open-wheeler specials (CAMS specs)

Thinkin about building a motorkhana special next year. Had a big read through the CAMS rule book but I was wondering if there are any particular specs for specials you'd use in, say hillclimbs or club sprints. That is, speed events.

Are there any minimum material sizes for pipe and wall thickness?

Are you allowed to use Fibreglass as a stress bearing material?

Can you use the engine/tranny as stress bearing members?

Is the weight of the car measured with the driver on board or not?

I'd like to use a supercharged 1600 twinport with a swingaxle tranny midmounted ala formula V. I'd also like to keep it under 500kg if I can.

Anythoughts?

Go for it! Safer than 2 wheels!😀

The best bet is to get a cams manual as all the specs are in there and, talk to some one who has built and competed in such a vehicle. I have a few members in my car club who have built and raced some very quick and successful vw based specials for dirt events.

If you are after a cost effective race car, then buy one already done and adapt to suit your self. i.e. engine/suspension etc. What type of events are you looking at? as a hillclimb car etc is very different to that of a motokhana or khanacross car.

[ Edited on 17/10/2005 by bat69 ]

What bat said. Might be formula Libre for a hillcimb car.........

yeah, I'm sure I could do it cheaper if i bought one, but building it half the challenge. Besides, a second hand formula libre would not be a cheap proposition. I want the car ready to go for under $2k and I think I could do it. A cheap crappy old formula V goes for much more than that.

The idea is this. same wheelbase and suspension as 550 speedster only single seater. I'll start off with drum brakes for non speed events and convert to discs later probably.
I'd just like to make something I can take in speed (CAMS speak) events too otherwise it's not very flexible.

Bat, i've seen pics of specials being used in hillclimbs but I can't see anywhere in the CAMS rule book where the specific rules for these are.

pete wood wrote:Bat, i've seen pics of specials being used in hillclimbs but I can't see anywhere in the CAMS rule book where the specific rules for these are.

Thats why I asked what you want to do with it, because if you want to do tar/speed events the vehicle would have to be built to f/libre specy and the standard requirements for race cars (ch 6 CAMS manual). If you are iterested in doing motokhana/khanacross, the vehicle would have to e built to these specs (13-8 and onwards CAMS manual). The two forms of m/s have totally different rules/regs. I hope that helps.

[ Edited on 18/10/2005 by bat69 ]

so there is no cross over between the rules?

Pete, you could build a special to do Khanacross/dirt sprint/autocross/motorkhana and do club and state events in these disciplines and go out and do a tar speed event ie: a hillclimb. At club level you would be a class 5 runner, competing against like vehicles and also open wheel racecars. The engine size further breaks the class up. ie: above and below 2 litre. With your stated preferred engine combination you would obviously be above. If you decided to do a State hillclimb you would be placed into Formula Libra above 2 litre and that would put you against the big boys ie: Peter Gumley in his SCV (super charged Volkswagen). In short there is a crossover of uses if you went this way. In the car club I am in there are several Volkswagen based vehicles/specials that compete in all the above listed events.

I'm guessing they have beefier material in the roll bar/chassis to allow them to do that right?