Post #45
Thought it was time to bump this thread, it seems there are more people interested in racing than I expected.
Along with Pete and Carl I'm also racing in the French Trophy (and occasionally the Tin Tops) series next year - although I'm afraid I'm now lumped in with the "Clio boys" category!
As has already been said, the French Trophy was set up in 2013 specifically for Peugeot, Citroen and Renault. Although membership grew steadily throughout the year, there's still some way to go to get enough regular members to ensure full and competitive grids for every event.
To make the series even more accessible, for this year the organisers have added "
Production classes" which lower the bar and means much less modified cars can still be competitive. This is aimed specifically for those with cars prepared to track day levels, i.e. without engine, gearbox or management changes, standard induction and exhaust manifolds and non-adjustable (fast road) suspension etc. [Although obviously you will need a rollcage!]
The
full technical regulations for the production class are available on the Track Attack website (PDF)
I'm sure there are many cars in the club which already meet this spec so the only barriers to entry are getting your National B race license (an ARDS test is about £300), getting your racing clobber (helmet, race suit and boots can be anything from about £500) and fitting a fire extinguisher and battery cutoff (from about £200). Timing transponders can usually be hired for a modest fee from TSL who do all the event timing.
As someone who'd done a lot of trackdays but never raced competitively, I can't speak highly enough about my experiences last year. I thought getting into racing would be prohibitively expensive and very daunting but I was totally hooked after only my 1st event. Because the cars are all so similar, and many people know each other from the various online forums, the racing is respectful yet close and atmosphere in the paddock is excellent.
Although the cost per event sounds high at £300, that's not much more than many trackdays cost these days and you really do get a full day's entertainment. And you might even walk away with some impressive silverware for the mantlepiece!
It would be great to see a few more people out next year. If you're considering it and want any advice from someone who's recently been through this, feel free to drop me a PM!
Alternatively, you can join the
TARC French Trophy forum
Kev
________________________________________
Trackday, trackday, trackday
Carl Chambers
Posted 5th Dec 2013 at 13:52
Are you racing in TDT next year?
