RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Our third victim is Chris Dittmann, who for the last two seasons has campaigned a Ginetta G50 in the BTCC/TOCA Ginetta G50 support races, showing devastating pace, but cruel luck has so far prevented a win.

1) Could you introduce yourself please?

Chris Dittmann. Racing driver and team owner.

2) How long have you been involved with racing?

Started karting when I was 13 but have been involved in motorsport for a number of years before that as my father used to race.

3) What vehicle do you currently race?

Ginetta G50

4) What was your favourite race, and why?

After qualifying pole at Silverstone in the Ginetta G50 Cup 2010, a driveshaft failure on the way to grid meant I had to start the second race in 18th place. I managed to finish in 5th with fastest lap. With such a short track, overtaking was extremely difficult but with all the disappointment of Race 1, I had the focus and motivation to achieve a great result.

5) And likewise, what race was the worst?

The whole of the Rockingham weekend in 2010. After some strong testing, I was disappointed to qualify in 4th, albeit a tenth off pole. I was then wiped out at the first corner of the first lap causing a fair bit of damage and had start from dead last in Race 2. With Race 2 wet, I managed to climb about 7 places in a couple of laps, only to bit taken out again with another DNF. Now starting from the last row, the final race of the weekend was probably even worse. After I was given a drive-through penalty for a jump start, I entered the pitlane with no speedometer. After the race I was fined for speeding in the pitlane. A weekend to forget!

6) Which are your favourite (and worst) circuits or venues?

Favourite circuits: Oulton Park International, Brands Hatch GP and Spa Francorchamps.

Worst Circuit: Rockingham

7) What are your plans for 2011?

As a team we will be running drivers in the Ginetta G55/G50 Cup Championship. Unless major sponsorship is found, it is unlikely I will be racing myself.

8 ) What other form of motorsport would you like to try, given the opportunity?

I would love to race a Porsche Carrera Cup car but ultimately, it would be awesome to drive in the DTM or V8 supercars championships.

9) What is the best piece of motorsport advice you have been given (and did you heed it?)

I’ve had a lot of advice from a range of people, and I think it’s a combination of all of them that has been the most beneficial. At the end of the day, you have to take what most people say with a pinch of salt and make your own decisions.

10) I’m told there is life outside motor racing. What is your favourite non-motorsport hobby?

A life outside motor racing…nobody told me!

11) What one thing would you do to improve F1?

Develop more ‘proper’ circuits like Spa/Monza/old Hockenheim etc. All these newly developed tracks have brilliant facilities but the tracks themselves are boring and characterless. I think the testing ban is a waste of time, and ultimately costs teams more money who have to develop expensive CFD systems and simulators. The next generation of drivers need more opportunity to test the cars before they are thrown into a race seat with limited experience.

12) Who are your motorsport heroes?

I grew up supporting Michael Schumacher but I can’t say I have any hero’s as such. I think the driver who most resembles my driving style is Gilles Villeneuve and I was compared to him after my first few race car tests in a Formula Renault.

Our first victim, or volunteer, is Tim Bullard, a race engineer from North Devon.   Here are his replies to our short questionnaire.

1) Could you introduce yourself please?

Tim Bullard, 22 from North Devon. Freelance race engineer – SYNERGY Race Engineering.

2) How long have you been involved with racing?

Involved in motorsport for around 5 years, life long fan.

3) What vehicle do you currently race?

This year I have engineered a Duratec Formula Ford in the British Championship, and a Trofeo Abarth car in the new for 2010 British series.

4) What was your favourite race, and why?

Favourite race – Formula Ford Festival semi final in 2009. A well fought victory for Rogier de Wit put us on pole position for the festival final, was a great feeling celebrating with my team boss on the pit wall, and with Rogier when he stepped out of the car.

5) And likewise, what race was the worst?

Worst race – Formula Ford Festival final in 2009. Starting from pole position, and with so much expectation for the race, Rogier was caught in a racing incident that put him out of the race. So much promise, leading to nought.

6) Which are your favourite (and worst) circuits or venues?

Preparing a car at Spa Francorchamps was a real experience for me, one that I will never forget for various reasons. I adore the Nordschleife circuit in Germany, and hope to become involved in the VLN championship soon. Snetterton is currently my least favourite circuit, after a nightmare weekend there earlier this year.

7) What are your plans for 2011?

Over the winter of 2010 and 2011, I am looking to secure finances that will allow me to put a car on the grid in the British Formula Ford Championship. Should this not materialise I will be continuing my freelance work, hopefully with a few more teams this year.

8 ) What other form of motorsport would you like to try, given the opportunity?

I would love to be a co-driver on the Dakar Rally one day.

9) What is the best piece of motorsport advice you have been given (and did you heed it?)

Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty!!

10) I’m told there is life outside motor racing. What is your favourite non-motorsport hobby?

I love listening to music, going to gigs and discovering new artists.

11) What one thing would you do to improve F1?

Return to the more old-school circuits that punish mistakes made by the driver.

12) Who are your motorsport heroes?

My two main heroes are at the opposite ends of the motorsport ladder. Adrian Newey to me is a technical god, what he has achieved over his career is pretty astonishing, including designing this years fastest car in Formula One.Martin Down, team owner of Getem Racing, has been designing and building Formula Ford chassis’ for nearly as long as the sport has existed. He is able to prepare race winning cars from a residential garage, and I have the greatest amount of respect for him. I give great thanks to him for mentoring me as an engineer during the years I have worked with him.

Thank you Tim, for being the first, and good luck for your plans for 2011.

There isn’t much circuit activity over the winter months apart from testing, so I’d like to run some features on the people you see in the paddock.   If you could email the answers to news@racingexposure.com together with a couple of pictures (eg. one of you in action, and possibly one of you out of the car).

Even if you’re not a driver, maybe you’re a Marshal, a team manager, series administrator, circuit owner, mechanic, trucker, grid girl, photographer , time keeper etc., please have a go answering some of the questions!

1) Could you introduce yourself please?

2) How long have you been involved with racing?

3) What vehicle do you currently race?

4) What was your favourite race, and why?

5) And likewise, what race was the worst?

