Trackday cars..

[SteveDunn]

Alo,

Thinkin bout getting an old S13 and doing it up for track day use only... Question is, does it need MOT and TAX etc for this? I've seen a nice S13 for £695 with neither of the above...

Cheers
-Jenkski

[Pete C]

Last time I went to a track day they said for the car to be allowed on the track it had to be 'at least of MOT standard'. This was at Castle Combe.

The Sierra XR4X4 I took had literally 1 day of MOT left and was pretty knackered, so it's a good job they didn't actually check :D It's just a guideline really I think.

Just make sure it's not dangerous and isn't gonna kill you and everyone else! But I would have thought that was a fairly obvious statement really :D

[Tenman]

last time I did anything like that the only check they did was that the batteries were strapped down on every car... didn't look at anything else

[marty_t3]

I'm planning to do the same with an S13 so i'll be keen to see how you get on.

As for the MOT, it'd be a worthwhile 30 quid getting it anyway just as a bit of reasurance for yourself that the car is safe.

I've checked out the MOT regs on removing seats/seatbelts etc and from what i've found so far, if it's not fitted, it doesn't need checked. I assume you'll be stripping the car down anyway so the more bits you remove then the less there'll be for it to fail on. (having a sympathetic tester helps)

I know loads of the impreza guys had problems at Bedford with noise levels on the drive by test. Some tracks have tighter limits than others so be careful. I'm wanna stick a Hiper on mine when i get it built but i'm not sure if it'll pass.

[Jez]

I've been to a number of trackdays and as far as I can remember the organisers have never checked any of the cars.

If you're going to run a car without tax/mot etc then I spose you'll be bringing it on a trailer, in which case they might get a bit suspicious.

Some circuits (goodwood and castle combe) are quite strict on noise, although I've never had a problem with my car - fitted with a mongoose.

[NikB]

I was looking at budget track day cars a while back. I came to the conclusion that a 205 gti either 1.6 or 1.9 was the best way to go for larfs per pound. You can get parts for them for next to nothing and they handle pretty good.

Mind you, having said that CCC mag did an article in the latest issue and they reckoned the best track day car for under £500 sheets was a 1.4 Metro!!!:eek:

Nik

[Jez]

Yeah I read that - they kept banging on about it overtaking the scooby - hee hee.

I've got a track car for sale, not dead cheap but its quality: www.h-dev.co.uk/golf - ignore the price at the top, open to offers if anyone is interested.

[Pete C]

I would highly recommend a Sierra XR4X4 as a cheapo track car, we bought ours with tax and MOT for £220, and it might have a bit of bodyroll, but the 2.8i engine's sweet, and that 4x4 system makes it stick to the track like glue!

Just don't get one with dodgy ABS like ours was :eek: :D

EDIT: Just to show you how good the 4x4 was, I never managed to make it wheelspin - I suspect the clutch was slightly dodgy, but still, you could give it 5,000rpm and dump the clutch, and all that would happen is the towbar ( :rolleyes: ) would nearly hit the floor and the car would launch like it had a jet engine attached to it :D

[Simon]

Well im hoping to get back my old Rover 220 Gti when my mate has finished with it as it was a great car to drive for a FWD N/A

[dunc]

Crail RWYB up here in Scotland lets anything run, no exhaust, rusting to bits, it doesn't matter :cool:

By the sound of it, other places are a bit more strict though :(

[SteveDunn]

Hmm, this sounds like a bit of a go'er then :)

Excellent, will keep you all posted :D