are over 700 cars there, along with club displays, trade stands and autojumble. We also push the motorsport side of the club with autotests displays.

On the Sunday nearest to Saint George's Day we are involved in the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Club's “Drive it Day” where all classic and historic vehicles are asked to exert their right to drive on the highway. We usually have a central meeting point where you can visit throughout the day.

We have regular pub runs on the first Wednesday of each month and at least two other all day runs plus the three day Gallop event in May which visits areas a little further away.

While many areas of motorsport are seeing a declining entry lists the historic branches of the sport are booming, whether if be racing, speed, stage rallying or classic rallies. Now classic road events have been on the go for some years now. The idea started with the MSA's “Golden Fifty” event and then we had Philip Young's Classic Marathons and then the HERO events but there are a host of club run events throughout the country that are getting full entry lists.

Well you may well have read the reports on the epic historic rallies that appear from time to time and thought “I'd like to do that but it's too costly and will take half my annual leave.” Then help is at hand. Throughout the UK local motor clubs run historic rallies under the Motor Sports Association regulations, which are either one, or two days and a typical entry fee for a one-day event is £95, which includes all the food as well!

The North of England and Scotland Classic Rally Organisers (NESCRO) are a group of twelve clubs who run some really excellent events in the north of England and Scotland. This year they have some 24 events listed in their events brochure. The clubs are fortunate in that the main organisers have years of rally organising experience and many of national or international events under their belts. Most of the events are open to cars built before 1975 but several now include classes for more modern cars up to 1984.
Every event has it's own character and some are relatively gentle touring events over some interested roads while others are more competitive being based on perhaps twenty special tests in a compact route given by tulip diagrams. Broadly there are two types of historic road rally, those that are purely competing over the special tests on private land or those that involve navigational and/or regularity sections on the public road.

In order to compete you firstly need a car and just about any classic will fit the bill. The entry list is usually divided into classes split by age at 1959, 1968, 1975 and 1982 and then by engine size at 1500cc. You can do most events in a completely standard car but given that you will be pushing on a bit in places a good service and check before each event is a good idea. If you are getting serious then a roll over bar is a good idea while on some events the organisers might suggest that a sump guard is advised. Full harness seats belts are also a good idea.

What car could you use? Well just about any model can be used. For the overall results perhaps an Escort RS2000 Mk 1 is the best bet and you will be up against quick Minis and MG Midgets on the tests. On the more road rally type events then the actually car is less important to the folk inside it so a slower car with a good navigators can still do well. However as there are period and class awards as well you are competing against cars of similar age and type. Indeed some events like the Solway have an index of Performance Award based on class improvement which in theory any car can win.

We will take the special test event first as most of the NESCRO events are of this type. These involve a normal “tulip” (ball and arrow) type road book, which will take you between the venues for the special tests. These tests can take several forms. An autotest is where you are required to follow a route through some cones as quickly as possible. There may be stop astride lines and the odd bit or reversing. You get time penalties for hitting cones or not following the correct route. Autotests will normally take place in car parks or on smooth grass.

Historic special tests are more open, over private roads or similar with perhaps some small manoeuvres to slow you down. The maximum average speed for a historic special test is 30 mph but you will have to go very quickly to get near the bogey time for the test. Again it is a matter of doing the test quickly and correctly.

The organisers may throw in some other tests such as a trial section where you have to get as far up a marked route on a grassy slope as possible or some type of slow speed manoeuvrability contest such are parking accurately between two posts.
The more navigational type of event does require some navigational skill on the half of the navigator. Many motor clubs do run courses at club nights to get you started. Basically it amounts to the navigator interpreting the route presentation in the road book on the map and then the car has to complete that section of the route in the required time.

These events might also include some regularity sections where you are asked to proceed at a given average speed (less than 30 mph) for a whole, or part of a section. The location of the time controls is not given so a good stop watch and perhaps an additional odometer is helpful.

Now let's look at how you can get involved. Firstly you need to be a member of a motor club that runs such events. You can check out your local ones via the MSA's web site or if you live in the north full details of the NESCRO events are on their web site. NESCRO will have a stand at Race Retro.

A couple of months before the event the regulations and entry forms will be posted to you. Do read them fully and complete the form correctly. All the information requested is important and it is the bane of every entry secretary's life to get incomplete forms sent in! As well as the entry fee you can pay for extra meals if there are more than two in your crew and the option to pay an additional insurance fee. This is because some insurers are reluctant to provide cover on the highway while you are competing. The extra fee covers you on the public road sections of the event. It is always best to consult your insurers first. Some brokers include such cover, others will for a small fee and others will not, hence the need for the MSA cover.

