Attitude/philosophy to building a motorsport car.
Been kicking the idea of this post around in my head for a while now, but was finally motivated by some new blokes at the Deputy 4hour Enduro yesterday. They'd built their car on a budget and appeared to have spent their limited money wisely.
EXCEPT... they'd also bought a super-bling billet quick shifter that "cost more than the car"... This sort of thing happens all the time- people pour money into "cool" parts that offer no real benefit.
I also see a lot of well-meaning advice instructing newbies that they "must have" things that are absolutely optional.
Building race cars is fun and we all love cool stuff, but the reality is that none of us has an unlimited budget and it is easy to get lost... so here's my list of priorities.
A) A car that passes scrutineering. If they don't let it on the track, then you've wasted your time and money, simple as that.
Make sure the car meets the safety standards, meets the class rules, is built to an adequate standard, and is in acceptable condition.
B) A car that meets YOUR safety standards. Lots of people love to moralise with idiotic statements about "Never compromise on safety", but those statements are stupid and unhelpful - you're increasing your risk by competing so you've compromised your safety right from the start.
What you really need to do, is have a long, hard think about the risk vs reward that you are comfortable with, and ensure that your car and your driving fit in with that.
C) A car that will make it to the end of the event. A slow car that keeps running will always beat the fast car that breaks down (with few event-format-specific exceptions), and more motorsport is more fun, right?
For example, If you work out that your car regularly breaks the diff, then fix it before you go spending money on anything else.
There's an old saying that goes "Fast, cheap, reliable: choose any two", and it is worth keeping in mind when you're planning on winding up the boost or whatever.
D) A car that you can afford to keep running. Sure you can scrimp and save and buy/build an awesome car, but keep in mind that the more serious the car is, the more it costs to keep running.
This also applies to your choice of car to build. I would love to build an Amazon rally car, but I don't want the hassle of chasing 50yo panels and suspension.
E) Stuff to make it fast. Exactly what that is, depends on the car and the events you're going to.
F) Bling. I want to say that shiny things are irrelevant but they're not completely so. Firstly, a pretty car keeps scrutineers happy, and secondly it is easier to work and and stay enthused about a nice car than a shitbox.