6) Which are your favourite (and worst) circuits or venues?

7) What are your plans for 2011?

8 ) What other form of motorsport would you like to try, given the opportunity?

9) What is the best piece of motorsport advice you have been given (and did you heed it?)

10) I’m told there is life outside motor racing. What is your favourite non-motorsport hobby?

11) What one thing would you do to improve F1?

12) Who are your motorsport heroes?

That’s all…

Written by Witt Gamski, Team MJC – Winners of Britcar 24hour 2010.

3 Litres of oil and a windscreen wiper blade!
That was all we added and changed on the car throughout the gruelling 2010 Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone.

I will attempt to put into words all the emotions, hard work and everything it took to get to the event and ultimately win the race.

I received a telephone call from Keith on the morning of Tuesday 21st September advising me that I will receive another telephone call from John Gaw. Ok, an hour or so later John calls, asking me if we want to enter the Britcar 24hr race which was to take place in ten days time! Well, at first my reply was no, not enough time to prepare among other things. By the end of that same day, we decided to go for it.

Panic stations, Neil Cooke threatened to leave the country, Darren Handley just went silent, Peter Livesey just smiled and shouted ‘ YES’ .

Cristiano Michelotto told us we are absolutely crazy, although he said ‘ I love crazy ‘ and gave us all the possible advise he could to get us to the race, Cristiano also sent us a small package containing minor parts he felt were necessary for reliability, these being front light brackets, accelerator cable, oil filters. Also, his strict advise to our crew was ‘ stop talking and get to work on the car! ‘ They did just that and the car was ready for the Thursday 30th September testing. And, very importantly, we had to postpone Agis (my wife) mums birthday party after all the arrangements were made. Luckily, they are both great fans and I didn’t get into trouble!

On Thursday morning, John Gaw, Phil Dryburgh, Keith Robinson, Sam, crew and friends were at Silverstone. All of us not having a clue what we had just started. We have never competed in a 24hr race before and not being very sure what was to come. Probably a good thing.

John and Phil had never driven the 430GT2 before, but by the end of the day, they were very comfortable behind the wheel and showing very good times, to be honest far better than any of us expected with such a short time behind the wheel, in not very nice track conditions. Fantastic!

Friday daytime qualifying session went well, again, damp conditions, the night session was also what we expected. Landing the car 7th for the start.

Saturday warm up, the track was dry and very enjoyable, 3rd quickest. OK, ready to go.

Race started, I was the usual starter. From this moment, all the nerves, anxiety, panic and everything else were forgotten. The race was the only thing on my mind. Got the car up to 5th position by the first pit stop, Phil got in the car and on his way, Phil regained the position following the pit stop, brought the car back in great shape ( by the way, Phil has eyes like a cat ) ready for Keith, amazing stint by Phil on slicks in the wet.

Keith did his stint as the weather deteriorated, keeping fantastic pace. Again, brought the car back for John, same again with a fantastic performance. I must mention that Keith was behind the safety car for more than 2 hours, this must have been so demoralising, just imagine, cold, dark, raining, foggy, tired, adrenaline not there to help out.

I think we were at around 11pm or so and all this began to dawn on me. My God, this is going to be one of the hardest tasks I have ever been involved in and at my age, not easy!!

Looking at the leader board, it was clear that the JetAlliance Porsche was the car to worry about. By around 12.30am the Porsche was in the lead with us following very closely in second. Now, this configuration, with the occasional changes at the lead went on until 16.30 Sunday! This was the most stressful time we have ever had in racing. This became a 16 hour sprint race, unbelievable. We decided that Keith and John were the ones to be able to take the fight to the Porsche to the finish albeit 2nd place looked more and more of a reality. Don’t forget we had suffered two 1 lap penalties. Together with their professional drivers and crew the JetAlliance team are not new to this game. The Porsche was also prepared beautifully.

JetAlliance were copying all our moves, pit stops, tyres , etc. However, they didn’t realise that we were doing the same, keeping a close eye on their tactics. The final hour of the race was amazing, John got ahead and kept the Porsche a controlled distance behind, right up to the chequered flag.

What a finish, a 24hr race with GT cars decided by 55 seconds.

It may be a very long time or if ever, will this sort of result and race be repeated. My unreserved gratitude goes to all the team, family and friends who made this possible. Their support was outstanding. Everybody involved showed total passion and commitment which can only be described as amazing. And of course the car, it performed like no other, what a machine!

We should all be proud.

Thank you all.

Witt Gamski

Photo: Keith Hubbleday

Q: First off, the burning question BTCC fans are eager to know the answer to;  Will Triple Eight be running a manufacturer team in 2011?

A: I hope so and hope that we can announce something before the end of the year though I’m not going to tell you now what car I think it’ll be. Let’s just say that we’ve received a number of approaches over the year and that one or two of them would surprise you as they did me!

Q: Have you enjoyed this season?

A: Well it’s been a challenging year. We started the season very well with two straight wins at Thruxton with Fabrizio (Giovanardi), but unfortunately due to budget constraints we couldn’t continue the relationship. Since then we’ve had a number of young drivers in the car all of whom have impressed me with their professionalism. Of course it would have been great to have had the benefit of a full budget and been able to run two cars at each round, but then would we have had the opportunity to try promising youngsters like James Nash, Phil Glew, Daniel Lloyd, Dean Smith and James Walker in the car?

Q: The next and final stop on the 2010 BTCC calendar is at Brands Hatch this weekend. Are you looking forward to it?

A: Very much so. Brand’s Indy circuit always produces close, exciting racing and James (Nash) showed good speed there in May until he got pushed off track. I know also that after a rather frustrating meeting results-wise last time out at Donington he’s eager to show what he can do and end the season on a high.   We’ll also have a second car out for Sam Tordoff. He’s done well in the Clios this year so I’m keen to see how he’ll go in one of our cars too.

Q: The Driver’s title is now a 4-way battle heading into the final meeting. Who do you want to win?

A: That’s a difficult one to answer particularly so given that 3 of the 4 have driven for Triple Eight in the past. Indeed Jason Plato won his driver’s title with us in 2001. I will say that I think Jason will do just enough to win it as I can’t see him getting caught out at Brands as he did at Donington. I do though have a feeling that the battle will go all the way to the final race which should guarantee some fireworks!