A few days before the event you will get a set of final instructions and an entry list. This will give you all the additional information about the event including your report time at the start venue. Again read this carefully and if you are not sure check with the organisers. A little plea here! Organisers are all volunteers and work during the day, so if you have a query ring them between say 7 and 9 in the evening.

On the day of the event make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the start, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the area. Most events start at 10.00 but you will have to be there an hour before your due start time. The first thing you do is to “sign on” on the official MSA indemnity form. You will then be given your rally pack which would typically include a road book, special test book, road time card, special test time cards, rally plates and your meal tickets.

Before the event the MSA scrutineer will check your car and he will be looking to see that the car is true to its period (only period modifications are allowed) and that the car is safe. Scrutineers are very helpful and may suggest a few things to be done before the next event.

Having affixed your rally plates on the front and rear of the car you can go for your coffee and study the contents of the road books. It can be a good idea to have the local OS map as this can help you locate the test venues.

The entry list is usually seeded on ability so you will be near the end and it gives you time to look at the other cars and chat to fellow competitors who will happily give you plenty of tips. Cars will set off at one or two-minute intervals so make sure you are ready and everything in place before you joins the queue to the start marshal.

The start marshal will sign your time card and add the correct time and off you go! The road section timing on special test events is usually very gentle and plays no place in the results. When you reach the first test get out the car and watch the cars in front of you doing it and get your navigator to check that they are doing the test correctly!

Initially it is the best bet to concentrate on doing the test correctly than to go for outright speed. Getting a good rapour with your navigator is important so she/he can tell you the directions from the road book. At the start of the test you get a time on the test time card and then another time at the finish. It's always a good plan to check these times before leaving the test. Keep a record of your time for each test.

Then there will be another road section to next test and that will be the pattern for the day with lunch and tea stops thrown in. Very often the organisers will have up to date results sheets for you at these halts so you can see how you are getting on. It's always a good idea to keep a check on your times and those of your nearest rivals as you go through the day so that you can raise any queries with the results team as soon as possible.

The end of the event will usually be at a hotel where food and enthusiastic discussion of the how the day went will be the order of the day. While you eat the organisers will produce provisional results and once these are posted you will have 30 minutes to check them. After that they are declared final and the awards will be presented. You might not win anything on your first event but you will have made many new friends and will be eagerly awaiting your next historic rally!

There are many types of rallying, these are the main types:

Road rallies: These are mainly tests of navigation where the navigator has to plot the route as the cars are going. Any standard car can be used. “Twelve Car” rallies are run in the evenings over about 60 miles and finish at a pub. They are good fun and entry fees are usually less than £10. Some clubs run longer events on a Saturday night of around 100 miles on a similar basis with larger entry numbers. Entry fees are about £30 including food.

Stage rallies: These take place in forests and other private roads and are for fully prepared rally cars. These can vary from ex World Rally Cars to Minis and Novas. They need to be fully prepared with roll cages and safety features. Drivers will have to go on a rally course before getting a stage rally licence. Entry fees can go from around £180 for a single venue airfield event to £600 for a forest rally.

Targa Rallies are for cars that comply with road rally regulations and have a similar format to historic rallies, often being run together. The results are based on the times taken for the special tests on private ground. See the Historic Rally section for more details

If you've ever wondered how you can get to drive competitively at some of the great motor racing venues around Britain, here is your answer - sprints and hill climbs. For a comparatively small outlay you can drive as fast as you like around some great tracks and up famous hills. You don't need a particularly fancy car and you have easy access to well-organised and fun Championships like the Northern Speed Championship.

This article aims to de-mystify what you need to do in order to compete. I would strongly recommend that you first attend a couple of events as a spectator or even a marshal. Marshals get to stand near the track and watch up to 400 attempts at a given corner - a great way to learn the quick lines! This will give you a much better idea of the sort of things you need and what you will be asked to do. Nothing beats seeing the action and talking to the drivers.

Firstly, a sprint is a timed run around a track. Only one car starts at a time (though there may be two or more cars on different parts of the circuit at once). You compete only against the clock. Competitors are grouped together in classes and there are prizes for winners of each class depending on the number of entrants. A hill climb is basically the same but takes place on a (usually) narrower track and up a hill.

Before you start

Licence

The first thing you need is an RAC Motor Sport Association (MSA) licence. These come in a wide variety of forms, from rank amateur (you) to international super star. Your licence will cost £30.00 and you need a minimum of a "Non-race Class B" license which is the lowest grade you can get (and therefore the cheapest). You don't need to worry about doctor's declarations or any training, just fill in the forms and they'll send it to you in the post. You can contact the MSA on 01753 681736. The club also has forms and they are also down loadable from the MSA website.

