What you need to know

The Lotus 7 Club is organising four speed events in 2006 – two at Curborough, one at Llandow and one at MIRA.

Curborough is located near the centre of the country about 2.5 miles north east of Lichfield in Staffordshire.

Llandow Circuit is located near Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales.

Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) is located near Nuneaton , Warwickshire.

These events are great opportunities to dip your toe into Club competitions and are ideal for absolute novices. This short article is designed to answer some of the questions novices usually ask.

All four of the events for 2006 are qualifying rounds of the 2006 Lotus 7 Club Speed Championship – a total of 14 events at a variety of venues. See the 2006 Lotus 7 Club Speed Championship regulations for further details.

In addition to all these events the Lotus 7 Club is invited to events organised by other clubs – see the 2006 Lotus 7 Club Speed Championship regulations.

A sprint event takes place at a tarmac covered location which in the case of Curborough and Llandow is a purpose designed track (a mini circuit) but in other cases, when run at an airfield location for instance or MIRA, may be run over a course formed wholly or partly by marker cones. Cars run alone on a track like Curborough or in the case of a very long circuit like Llandow for instance they are separated by about half a lap. In the Llandow example no overtaking is ever permitted. Each car is timed over the circuit and the lowest time wins.

A hillclimb event is very similar to a sprint event but the tarmac track usually starts at one level and rises over its length to the finish(!) Hillclimb circuits are generally old established venues, with a variety of corners and inclines. Hillclimbs require a slightly different driving technique to maximise momentum along what can be a steep course.

Cars are divided into classes so you will be competing against a car of similar engine size and specification to your own.

All Lotus 7 Club events (and our Speed Championship) use the same classes. See the Championship Regulations or 2006 Lotus 7 Club Sprint Meetings Supplementary Regulations for further details – both of these are published on Competitors Korner.

How do I enter ?

All drivers must have a competition licence which can be obtained from the MSA (Motor Sports Association). Currently you do not need to pass any tests or have a medical to get a Non-Race National B licence (the grade you need to start with) you just need to apply and you will be sent your licence in the post. Licences do not come through immediately so you should apply in good time. Accompanying your licence you will receive a copy of the “Blue Book” which contains all the rules and requirements for all types of motorsport and you will be able to refer to it to help answer many of the queries that you have.

You will find loose leaf entry forms for the Club speed events in Low Flying prior to the date of the event or in the Competitors Korner of the web site and you should complete these in the normal way. The published set of Supplementary Regulations to cover all events should be used to help you decide which class your car is eligible to enter (which you will need to decide when completing the entry form). Supplementary Regulations or “The regs” as you will probably hear people refer to them are just the rules for the event. At first sight they may look a little daunting but you will find that most of it is standard stuff and is the same or very similar for most events.

In 2005 the speed events proved very popular, especially those at Curborough which are normally oversubscribed. Entries open when the Entry Form is published and entries are accepted on a first-come first-served basis. Lotus 7 Club events at Curborough have a maximum of 80 entries – hence they quickly become oversubscribed. The Club events at MIRA and Llandow have larger available entries and are just as suitable for novices and are excellent venues.

There is no way to guarantee that your entry will be accepted for an individual event. However there are some simple actions that you can take to maximise the chance of an entry being accepted:

o Fill in the Entry Form correctly!!! This seems obvious but it is surprising how many entries are rejected or delayed due to missing or incomplete information. For an oversubscribed event incorrect entries are often the first to be rejected.

o Remember to include the cheque!! Having prepared yourself and your car (see the accompanying article ‘ Preparation for Hillclimbing and Sprinting 2006’) and received confirmation of your entry acceptance you will receive Final Instructions from the Club a week or so before the event.. Please read these carefully, they will indicate what time to arrive at the event, where to park and other useful information.

When you arrive you should find out where “signing on” is taking place and make your way there to present your licence for inspection and sign the usual official paperwork. You will then be told where scrutineering is taking place and you should present your car there when instructed. For road going classes you should also have your MOT certificate and insurance documents available and all competitors should bring their club membership cards to an event.

Scrutineering is just an inspection by a qualified MSA official to ensure that your car (and you) are properly prepared according to the rules for the event. Most of the checks focus on safety related items. Most people are greatly worried before their first scrutineering but in my experience very few people have an insurmountable problem. If you are worried before the event speak to Mark Durrant our competition Secretary (contact details are in Lowflying) who will be happy to help or post a query on the Club Speed Events section of Blatchat.

Having successfully negotiated the formalities you should listen for announcements. If you have not walked the course, particularly at an unfamiliar venue, please make sure you have time to do so. There may also be a briefing by the Clerk of the Course, particularly for newcomers to the venue.

You will normally have two practice runs and two timed runs at each event. At some venues with long circuits such as MIRA and Llandow there may be a convoy run before practice runs. Details will be in the Final Instructions.

For practice and timed runs, cars are normally collected in their classes in programme order (listen to the announcements) and allowed to proceed singly to the startline. Once at the startline the car is finally positioned between the starting timing beams by the startline marshal. You will be able to see the starting lights from this position and they will be showing Red. When the course is clear of the previous competitor the Timekeeper changes the starting lights from red to green. The driver can then start in his own time. It is important to note that the driver does not have to move at the point at which the lights change, the time recording only starts when the car begins to move.

Having completed your run you will eventually return to the paddock and await the published time for the run. Having practiced twice you take your timed competition runs. At a standard one day event, the practice runs will be held in the morning, with the timed competition runs after lunch.

You need only drive as fast as you feel comfortable with and if you are able to show a steady improvement over your runs then you should feel happy regardless of your overall position in the competition.

The beauty of this type of event is that it gives plenty of time for socialising and “tyre kicking” between runs and it continues to be probably the most friendly of motorsport disciplines with people only too happy to help or give advice.