Even Schuey’s only got 7……

---

Simon Davey is the current Monoposto race administrator, but still finds time to race, his current tally of championships in FF based cars is currently 15.

Simon was very reluctant to give us an answer but after some gentle persuasion, blackmail (thanks, Judith) and waterboarding we were able to glean the following facts. Simon was even kind enough to dig out some pictures too. So we have here probably the best collection of diverse Formula Ford pictures you will find on one page on the internet.

The answer to the question is, in fact, 15. And they are:

Year	Championship	Car
1979	Carlton & Bullen Pre ’74 FF1600	Dulon MP15
1981	BRSCC Pre ’74 FF1600	Dulon MP15
1982	MCD Champion of Snetterton FF1600	Van Diemen RF78/79
1983	MCD Champion of Snetterton FF1600	Van Diemen RF81
1984	Monoposto Kent	Van Diemen SF78
1985	Monoposto Kent	Kinell MB85
1985	MCD Champion of Snetterton FF1600	Van Diemen RF82
1988	BARC Intercon ’74-’78 FF1600	Van Diemen RF78
1993	BRSCC Pre ’85 FF1600	Lola T640E
1998	BRSCC Super Classic FF1600 Class A	Reynard FF88
1999	Monoposto 1600	Reynard FF83
2000	Monoposto 1600	Reynard FF83/Van Diemen RF78
2002	BARC URS Classic FF1600 Class B	Van Diemen RF78
2003	BARC URS Classic FF1600 Class B	Van Diemen RF81
2010	Avon Tyres BRSCC Southern FF1600 Class B	Swift SC92

The editorial guess is that the championships won’t stop at 15.

The pictures (with Simon’s captions) are as follows:

Build A Better Locost  - Part One  -  Electrics

This series is intended to help you make your 750mc Locost safer, more reliable and (perhaps) quicker.

Electrical problems are one of the commonest causes of DNFs and they are almost always preventable.

Batteries should be securely mounted and foam strip or rubber used to protect the casing.  Mount the battery as low as possible to help keep the centre of gravity low. If it is sealed or a gel type, lay it on its side for the same reason.

While it is always tempting to save a few pounds I don’t believe in buying cheap ignition, starter or battery master switches . Only use switches with screw-on connectors. Push – on connectors can fall off very easily with vibration.  Screw – on connectors should be loctited and, if not easily accessible for checking, further secured with a blob of silicon or nail varnish. Use non – insulated eyelet connectors so that you can see that they are properly crimped, then insulate with heat-shrink. Throw away the plain nut securing your ignition coil terminals and replace it with a nyloc.

I prefer to take a supply for the fuel pump and starter which does not come from the ignition circuit. If you want to drain the fuel tank or check the compressions there is no danger of burning out the ignition.

Make sure you have a good earth connection between the engine and the chassis.

Arrange your fused circuits so that a short in a non-essential circuit or component such as indicators or horn won’t take out your ignition or fuel pump. Position your fuses so that they are easily accessible and clearly labeled.

Always use a grommet when a cable goes through a panel.

Wires and looms should be secured to the chassis or body every few inches, particularly at the ends so that the terminals are not placed under strain.

Use flexible mounts for ignition coil and fuel pump.

For a detailed guide to designing and making your own wiring loom I would recommend Jim Horner’s “Automotive Electrical Handbook” by HP Books.

All comments and suggestions welcome via this site or locostbuilders.co.uk .

Written by Maurice Dudley

Last week Andrew Cliffe gave readers of this blog an overview of marshalling in his appropriately entitled article “So, you wanna be a marshal?” This week Racing Exposure gives you the inside story of the commitment and dedication of those in orange overalls through an interview with the crew chief of the BRSCC North Western Centre’s Rescue Unit – Simon Morrell.

At the scene of an incident Simon has overall responsibility both for the safety of his team and providing any casualties with the best possible care. This is done in accordance to a well rehearsed, clearly defined set of procedures which cover a wide range of tasks that out on public roads would be undertaken by ambulance and fire-and-rescue personnel. “The key point is to remain calm and deal with the situation objectively,” explains Morrell, “you’ll never see us running round in a panic.”

While marshalling enables enthusiasts to get closer to the sport they love by performing a wide range of disciplines that accommodate all levels of ability and experience, the crew of the Rescue Unit can literally have a Life and Death role to play. This may be hugely rewarding and highly demanding at the same time.

“When I first started on the Rescue Unit,” Simon told us, “Getting called-out used to be quite stressful. It was both exciting and frightening at the same time. Now, I see it as a signal for us to stop telling jokes and to get out there to do a job. We often have no idea of the size or seriousness of an incident until we get there. Race control always passes additional information to us if they have it but usually we are only given a location to attend.”

Regardless of the how long people have been on the Unit there is still a degree of apprehension when an accident has to be dealt with. Morrell says “We all endure different amounts of pressure. Our driver has to choose the right moment to join a live circuit and transport us all safely at speed to the crash scene within 90 seconds of leaving our standby location. The crew chief is responsible for the welfare of all persons at the scene and has to work with our Doctor or Paramedic to determine the best way to treat (and sometimes extricate) the injured. Our medical assistant may be under pressure to assist in providing life saving intervention… and we all know that a difficult scene may be played out in full view of an audience of spectators and marshals.

“Thankfully, we find that most ‘shouts’ require nothing more than a check on a driver’s condition but we have been called out to multiple vehicle shunts as well as incidents involving fire, injury, entrapments and even a helicopter that executed an emergency landing in a field adjacent to Oulton Park.” (The latter episode occurred when a pilot got into difficulty when flying over the Cheshire track while a British Formula 3 meeting was taking place).

The crew members have to spend many hours learning the latest rescue techniques and practising with all the technology that may have to be used. This is done both on the job and in classroom environments. For many this takes place in their own time outside of their normal working life.

While the vehicle itself – a Mercedes Sprinter 416 – is funded by the BRSCC, the team that mans it worked together to add the graphics, lights and sirens which converted the standard van into a pukka Rescue Unit. Sponsorship is always required to enable the most sophisticated equipment to be purchased.