With your license you will receive a thick rule book (called the "Blue Book") and four issues of the MSA's own motor sport magazine. The Blue Book lays down every rule associated with all forms of motor sport but thankfully you won't have to comply with very much of it! I'll highlight here what you do need to take note of but it is worth reading through as much of the relevant stuff as you can. One word of warning however: MSA licenses run from January 1st till the end of the year. If you apply in August you will pay the full amount but you will have to renew in January.

Joining a championship

You don’t have to join a championship bu there are several useful ones in the region. As WMC is a member of three regional associations you can enter any event in Scotland or the north of England under the WMC banner. We alos run a championship for club members.

Championship organisers keep you informed as to your Championship position, results from events and send you the regulations for each forthcoming event. Once you receive the regs, it is best to send these off as soon as possible as many events are heavily over subscribed. Each event will cost you about £90.

Personal Safety Equipment

There are two pieces of personal safety equipment that you must have: a crash helmet and a flame proof suit. As usual, there are differing levels of equipment and the level necessary for this grade of motor sport is the lowest. The flame proof suit can be single layer Nomex, Proban or similar (full race suits must be triple layered). Helmets must conform to current British Standards and should display the correct sticker and should fit properly. If you are running an open car, you will need a helmet with a visor or goggles. If you are buying an open face helmet do check whether an approved visor can be fitted as an accessory. If you are running in anything other than a historic or road car then you will bee a HANS devise – Head And Neck Support.

What your car needs

Timing Strut: For speed events, timing is performed by a light beam system. To standardise how cars cut the beam, the Blue Book lays down rules for a timing strut to be fitted to each car. This is basically just a rectangular bit of metal (or card) that affixes temporarily to the front of the car. You can work out all sorts of complicated methods to secure it, but often double sided tape is sufficient. I'm able to use one of the screws that hold my number plate.

The specific requirements for the strut state that it must be "matt black over its total area (254mm x 51mm). The bottom of the strut shall be not more than 200mm from the ground and the top not less than 454mm from the ground." (MSA Rule L 10.12.1).

Fire extinguisher: This is listed as optional in the Blue Book (Rule L 10.11.3). You need at least a 1.5kg fire extinguisher firmly secured to the car. These cost around £45 and you may have to get a 1.75kg model. It is easy to screw this to the floor somewhere in the passenger compartment and it can be left in for normal road use.

Race numbers: Just before each event you enter, you will be sent details of your entry number. This number must be displayed on your car. The MSA rules stipulate a black number on a white background, but for the purposes of speed events, contrasting numbers (say white numbers on a red car) are fine. You can either make numbers up with masking tape (curved numbers are tricky), buy pre-cut numbers, or make up sets from magnetic plastic. WMC have numbers for members at their events.

Scrutineering

These are a few things that scrutineers may look for:

Yellow tape around the battery ground lead, supposedly so that it can be cut quickly in an emergency by marshals.
Ignition off switch marked. This is really a rule for the specialist cars which start and stop engines by elusive buttons on the dashboard. A sticker somewhere near your key on the steering column with an arrow pointing in the "off" direction should be sufficient.

As none of these things are hard to fix on site, it is sometimes best to just listen to what the particular scrutineer wants, and then comply. If you don't have the right sort of tape or tool, there is a very good chance that someone in the paddock will help you out! If you are planning to compete with a road car you will usually be eligible for an unmodified class. Each particular class has various restrictions on what you can and can't do to the car in the way of modifications.

Car Wear and Tear

Tyres - If you are running on road legal tyres they should be fine for events. The Blue Book has a list of permitted tyres but you are unlikely to have anything so exotic on your car that you can't use them at an event. There seems to be a lot of black magic associated with tyres. Sprint paddocks are full of people checking pressures, pumping up and letting down. You should have an accurate tyre pressure gauge (about £45 with range 0-40 lbs.) and a pump. I originally had an electric pump (I know very lazy) but they're actually a bit of a pain and a good foot pump is both cheaper and quicker.

It is not necessary to change your tyres to compete. If you are coming up to needing a new set of tyres, however, it might be worth asking around to see what others recommend for your car. You might be able to get a tyre with more grip (but a shorter life) than you would normally fit.

Other Mechanicals - Obviously the clutch and transmission are going to take a bit more pounding than in usual driving but you should remember that each event usually consists of up to 5 runs each lasting around 100 seconds or less. How many times last week did you give it a bit of stick away from the lights?

Step by step guide to race day

You are already signed up in the Championship so notification of an event was sent to you early. You read the regulations, filled in your form and sent off your cheque. About a week before the event you received confirmation of your entry and were assigned a competition number. You were also told what order the competition would run in and what time it starts.

Events are widely scattered and usually you are told of the nearest big town. Most organisers help you by providing a map or putting up signs to direct you to the event. You should get there with plenty of time of course! The event regulations should have contained instructions as to where to park. Some venues allocate numbered spaces for each competitor corresponding to their competition number, others allocate certain areas for each class while some just tell you which field to park in. Try to follow the rules and if in doubt, ask.

