8 replies to this topic

[mini-geek]

Looking at doing a bit of sprint racing, but the blue book is so complicated I'm getting lost..

I think as a modified mini with a 1380 it will be classed as an A1?

Does that mean you can have a roll cage? (Hope so as I've already got one)

Do the seats and harnesses have to be in date etc?

I will need an external battery cut off, and a few other things..

Is there anything obvious I'm missing?

[keefr22]

I take it by 'sprint racing' you mean sprints, as in hillclimbs & sprints? If so, you can use a roll cage in any class including completely standard road going classes. Unless they've changed the regs this year - & I hope they haven't but I've not gone through the new Blue Book yet! - seats & belts don't need to be in date (& if you run in series production or mod-prod you only need the drivers seat & harness anyway (not even that for road going series production)) & you don't need an external battery cut off - just the ignition switch clearly marked on-off will do. Your earth lead needs to be coloured yellow. If you have a cage fitted it needs to have the correct size support plates welded in, & if you replace the standard seat with a floor mounted bucket you'll need the correct support plates there too. I don't know what class A1 is to be honest, but depending how modified your MIni is, it will probably be easiest to run in mod prod (section S of the blue book, page 331 of the on line version). If the car is road legal you can run in mod prod without the car being log booked if it's taxed & MOT'd, otherwise you need an MSA scrute to log book it,

 

As well as the car, don't forget you'll need a minimum National B speed licence,& an in spec crash helmet, fireproof overalls & gloves. There's often debate about whether fireproof boots are needed!

 

HTH

Keith

[Almond-1]

It depends what class you are going to run in & what spec your car is.

 

A1 usually is the road going class. Therefore you can run a pretty basic car, car has to be road going taxed, insured MOT etc.

 

Roll cage not required ( although good safety aspect). No in date seats required, although Drivers seat must have a head restraint, (MSA are getting hot on seat mountings), normal seat belt acceptable (however most people change to a four point harness). All trim & glass retained, front & rear bulk heads sealed ( fireproofed), external battery cut off not required ( ignition off must be clearly marked).

 

These are the basics for the Car. You need overalls, helmet & gloves!.

 

hope this helps.

[mini-geek]

Cheers.. That's the info I'm looking for..

There isn't really anything major to do then..

I'm now confused between modified saloon and modified production..

Edited by mini-geek, 11 February 2014 - 07:57 PM.

[keefr22]

I'm now confused between modified saloon and modified production..

12.1. Modified Series Production Cars. Must have been originally available through the normal commercial channels of the manufacturer in quantities of not less

than 1,000 vehicles within 12 consecutive months.

 

Last year my son & I hillclimbed a Seat Ibiza Cupra & built it to the regs governing the above class. Basically we'd completely stripped it, fitted an OMP cage , Corbeau sprint seat & OMP harness. Marked the ignition switch & used yellow insulating tape on the battery lead. With the correct support plates for the cage & seat the scrute on the event was more than happy. Just checked the basic safety stuff, the labels on our helmets & fireproofs & the tax & MOT & away we went! We're currebtly rebuilding our Clubbie & eventually want to build it to stage rally spec., but to get it out this year we're going to go to the same route as the Ibiza - ie as in 12.1 above.

 

The only real grey area we were worried about last year was this;

 

5.13.7. With the exception of cars competing in Sprint and Hill Climb road going production category, cars competing in British and MSA Titled Championships

for, and all new build cars for, Rallycross, Car Racing,Special Stage Rallying, Sprints and Hill Climbs must be equipped with the facility to enable a fuel sample to be

taken. For fuel injected cars the facility must be a dry break fuel sampling coupling, approved by the FIA, Competitors must carry and make available a 300mm

minimum length of hose to which, where necessary, the appropriate mating part is to be attached.

 

Even the afore mentioned friendly local scrute was a bit confused by this, & luckily as the Ibiza had fuel injection, he was actually officiating on our first event & said he wouldn't be bothered if we fitted one! He also said that as the Mini was running a Weber he considered that being able to take a pipe off the electric fuel pump will suffice! A friend of mine has been hillclimbing for donkeys years & he's never been picked up on it, & when I posted the question on the Uphill Racers forum no-one that replied had one fitted either!

 

One other thing to bear in mind is what tyres you're fitting - depending on the class they may have to be in list 1A or 1B.And really confusinglly different clubs can specify different tyres in their event regs....!! We ran list1A Fuldas on the Ibiza.

Edited by keefr22, 11 February 2014 - 08:51 PM.

[mini-geek]

Cheers for mentioning the tyres...

I have A-032R so that puts me in modified production...

Are the rules regarding not needing an MSA logbook etc. the same in the mod production class if you have a taxed and tested car?

If not I can always tyres that comply..

[keefr22]

If the car is T&T you can run as road legal mod prod & you don't need an MSA logbook (this is what we did with the Ibiza), but I 'think' you then need to use list 1A tyres - I'd need to read the blue book again to remember correctly, but I'm too tired tonight to get my head round that to be honest! But as I said before, some event regs specify different requirements so you 'might' be able to run list 1B tyres in road legal mod prods in those events. All very confusing isn't it...?! Great fun when you get out though & worth all the headaches going through the blue book!

[mini-geek]

Cheers.. Going to read through the relivent stuff now I know a bit more about what to look for..

Edit.. I will need to run a1 list tyres or I would be in a class that would allow more mods.. Can always buy new tyres..

Edited by mini-geek, 11 February 2014 - 10:20 PM.

[Furyblade_Lee]

I run a. 205 Gti in "our" standard production class 1A upto 1600cc , but some clubs run 1400 cc limit. I take it that is what you want to run in ? The ONLY mods allowed are in standard production ( note not modified production) are safety items, list 1a tyres, wheel rims, exhaust ( std manifold must remain ) , brake pad material free, and competition seat / steering wheel optional. This keeps costs down, however cheating does go on. No fibreglass panels or Perspex windows allowed, these classes are not strictly MSA blue book classes but run to local club regs so the blue book not accurate. For instance, the blue book states std production allows fibreglass boots and bonnets , but clubs over rule that and do not allow it. I don't think they will be too keen on a 1380 over bore either, and I assume with a 1380 you will have different manifold / cam too which is a no no definitely in std production . My mini has to run in a racing car class due to it's tuning and fibreglass / Perspex.