Having to manage demanding scenarios and the many hours of education is all worthwhile due to the tremendous pride which is felt when the aftermath of a serious crash has successfully been dealt with. “We are volunteers who are doing a professional job,” points out Simon. “We provide a service that would normally be provided by the statutory emergency services. It is very satisfying to know that we have spent the day doing something worthwhile. It justifies all those cold afternoons in the off season when we do our training.”

British Race Marshals are recognised as being the best in the world.    Without their contribution, motorsport would be very different to how it is today and it’s no wonder that our Marshals regularly get asked to assist with overseas events.

Marshals are people who love motorsport and who wish to be more involved than just a casual spectator, and their services are used in all forms of motorsport, from the typical club meeting, up to the highest echelons of motorsport, Le Mans, Formula One, MotoGP and so on.

Almost everyone can become a Marshal, they just require to be reliable, enthusiastic and of average health and fitness. Specific training is given along the way including first aid, fire safety and vehicle recovery.  You only volunteer for the meetings that your circumstances dictate you can attend, and can cover local events or, if you prefer, travel further afield.

And they do it all for nothing.    Marshals are not paid, although may receive a meal voucher as a reward, or occasionally the smallest of expenses.   They do it because they love it – even when its raining, and a hot-headed driver has just called them all the names under the sun for clearing up their mess.

Drivers can get an extra signature on their license for volunteering to Marshal at an event, which may be useful if you’re close to upgrading.   Maybe every driver should have a go?

Depending on your experience, jobs include: Post Chief, incident officer, experienced marshal (flag & incident), track marshal, spectator marshal, race administration, paddock marshal, pit marshal, startline marshal, telephonist, rescue unit crew, rally stage marshal, rally timekeeper, passage control marshal, sector marshal amongst others.   There is a grading system in place to help people achieve the roles they want.

Anyone interested in becoming a Marshal should investigate the BMMC (British Motorsport Marshals Club) or the BRMC (British Rally Marshal Club).  Both have comprehensive websites which give a lot more information.  The BMMC was founded in 1957 and have over 1750 members from all walks of life.   The BRMC is a younger organisation, founded in 1980.  Both Clubs are split into regions to ease organisation.

So – why not join up?

LINKS:-

BMMC : http://www.marshals.co.uk/
BRMC : http://www.brmc.org.uk/

A decade ago an on-board camera system was a fairly rare sight, but the prices have tumbled and the technology has reached the level where almost-TV quality coverage is relatively cheap (kits are available from approx. £ 165 upwards).   There are various reasons for recording your on-track exploits.

1. You can learn an awful lot from reviewing your practise session before you go out again to race – you know from the timing sheets that your best time was set on lap 8, now you can re-watch the session and work out why lap 8 was better than the others.    Was it simply a clear lap, was it because you took a different line through the third corner, video footage coupled with datalogging (subject to be covered in the future) can make you faster.
2. You can show friends, family and those all-important sponsors – they only get to see you from the pitwall or from a particular corner.
3. In the event of an accident (not necessarily yours) it can determine who was right and who was wrong.

So now you can see the importance of a camera system – but what sort, there are lots to choose from…

If you are racing a saloon, hatch, coupe or GT car with an internal roll cage then you’ve got the most options.   The cheapest is possibly a trusty camcorder, which can be attached to your roll cage quite easily.   You may already have a camcorder sitting unused in a cupboard somewhere – you could use that…

There are plenty of sturdy, yet in-expensive clamps available from specialists which will help with mounting, just remember that any scruitineer will want to see that its firmly mounted, usually with a secondary tether on the camcorder (cable ties are good for this) just in case something breaks.   Note that suction type mounts are generally not permitted.    The one illustrated uses hose clips to mount onto the roll cage.

If you race a single seater then a camcorder is less ideal as they are quite bulky and space is at a premium.   The modern answer is to use a solid-state recorder which records onto a memory stick, the same as those used in a modern digital camera.    The recorders vary in size, but are often similar in size to a pack of playing cards up to the size of a paperback novel.    This can usually be hidden somewhere in the cockpit, but some have remote control facilities which allows them to be hidden in a sidepod or out of the way.   The camera itself is separate and is a slim tube similar in size to a lipstick tube.   This can be mounted somewhere on the car where it can get a good view of the action with the wiring clipped neatly out of the way.     Some devices combine the two into one self contained unit which can even be mounted on your crash hat or on the car itself.

There are also some recorders which use a computer hard drive but from my experience these are less than satisfactory, certainly on the ex-F3 single seater I’ve tried them with.   The main problem is due to vibrations, and with their rigidly mounted engines and transmissions, coupled with their very firm suspension, means that there are lots of vibrations of various magnitudes buzzing around the tub of a modern car. These cameras often work well in static conditions, but the video may die even with just the engine idling – let alone out on circuit!   On a track car with road car origins, these may be more successful.

Some of the more expensive recorders offer more advanced features including:-

- multiple cameras (eg front and rear facing cameras, or exterior and interior cameras)

- HD (high definition) footage

- slow motion modes.   These record at 50 or 60 frames per second but play back at the normal 25fps.  There is usually a trade-off in recording quality or size for these modes.

- lower compression rates (higher quality images)

- some have basic, self-contained datalogging facilities.

So, if this has whetted your appetite, then I would suggest a bit of further research and maybe talking to a specialist such as DogCamSport who may well be able to offer their recommendations.

The footage below was recorded using a Chasecam PDR100 solid state recorder with a Sony HQ1 bullet camera mounted onto the roll hoop of the car.   This system uses 4 rechargable AA batteries, but can be wired into your cars electrics, and records onto a Compact Flash memory card (Sandisk Extreme III in this case).   The Chasecam system is a pretty solid piece of equipment, used by a number of Formula One teams (including Red Bull Racing) for their own development footage, as well as a number of broadcast companies, and lots of national and club racers.

Playback at the circuit – some recorders have a small colour screen and basic playback controls, but many don’t.   Some have a TV-out connector and will plug into a TV, but others will require connection to a laptop or netbook to view.

