After much agonising, hard work, especially from my mate jaball, and cursing my locost is very nearly finished!! Im hoping to go racing with you boys ( and girls if there is any) at oulton park on the 4th sept. This will be my first ever experience of motorsport so please go easy on me!! ( I don't think I'll be troubling the front runners too much, unless they lap me!! ) Before I begin my racing career i have a few questions for you experienced racers. So here we go

1. when you first acquired/built your car where did you test it? I've thought of booking an airfield day but don't want to get there, pay £100 or so then find the cars is crap, we can't fix it there and so have to go home, £100 lighter!!

2. Can I get my car scrutineered prior to booking a race, as i really don't want to arrive at Oulton, all excited( and very scared!!) , book in then find my car fails on the scrutineering!!! I would be most displeased to say the least!!!

3. I'm not bothered about the car but my missus says I must ensure I have life insurance!! I've not checked my policy but I wouldn't be surprised if racing was excluded. So, is there a seperate policy to just cover me for the period Im racing and nothing else? What does everyone else do?

4. How long prior to the race day do I need to register, pay my fee and book in? I'm hoping it's about a month which will give me another month to put the finishing touches on the car.

5. HOW SCARED AM I GOING TO BE WHEN I'M SAT ON THE GRID WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT???

hope to see you on the 4th sept.

Pumpers.

Nce one chief, sounds like you're about ready to roll.
I wouldn't class myself as one of the experienced Locost racers but i'll give you the best answers i can.

1. Your best bet for initial shake-down stuff is probably an airfield. More space and less traffic, so you can focus on what you're doing and not on avoiding other people.

2. Someone migth correct me on this but i don't see any real reason why you couldn't take your car along to one of the race meetings before Oulton and get one of the Scrutes to check it over once they've finished all the other cars that morning. Usually they're finished by 11:30 or so except for dealing with people who have go back to them to get sign-off on any changes or repairs they've made before their race. They'd just be plain mean not to give your car a once-over.

3. Don't know about the life insurance thing. Sorry. I just have heightened self-preservation instincts instead.


4. In practice you can register for a race at any time but officially the entries open a month before the race date. If you call the extremely helpful Sharon at the 750MC she'll explain the deal. Essentially you send in the forms and a post-dated cheque or credit card slip and you only get charged when the official opening date arrives. I would definitely recommend booking in early since i was only just within the deadline for Brands and eded up as 6th reserve and not getting a race. Ohhhh how badly did that suck!

5. Errm, very scared i would guess, since this year they've changed to an F1-style system where the start signal is the red lights going out - no green light is shown. If you're sat still waiting for the green then it might get a bit hairy

Good luck and hope to see you at Oulton.

Rob (no. 47)


[Edited on 3/7/04 by Rob Palin]

tx for the reply rob, hope to see you at oulton, if not before. Could do with a scrutineer near to me ( manchester area) to give my car the once over as i dont think ill be getting to a meeting before hand. Any scrutineers nearby willing to assist?? beer tokens in renumeration!!! I'll be ringing sharon first thing monday. tx again. pumpers. ( still waiting for a green light!!! --- from the missus!!!!!!!!!!!)

Rob's reply is spot on.
I insure myself with a Fairmount motorsport policy - 02079296880
Check the MSA blue book for a local scruitineer, they are normally pretty good at helping - grease their palm with some beer/wine etc...
Do a practice start somewhere prior to your first start so you don't sit there with the wheels spinning watching all those people who qualified slower than you overtake you....
Dickie

tx dickie, will check for scrutineers. dont think i need to worry too much about whose behind me after qualifying!! i very much doubt if ill see anything in my mirrors at the start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pumpers

Pumpers
Qualifying - you never know! I qualified 10th in my first race - which turned out to be a nightmare as I was right in the middle of the grid! Perhaps qualifying last has some merits for a first race!!! But do keep checking those mirrors, the front runners are awful quick these days...
Dickie