Signing on: Usually the first thing to do when you've arrived and parked is to go and sign on. For this you will need: Race license, Club membership card and anything else the regulations specifically ask for.

Walking the Course: If allowed (it is at all hill climbs) you should definitely walk the course. There is usually a set time by which the course must be cleared so if you are running a little late you might want to skip signing on until after you've walked the course. If you've never been to a venue before, walking the course should help you avoid any really silly mistakes on the first practice. It should also enable you to push just a little bit from the very first run. I won't pretend that it is easy to judge braking zones or traction when you are on foot, but I'm told that if you do it often enough, you get a good feel for these things.

The other reason for walking (and the reason why all the most experienced competitors do it no matter how many times they've been to a particular venue) is that you can find out the track conditions for the day.

Scrutineering: Before you can be scrutinised, you will need to spend some time putting on your timing strut. Race numbers should also be applied and any other signage you are running with should be in place. Before you have your car scrutinised, you may have to remove unnecessary items from the boot and passenger compartment. You won't need your mobile phone on the run! Many competitors also remove their spare wheel and jack for weight saving reasons. You can usually find a small pile of bric-a-brac behind each car in the paddock. A small tarpaulin or ground sheet to cover your stuff might also be a good investment.

Scrutineering is the check that must be performed on your car before it is declared fit to run. At your first event your helmet may have to have an MSA sticker applied to it which will be checked at subsequent events. Your overalls will be inspected as well. Then your car will be checked: timing strut, fire extinguisher, numbers, throttle linkage, tyres, wheel nuts and brakes. This is all done visually and if your car is road legal you shouldn't have much to worry about. Some venues will check noise levels, but again most MOT worthy cars shouldn't have any trouble. When the scrutineer is satisfied he will give you a sticker or card which will be checked at the start of your run.

Convoy run: If the event is a sprint at a race circuit there may be a convoy lap in lieu of a walk round. This will consist of everybody snaking slowly round the circuit and back along the return road (if there is one). The idea is not only to get an idea of where the track goes, but also to familiarise yourself with marshal's posts and other features.

Practice runs: Most events run in class order. Some events are very strict and require all of the competitors to run strictly in numerical order too. When it is getting close to your turn you should start your engine and listen out for announcements. When called you should line up for the start.

At the start line: Once you've got to the front of the queue you will be lined up for the start. The exact procedure differs from venue to venue so listen to what the marshals tell you. Sometimes you will be held on the line by marshals or with a wheel chock. Most of the time marshals will want to roll your car up to the line by hand to get the positioning right. There will usually be a red light and when that changes to green a marshal will tell you to go in your own time. Don't spend too long waiting after the light goes green but remember that the timing is from the moment when you move, not when the light changes.

The first run: Suffice to say that if your car is precious and uninsured (your road policy will not cover this use) then the old maxim: "to finish first, first you have to finish" should apply. I also like to abide by the "brake early to avoid disappointment" rule, especially on the first practice run!

Back in the paddock: Once you get back to the paddock you will be interested in your time. This will be displayed usually near the place where you signed on. It is a very good idea to look at other times in your class and get a feel for how well you are doing. Once you've done that you basically have all the time 'till your next run for socialising and chatting. It's really quite a sociable sport and there is a very good camaraderie amongst the WMC drivers who take part.

At the end of the day: If you do well you can sometimes win a prize! It is worth checking and not running off home if you have a hope of taking away something for the mantle piece! A few days or weeks after the event, the organisers usually send out a complete list of the results. The time this takes to happen varies widely from event to event. Some events don't send out results, however, so you may want to ask the organisers and see if you can take some home at the end of the day. WMC usually provide results at the end of the event.

The season progresses

As you do more events your confidence will grow and your knowledge of the car's limits will do as well but always tread carefully on venues that are new to you or if it is wet. The great thing when you start off is that you get quicker each time you return to a venue - often by several seconds. Once you have been around for a bit the odd hundredth is often hard to find ! Don't be tempted to rush off and uprate your car during the season. Concentrate on your abilities and limits first. Perhaps you might wish to get some new tyres (Yokohama 032Rs are a good bet) and some better brake pads but that should be the end in the first season. Talking of brake pads, don't go for the very hard racing ones and they will take a while to heat up to operating temperature on a sprint and you may well arrive at the first bend quicker than you might wish!

All the WMC drivers will give you advice and welcome you and while the officials may well be busy running the event they will help as well. Most of the committee are regular competitors and it's well worth giving them a ring - if they don't know the answer they will know someone who does!

What ever happens you will have a lot of fun and remember taking part is more important than winning!