Editing – these modern digital recorders plug directly into a modern computer.   Basic editing functions are included as standard as part of Microsoft Windows (Windows Movie Maker) from XP onwards and Apple Mac OS X (iMovie / iLife), which should be fine for most people, although there are a number of more advanced packages available which can do all manner of fancy things !

If you have data logging facilities, then its possible to extract the data and to overlay the data over the footage.   This usually requires extra software and requires accurate synchronising of both streams of data, but the two really compliment each other.   Your datalogging system may come with the necessary software, but there is also TrackVision software which does a similar job.

Once you’ve got your camera mounted to your car, you can’t just turn up to a race meeting and expect to film.    Permission to film needs arranging in advance – firstly check with your race series to see if they have any specific regulations, but also permission needs to be sought from each circuit – this is usually a formality – obtain permission form in advance, fill in and then return before the meeting, or (if the instructions say so) present it at signing-on – but before you take the car to scruitineering.

Previously, Simon Davey explained that to avoid insolvency whilst motor racing the following tips should be followed:

1) Avoid Accidents
2) Collect All The Bits
3) Be Nice And Always Pay On Time
4) Learn To Weld
5) Learn To Use Composite Materials

Let us continue……

6) Save Odd-Shaped Bits Of Stuff

I’ve kept bits of metal and plastic for 25 years before finding a use for them. Very sad maybe, but definitely saves a lot of money, and I’ve had many a happy evening cataloguing them (alright that last bit isn’t true). I do however have three bins that I use to save bits and pieces of materials or broken components: one for steel, one for aluminium & plastic and one for any long rods or tubes. It’s amazing how much time and money you can save by starting to make a vital bracket from something which happens to be roughly the right shape to start with; rather than starting from scratch by going out and buying a largish piece of new material, which is both expensive and needs more work to get it into the final configuration.

For example Van Diemen Formula Fords have flat alloy plate engine mountings that often break, but are then a superb source of material for any number of mounting brackets or lightweight spacers. I’ve converted broken wishbones into engine mountings (and I think once the other way), made exhaust system fixings from six inch nails, and regularly recycled the unworn sections from front aluminium skid plates to make skid plates for the rear etc etc. Saving odd bits of exhaust system is particularly profitable – again with the current Swift I completely rebuilt its badly bent exhaust system with pieces from the metal bin.

My wife thinks this habit of carefully saving bits of old bent metal illustrates that I am completely barking, if mostly harmless – but she does the same thing with embroidery threads!

7) Don’t Buy Flashy Race-Wear

I think this section must be aimed mainly at new-to-racing drivers. I have often seen people in this position going out and spending £1000+ on ace-looking race wear, and then finding they don’t have enough money to actually do much racing.

In my world there are two essential attributes for race wear. It must comply with the regulations and it should be so comfortable that you don’t notice you are wearing it when you are driving the car. Given these two conditions are satisfied, there is an argument that more expensive race wear is safer, because it is better made, or made from superior materials. I personally don’t subscribe to this view. I think the vast majority of expensive race wear will perform its function in exactly the same way as the more modest versions – it just looks flashier. Mark you, this is being written by someone who raced wearing plimsolls as footwear for the first 12 years of my racing career, before my mechanic couldn’t stand it any longer and cadged a pair of worn – out racing boots for me.

So read the regs carefully, buy sensibly, and remember: “when the flag drops the bullshit stops”. (of course this saying comes from the time when races were started with a flag – great days, great days)

8 ) Scavenge

This is my favourite cost-saving section by far. When I’m in the paddock at a race I keep one eye on the ground; it’s amazing what you will find. Most valuable treasure trove items are are Dzus fasters, K Nuts, and R clips, with an additional bounty of nuts and washers of all shapes and sizes. At most meetings I collect £5-£10 worth. Over the season this amounts to about 1% of my racing budget. If you think that isn’t worth bothering about, what I would like you to do is to write me a cheque for 1% of your racing budget, and I’ll bother about it for you!

More pro-active scavenging can be even more cost-effective. At Donington last year Avon were throwing away sets of Duratec slicks with only one practice and race on them. I know several Mono members who collected complete sets of free tyres. When I raced in F3 I regularly used to collect part-worn brake pads that Cellnet had thrown into the skip (probably you shouldn’t try this one at home), and I have certainly acquired several charming nose cones which less impecunious teams have ditched after taking relatively minor damage.

Best-ever (semi) scavenge was once stopping on the slowing down lap at the Bomb Hole at Snetterton to put in an offer on a written-off Van Diemen which was distributed along the banking. Clinched the deal when the wrecker bought the bits and driver back to the paddock, to the frustration of Ken Thorogood who was in the scrutineering bay, hoping to buy the wreckage. Won the Champion of Snetterton title the following year with the rebuilt car.

9) Know Why Things Are The Way They Are

There are three common reasons for why a typical racing car is put together the way it is:

• The regulations say it has to be done that way
• Doing it that way makes the car faster, more reliable or safer
• It’s been prepared by an idiot who had no idea how to do this properly

If you put it together wrong it may break or you may be disqualified, both of which cost or waste money. It will certainly be slow, but that’s a side issue. Vitally, it may kill you and it will probably cost a lot of money to repair or simply put right. The absolute classic example is the number of people who do not understand how the brake balance system on a single seater works, and consequently they assemble and/or adjust it incorrectly, often making the car dangerously unstable under braking. Ask the guy who transposed the front and rear brake master cylinders on my Swift.

Lesson 1 here is to make sure you know what the rules are, and how they are applied in practice. Read the Blue Book and the Championship Technical regs thoroughly. Then go and stand in the scrutineering bay and carefully look at the cars as they come through to see how well or badly people have implemented the rules. Go and ask people about their cars in the paddock (hint: ask nicely).

Lesson 2 is to read as much as possible about the physics and engineering principles which underlie the performance, reliability and safety of a racing car. Do not mindlessly copy what everyone else appears to be doing, and do not simply invent arbitrary solutions, unless you believe you have understood why you choosing this particular way of doing it. A very good place to start is Carroll Smith’s Prepare/Tune to Win books (find out why the Traction Circle is important). Allan Staniforth’s books about the Terrapin single seater are also very good (ever used a String Computer?).

10) Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

Preparing or repairing a racing car, especially using new bits, is very expensive. Cleaning a racing car is not, and here I’m talking about the mechanical bits: chassis, suspension, engine, gearbox; more than about the bodywork. Apart from the obvious fact that a clean racing car looks better to most people that a dirty one, cleaning the working bits has a number of cost-saving benefits:

• Clean and (if appropriate) lubricated moving parts won’t wear out as fast as ones which are gritty.
• The process of cleaning is the best way of spotting components and structures which are worn, cracked or about to break in some more obscure way, before the worst happens and possibly even more expense is incurred. Just looking at the car is nothing like as effective at spotting damage as picking up a cloth or a paint brush and cleaning it.
• Clean bits are much easier to adjust and replace, saving time and eventually money. I’ve seen more than a few suspension arms with the rod end bearings so comprehensively manked into them that getting them apart undamaged was just about impossible. I once had to flame cut the front rockers off a Van Diemen because of this.
• Especially early on in the season, and if you use an open trailer (like me), then the car suffers terribly from salt pick-up from the road when it’s being taken to and from the race track. Clean it rigorously, and I use copious quantities of WD40 to both restore and protect the exposed metal bits. Otherwise it will corrode and cost you a lot of money to fix.
• I think many people don’t know about the restorative powers of a good wirebrushing (preferably rotary) followed by a vigorous polishing with Solvol Autosol. This process has an amazing effect on metal components and quite often renders them looking like new. If I’m wrong, and everyone knows about this method, then I assume there is some arcane and mysterious reason why it’s never been applied to any of the second hand cars that I have bought over the years!

11) Take Expert Advice Before You Buy A Car

I guess this section is aimed mainly at newbies, but when I see the decisions more experienced people make sometimes (including myself!) I do wonder about that. There are two main ways of falling over when you buy racing car from a technical standpoint.

The first is to buy a car that is never going to be competitive, whatever you do to it. There’s a few horror shows like this in the FF1600 arena, like the ’76 Van Diemen and the ’85 Reynard. They were never any good, the works team couldn’t make them go quick and you won’t be able to either. So when you are thinking of buying a car in a given category, examine the results to see what goes well, then seek out the quick men and ask them what they think about your choice before you even go and look one. Ask more than one person as well!

The second is to buy a car which has the potential to go well, but is such a rubbish example that the cost of fixing it will be very high. This includes the common mistake of buying a rolling chassis, and then discovering that many of the installation bits are missing: engine spiders, exhaust headers, swirl pots, fuel pumps, etc etc all cost a fortune. If you do buy a roller, then if at all possible take the engine out yourself or stand over the seller while he does it!
More generally it’s important to know what costs money and what doesn’t. For example every single suspension arm on the car may have the tattiest finish in the world: the car will look awful – and the cost to fix the lot by shot blasting and oven painting or replating, will be less than £100. Conversely the spherical bearings may look absolutely great, all bright and shiny. Unfortunately if you have run into the one other person in the universe who knows the wire brush/solvol trick (see above) and these bearings are actually worn out then you are looking at around £300 per corner, with no option but to go out and buy new ones.

12) Listen, Watch And Learn

The most general advice I can give to help save anyone a lot of money is to suggest that they constantly listen and watch what other people are doing, for good or ill, and make sure you learn the lessons without spending your own money on them!

So that’s my 12 penneth-worth. As I said, I’m sure I’ve missed a lot, and I’d be very interested to hear other people’s cost-saving advice (see 12 above…) I’m also pretty sure I’ve enraged a few people who will think I an writing a lot of b******s.

That’s fine too – see you on the track guys!

Simon Davey
originally published in Monoposto’s Startline magazine

Warning: Motor Racing is Expensive

Despite taking all reasonable precautions unavoidably severe loss of money can occur and in respect of this you are entirely on your own

It took me many years to figure out how to minimise the cost of going racing, and I’m still learning. I’ve tried to distil some of this into the 12 points which follow, but I’m sure I’ve missed a lot. Initially I thought I’d put these in some sort of order of priority, but then I realised that this depends on where you are along the motor racing learning curve, so I gave up and just wrote it down.

Incidentally, none of what follows is about going faster. Properly implemented, this advice won’t necessarily slow you down or speed you up, it will just save you money. Oh – and neither I nor Racing Exposure are in any way liable if you actually do any of this stuff.

Here we go…

1) Avoid Accidents

Accidents are horribly expensive…in three ways. Obviously you have to spend money to fix the car before you can it race again, eg it costs around £500-£1000 per corner ripped off. Less obviously: you lose costly track time you have paid for, and you destabilise the car’s tune-plateau (see Point 10 to understand this one better).

So don’t have them. Be careful out there.

More gratuitous advice on this topic…I think the most common cause of accidents is either you or the guy you are racing with taking a lunge down the inside. The lunger is actually relying on the lungee (got the roles?) to actively change his/her line in some way to prevent an accident. If the lungee doesn’t see the lunger coming, or doesn’t react fast enough, or is bolshy and won’t give way or turns in early; then about 2 seconds later one or both of you are stepping out of the wreckage and it’s pretty much random chance who gets off worst.

And guess what – nobody but you cares very much. The marshals have a bit of excitement dealing with the mess; if you had got past you would be one point better off but no richer, and approx. three people (at best) in the world will have noticed.

My advice? Work at the real skill of motor racing; which is not the same as being able to lap quickly, that’s just the entry ticket to the game. The real skill is getting into positions where you can pass the other guy with minimum risk, and he/she can’t do anything about it. More on this in a later spiel.

"Always collect up the bits" - if the car's not repairable you can always sell them to a collector.

2) Collect All The Bits

So now you’ve had an accident anyway. There are a million ways to have one and some are even really not your fault. When you hop out of the car, get quickly to the safety of a barrier; but when the race is over and the wrecker turns up make sure you collect all the bits. The classic is to be unable to get a broken upright fixed by welding because you left a small but complex (and broken) part of the casting by the track side. Bill for welding £40, bill for new upright £400.

