Need some info about vw circut and drag racing.
Heres the story. Im 15 and a few months old and i have a passion for vw's but laso have a passion to race. motor racing history is in my blood and i love racing wheather it be cars,bikes,boats,BMX, or whatever. So what im woundering is can i race circut or drags at my age? if not then how old? do you need licencing? insurance? what is required of the car? such as a saftey check? harneses?
Would love to know some information about this. If anyone in QLD or knows places and rules and regs. for QLD then any info would be greatly appriciated.
There's a junior license scheme... for speed events (single car on track basically) I think it's from age 14, but for circuit racing pretty sure 16 is the minimum age.
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You can easily make a small fortune in motor racing these days.
First you accumulate a large fortune, then you go motor racing....
😂
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps
My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners
What my middle aged colleagues have said above is fairly true. 😉
Just to have the appropriate safety gear and licensing etc. and a car that is acceptable would be $15-20k. That is nothing like a class winner but a competitor.
A great place for you to get into motor sport would be go karting. I have some mates my age (and I am middle aged too) who have got into go karts in the last couple of years and are having an absolute ball. Don't think it isn't exciting because it definitely is. That would be the direction I would head is I were you. 🙂
Dylan, I am sure that you are serious, so I'll skip the obvious - that's already been done.
What would be worth a look at is Formula Vee. The VW connection is there, and you can start in a 1200 for not much cash. You can learn a lot about race-craft, and simple suspension set-up. When and if it comes time to 'move on', the car could be re-sold, without losing heaps. If you are any good [or lucky] you make a bit on the deal. Good luck!
Cheers, Greg
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!
In terms of circuit, you can start at the age of 12 for Motorkhana and Khanacross, basically any event on a 2NS licence.
I think circuit and 2S licences are more about 16? but it could be a little younger. Rally etc, you need to have a learner permit as you drive on the road.
Dependant on the type of events you want to do, join the local car club, or go to different events and meet some clubs members. Some you will feel at home at. Some also have junior development programs, which may be a big help.
There is everthing from getting a banger and doing motorkhana's through to getting your circuit lisence and going for FVee or similar. That really depends on your budegt. Allot of people start out in motorkhana's as it teaches allot of car control skills, then move up to sptints and hillclimb and circuit work..... For motorkhana's etc the car basically has to be safe and you may need a helmet for khanacross (some event regs require it, through its not a CAMS requirement). A good quaility motorbike helmet will suffice to get you going. Other safety gear for most evens, are long pants ans shirt in no flammable material (ie cotton/wool, such a jeans and cotton shirt). Once you move up to speed events, the car has to be safe, plus extingisher, second return spring on throttle and everything if god working order...
If you want to get serious into circuit, there are lots of things to buy and upgrade on car and your gear, depends on your budget!
I have no sympathy for my car, only the wallet that pays for it!
Go hard or go home!!!!
Agree with virtually all of the above... other than Marcus that is... who you callin middle-aged buddy !?!?!
🤘
Cheapest outright way of getting involved in motorsport would be Motorkhana... you can do this in an "old banger", but it will still need to meet the general requirements from the CAMS manual as well as pass a safety inspection on the day. General guideline... if it will pass a roadworthy and has a fire extinguisher fitted, it'll be fine.
If you're wanting to get really serious and have a competitive streak, start off in karts and see where it takes you. This is something I really wish I'd been able to do back when I was a teenager.
FVee could also be a serious consideration, but it is a step up $$$ wise from all but the front running karts.
If had my time over again, I'd probably go FVee first and then into a Beetle when I reached an age similar to Marcus.
😉
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps
My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners
with the banger, as long as there is no major structual rust your fine. I know some guys who bought a pulsar from the wreckers with 2 crumpled doors, put some second hand doors on it, stripped in the interior, put some semi slicks on it and have been racing it for 5 years. cost them about 1k.
I tried the street car/race car thing in uni. yes its all good until you need to go to work/uni/school on monday and you have a broken car!
I have no sympathy for my car, only the wallet that pays for it!
Go hard or go home!!!!
I did the race on weekend race thing, walk to work on Monday thing when I was younger with mates that I grew up with.
One of my mates got into Super Karts in his later years and told me he wished he thought about Karting years ago, he gave up smoking to pay for his racing and he just about broke even, he won a few titles even as an old bloke.
If you use your street car you can still have fun, you might not win any trophies but you will still have fun, as long as you car passes rego and you have the recommended saftey gear its "run what you brung".
Inexpensive fun can be had Drag racing at lower levels, Dave Bircahll won many bracket races at the VW Nationals drags with a 36 hp bug. My young bloke with a low powered bug won his bracket at Warwick in 2010.
Yeh, you can drag race a stock car only the want to go faster costs, also you may have to choose one or the other, circut car set ups don't make the drag cars and visa verse.
Either way motor sport cost bucks that why those that can afford it are older dudes alot of the time.
LOWBUG wrote:Yeh, you can drag race a stock car only the want to go faster costs, also you may have to choose one or the other, circut car set ups don't make the drag cars and visa verse.
Either way motor sport cost bucks that why those that can afford it are older dudes alot of the time.
in my case it sounds more like guys that can afford to go fast are young single blokes without mortgage & kids. I tried to pretend it wasnt true for a few years but 2 piles of gearbox parts in 12 months was a reality check.
I'd recomend starting out with something ordinary for a while. Mitsubishi mirage or even better stretch to the sister car Proton Satria gti. I went to the gti launch day at eastern creek. They arent going to do amazing numbers at a drag strip but they stick to corners amazingly, even with the original road tyres. Mk1 & 2 golfs would be fine as well to leaqrn with but the older you go the more rust issues you will have.
Later on you can spend a bit more money. Imported Mitsubishi EVO's are reasonably cheap, especially if you dont go to the hassle of rego. I'm not sure on which model the cutoff is but apparently the current gear fits into most of them. If you ever break something there is always cheapish supply of parts from jap imports. Surely if you come from motor racing pedigree father will spring for a trailer and tow it around for you 🙂
btw, karts are not cheap nor easy to run at the front end of the grid either.
Oh yeah, Nissan Silvias arent crazy expensive either. Run it stock for a while then modify it as your talent and funds progress. These things can produce stupid horsepower. Stay away from Skylines, too heavy.