The list is endless. Did you pick up the suspension spring which popped out, the bodywork fixing that got ripped off, the wing mirror that was scythed away etc etc. It never seems important at the time, but later in the workshop a retrieved part can often be repaired, saving ££s. The most vivid example for me was after a major startline shunt at Brands which took out 80% of the grid including me (FF1600s…duh) in the first 200 yards. I harvested 18 loose springs from the field of wreckage before I found any of mine. No-one else was even looking. They were all chasing the guy who had moved over…

3) Be Nice And Always Pay On Time

People who make their living out of motor racing – selling bits, preparing cars, fixing the wreckage, whatever; are human beings who will certainly respond well to being treated well. Be nice! Pay what you owe on time and without hassle. Listen to their advice. If you do this, when you next have a problem it is very likely that you will get good service again. This seems so obvious, but I know from my own experiences on both sides of this fence how varied peoples’ approach to this simple situation can be. Don’t short change, false deadline, bad mouth etc etc – it doesn’t save you money at all: quite the opposite.

Over the years I have very carefully identified and worked with a whole range of expert suppliers who provide a fantastic amount of help to keep my faltering show on the road – specialist welders (Magnesium Mick), precision machinists (Secret Squirrel), rolling roads (Stanley Baldwin), race parts (Simon Says), tyres (Smithy). The list of people who I need to help me is very long and I have been working with most of them for more than 20 years. They are also very nice people. Build yourself a network and make sure you nurture it.

Quality Welding!

4) Learn To Weld

Welding and brazing are key skills to prepare and repair a racing car. If you need to make a bracket to hold an ecu, modify an engine mounting to clear an oil pipe, repair a suspension arm, fix a cracked exhaust etc etc (you get the idea) then you need welding and brazing. Many such jobs are most easily done on the car or next to it. You need to be able to do this yourself, otherwise it’s expensive and time consuming.

There are several types of welding to choose from, the main choices being electric welding such as TIG and MIG, or plain electric Arc; and gas welding/brazing using oxy acetylene equipment. All have pros and cons, but any is invaluable. I’m a gas welding man myself – from years of dealing with brazed space frame chassis. And I reckon there is almost nothing that can defeat you with a gas torch in your hand – worse comes to the worst you can actually cast a new component on the fly with a gas torch and enough rods.

The bad news is that all this stuff is potentially dangerous; whether it’s arc eye from getting careless about looking at arc welding flare or the fire hazard from a garage full of fuelled up racing car and a white hot gas torch. I always reckon that the mark of a good gas welder isn’t speed, or weld-penetration; it’s simply the ability to run down a weld-seam without getting third degree burns. I learned my welding in the most demanding of schools; a back street garage making rally cars from shell weld-ups of road car write offs – and I literally have the scars to prove it. It’s probably better to go to evening classes.

Whatever, I don’t care. You want to prepare a serious racing car at low cost – learn to weld.

5) Learn To Use Composite Materials

Exactly the same is true of using composite materials – and I’m focussing on the polyester-matrix fibre glass most club-spec racing car body work is made of. I don’t have any personal experience of handling advanced composites like carbon fibre/Kevlar, but they look tricky and these comments aren’t directed at them.

I’ve just had a trip down memory lane and I honestly can’t remember a single racing car I have bought (and it’s more than 20 now) where I have come across a bit of repaired bodywork and thought: “my word, what an excellent repair”. Without exception the many “repairs” I have been unfortunate to encounter have apparently been the cruddy output of cack-handed idiots; and are far harder to remedy than it would have been to fix the original damage. Common errors include:

- Hoping fibre glass repairs will adhere to a painted or oil-soaked substrate

- Thinking a molecule-thick layer of resin with no fibre mat has any strength

- Thinking a piece of dirty fibre mat, and virtually no resin, constitutes a “composite material”

- Sticking the glass mat onto the outside of the original gel coat and then sanding it down in a hopeless attempt to get a good finish, destroying any vestige of structural integrity in the process

- Pouring massive quantities of resin and mat into a repair so that the result is probably explosion-proof but also unbelievably heavy

- Attempting to use Plastic Padding “type elastic” as a load-bearing material

The most recent horror I’ve had was with my current Swift. It had minor side panel damage which had been repaired by the above mentioned laminated-oil layer plus dry fibre mat technique, followed by about 5mm of spayed-on body filler, a layer of heat cured vinyl paint, and finally a full vinyl adhesive wrap. The panel was rippled, cracked, weak, heavy and so heat distorted in didn’t fit the chassis. Couldn’t have been a better fix – not.

Done well, and in your own garage, it’s perfectly possible to rebuild large areas of damaged or even missing panels by forming a mould around the outside of the damage, applying a release agent, and rebuilding the damaged panel from the inside with gel coat, resin and mat. The biggest job I’ve ever done like this was to “coke bottle” the voluminous side pods an F3 Ralt when converting it from ground effect to flat bottom spec, which involved making a pair of aluminium “moulds” each about three feet long and two feet high.

Take lessons, read a book, go on a manufacturer’s course; but for heaven’s sake learn to apply a gel coat and the supporting resin and glass mat properly.

Simon Davey

Part II will follow next week…

In the same way that Murray Walker was a quintessential part of Formula 1′s TV coverage, race meetings at Oulton Park just aren’t the same without the enthusiastic and knowledgeable circuit commentator, Mike Cookson, being part of the soundtrack.

Ever with an eye for detail, Cookson can remember not only the date (20^th August, 1977) but also the organising club (BRSCC) who were in charge when he made his début on the Oulton Park PA System. Mike told Racing Exposure “Since then I have commentated at 570 meetings. It is anybody’s guess how many races that is… probably around 5,000!”

Cookson was thrown in at the deep end on that day 33 years ago as he was asked to stand-in for Neville Hay who had failed to turn up. Nonetheless Mike was in familiar surroundings as he had been assisting his absent colleague as a lap-charter since 1973. He must have done a more than competent job as he has since been called upon to describe proceedings in all corners of the world. All categories have been covered but the most unusual assignment was at the Longleat Special Stage of the RAC Rally where Cookson kept the spectators informed from inside the lion’s enclosure. Fortunately he was perched out of reach on a cherry picker style platform!

Mike says that when performing his weekend duties he is conscious of the broad range of listeners who are being addressed. “One has to remember,” he explained, “amongst the spectators there will be people who are real enthusiasts and come to as many meetings as possible and those for whom it is their first ever visit therefore I always try to make my commentaries informative and, hopefully, amusing.”

Despite all his travels Cookson continues have a soft spot for Oulton Park which is only a few miles from his home. One good thing about working at the Tarporley track is that he always has a co-commetator to help him keep the public entertained. He says, “It’s hard work doing a whole race meeting on your own so I enjoy working with all the band of commentators (is a group of commentators called a clutch?!?). I work regularly with Richard (Sproston) and I think we seem to hit it off.”

The one downside is that when he is manning the main Oulton commentary box, there is a brisk walk each time the chequered flag falls when he heads off to interview the winners on the podium at the other end of the pit-lane (…and they don’t always turn up!) before having to get back to his post to catch the next grid setting off.  He once calculated that he walks 3 miles (more than the length of the International Circuit) during the course of a typical meeting. This is in addition to patrolling the paddock during the morning looking for background information to get the full picture.

Mike’s interest in motorsport developed when as a child he was taken to Oulton Park and Aintree. At this time Championship and non-Championship Formula 1 races were regularly staged at these two premier North West circuits. With the general public having unrestricted access to the paddocks the young Cookson was able to accumulate an impressive autograph collection which included those of no less a man than Enzo Ferrari as well as legendary drivers such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn and Jim Clark.

During a holiday to Lake Como his father even produced tickets to the 1960 Italian Grand Prix. This was a fabulous surprise for Mike… and an even greater shock to his mother!

Cookson’s globe-trotting exploits were resumed later in his life after he had become a renowned commentator. Highlights include being part of the Radio Le Mans team when the Silk Cut Jaguars were victorious in 1990 and phoning through a report on the Long Beach Grand Prix to the BBC’s World Service from one of the decks of the Queen Mary.

Away from motor-racing Mike is a qualified Chartered Accountant and did his training in Liverpool where he enjoyed many lunch-times listening to jazz at the Cavern Club. He drifted away when The Beatles came along and the venue switched to contemporary sounds. Fortunately he was better with figures than talent spotting musicians!

His career evolved towards general industry rather than accounting specifically. Mike ended up as the Company Secretary and one of the Directors of NWF Group in Wardle where he recently stepped down to work on a part-time basis.

Semi-retirement is proving to be a busy time. Mike and his wife Sally enjoy walking, particularly in the area around Kyle of Lochalsh where they have purchased a second home. Meanwhile back in Cheshire a significant amount of time is spent improving the lot of those less fortunate by assisting a local charity for people with learning disabilities. The Cookson household has also hosted a number of trainee guide dogs.

Despite having so much to occupy him ‘the Mike behind the mic’ intends to describe the on track action for many years to come.

Since the proliferation of one-make categories became established in the lower formulae of car racing towards the end of the 20^th century there has been concern over the lack of opportunities for youngsters to gain experience that will be of value to the British Motorsport industry.

Helping to fill this void are the many educational establishments which offer training in the construction and preparation of competition vehicles. One example of this is the Motor Sports Bachelor of Engineering Degree course at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). Not only does this provide classroom based learning but there is also the option of getting priceless ‘hands on’ experience by being involved in the extracurricular Formula Ford racing squad.

This team is operated almost solely by foundation and first year students with just a couple of members of staff being present to guide them. Nonetheless, the outfit has a fine reputation in the paddocks of Oulton Park and Anglesey where it is a regular in the Northern FF1600 Championship. This is underscored by the fact that this season’s lead driver, Chris Chrisnall, has signed up having been impressed by the under-graduates who were on hand to assist when he joined the series in 2004 with another entrant.

Although a great advert for the Lancastrian learning establishment (the racing cars always generate plenty of interest on open days) no funding is received from the university. The budget is secured from those who are willing to get behind the wheel of the cars that are tended to by these budding Formula 1 engineers. The crew of mechanics have to deliver competitive cars to continue in business. It doesn’t get any more ‘real’ than this!

The UCLAN syllabus and the team itself were established in 2000 having evolved from a General Engineering Degree prospectus which had suffered from declining numbers. A more focussed offering reversed that trend.

Many have used the course as a springboard into their dream career. One such is Simon Laughlin who is now the General Manager of Juno UK – the manufacturer of innovative, beautifully engineered sports-racing and Formula Ford cars.

Being involved with the racing team was a key factor in giving Simon and his fellow students an edge in the job market. He says “It allowed us to develop the skills we had learnt in the workshop/classroom. We were given the opportunity to become familiar with setting up vehicles and the logistics involved with getting them out on the track. For people with so little experience the chance to be physically allowed to run a car, make decisions and influence the team is still pretty much non-existent elsewhere.”

Simon was especially impressed with the quality of the lecturers and technicians that oversee the course, who he says “…are hugely knowledgeable and supportive. They passed on invaluable advice but also allowed enough room for personal learning and development.”

The exposure available to the world of powered competition extends far beyond four-wheels, infact sometimes no wheels are involved at all(!) as the roster of tutors includes 2008 British F3 Hovercraft Champion, Tony Broad. Meanwhile a Tuesday night motorsports club is the time when engine building skills are practiced. Racing motorcycles are also prepared on club nights, in the past these bikes have competed at Macau and in the Bol d’Or 24 Hours.

There are no regrets in Simon’s mind about doing the course. “I will be forever grateful that I attended UCLAN,” he confirms “as the staff nurtured us while we learnt. We also enjoyed life and motorsport along the way! I would have no hesitation in recommending both the university and the course to anybody looking towards a career in Motorsport. Once studying at the Preston campus it is a no brainer to then become involved in the race team.”

For more details about the course see http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/courses/MotorSportsBEng.php

Dave Williams

This is an early Chris Coulson film, made in 2000, filmed at Snetterton, is all about a Lotus 69.   The 69 was built for the 1970 season, and was used in various different classes, including Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula Atlantic.  This particular car is in Formula Ford specification.