After watching Rush (Lauda-Hunt film released in 2013) and drinking an undisclosed number of beers a few friends and myself (but mainly myself) were thinking of getting into some amateur motor racing. Not to be competitive or anything, just to have fun in a car off the street, work on the car and to hone our driving skills. Now that I've left my weekend job I've been doing some research into the different series but can't quite find one that fits the bill. (no carting pls)
I was hoping that some of you might have some experience and would be able to steer us in the right direction.
We were initially really keen on IPRA and thought the 360 chassis would be well suited until we read about the damned tyre regulations (spending $1000 on tyres every event to be competitive). We don't really mind if it's tarmac or gravel, time attack or rally, but we were hopjng that it would meet some of the below points;

- IPRA style formula - aka flexible on mods but not to the point where the richest man wins.
- Reasonable ongoing cost
- VIC/NSW
- Car can be driven to the event?
- Swapping drivers ok

Over in Scandinavia they have a dedicated Volvo 360 series, kind of like the excel rallys we have here - schwifty!




Cheers all.
Forget IPRA unless you want to spend, even as a grid filler it can be expensive.
If you don't mind not racing the 360, have a look at the MX5 cup @ Wakefield, it was a very keenly priced formula that suited everyone. Try Deckspeed for info.

The cheapest and most friendly motorsports are hillclimb events.
These days a 360 is a bit behind the times.
Look at say a manual S40 or S40 Turbo as they are affordable, handle well and you won't come last. And nice and comfy on the drive home.
@tbro I agree, on further research roughly $2000 per event after fees, travel, tyres and fuel puts IPRA out of reach for a bunch of uni students.
I guess my attraction of the 360 was the cheap purchase price, 1000kg of well distributed weight, rwd, transaxle and the fact I have a bunch of spare redblock parts!
Not sure I can bring myself to buy a miata yet...although apparently they are great fun.
I'll have to have a look into these hillclimb events you speak of @Anthony
Thanks guys
Cheap Car Challenge at Marulan is the best bang for your buck for actual racing. We budget on $400 each, but that's a realistic budget* to run in the top half of the field, and usually inside the top ten. You could definitely do it cheaper.

There are also super sprints and hillclimbs on tar and khanacrosses on dirt. Of motorkhanas on either. All are significantly cheaper than door to door racing, although super sprints are getting pretty crazy in terms of how seriously people are taking them. Most of these events will allow/encourage two drivers per car, sometimes more.

A 360 looks much better on paper than it is in real life. If you are hell-bent on a RWD Volvo, a 240 is a better choice - not least because a 360 is not really any lighter than a 240.
I second Anthony's suggestion of a first get X40. Way easier to live with, faster for any given budget. My stock 2.0 NA road car did consistent 53.5s at Marulan, the T4 road car did 1:21s with some ancient road tyres that I hadn't even checked the pressures in. Both with a "I need to drive this home" attitude. Race car (which is fundamentally stock) does consistent mid-high 51s at Marulan.

Aforementioned NA road car is for sale (cheap) if you're beyond the thinking about it phase.

Also, beware having too many people involved, especially if you're motorsport novices. You never know which apparently sensible mate turns out to be a total lunatic behind the wheel, or the bloke who is super keen loses interest the instant he discovers that he's 1 second slower than the fastest, or...
There is a cautionary tale of a particular rally car where five people each owned a half share...
So get that shit clear before money is spent. Talk about what happens if it gets crashed, etc. All of this is why the race car belongs to me alone, and why my preferred team is my wife and two of my best, long term mates who all have plenty of motorsport experience...
(Semi-edit: that sounded more negative than it should - much fun will he had with a shared car. Just make sure you're all on the same page).

*Everyone underestimates the true running costs of cars, especially for motorsport. $400 might sound scary, but includes an accurate average of the costs of consumables, and fuel for the tow car.




How do you get a small motor racing budget? Start with a big one and the rest looks after itself.

Good luck and the guys have made some very good points.

The Hyundi Excel series up in Qld offers some real value for money motorsport.

At Lakeside and QUeensland Raceway you can enter a sprint session for under $200. Most race meets are closer to $300 then you add Tyres, fuel and mechanical and the costs add up. AASA licence costs under $100 a year but minimum Cams is closer to $250 a year and $500 if you want to race.
Khanakross is the cheapest
Ive been running in a 16v 740 i was given for free on some second hand rally tyres i got from @spac for $40 each
I consistently run in the top 50%

I do miss the 10v 850 i sold to @PaddlerEd
I had less than $1500 in it and was running in the top 2 places in every event
It even had ice cold ac!
peterwgpa;103646 wroteHow do you get a small motor racing budget? Start with a big one and the rest looks after itself.

Good luck and the guys have made some very good points.

The Hyundi Excel series up in Qld offers some real value for money motorsport.

At Lakeside and QUeensland Raceway you can enter a sprint session for under $200. Most race meets are closer to $300 then you add Tyres, fuel and mechanical and the costs add up. AASA licence costs under $100 a year but minimum Cams is closer to $250 a year and $500 if you want to race.
Those sprint sessions get pretty intense at times, just ask Joey with his Celica and a certain commodore driver.

@Spac makes a good point about co-drivers, I make sure that they can afford to replace the car in a worse case, replace a motor or pay for panel work, thankfully Matt R never had to do it (I stuffed it)

It's good fun just can get a bit out-there.
Keep in mind Sam is in Melbourne..
I've been doing autocross, khanacross and motorkhanas at Avalon (Geelong Motorsport complex) for about 4 years now with mates. These are all on gravel and you have to run road tyres to reduce costs for all.

We ran my 240 for a few years and it was fantastic fun with reasonable times even on a tight motorkhana course. 240s are coming here most meets with mid range times. We drove this to/from the track which was great until you run into issues and need to do bush mechanics to limp home.

We now have 3 equal shares in a $450 Impreza which is a good change re the driving experience. We hire a $80 trailer each race to not need rego, insurance and the worry of reliability.

At our club, autocross is $50 and runs every 2 months. Khanacross is $35 every 2 months (alternates with autocross). And motorkhanas are $20 every month. So there're plenty of opportunities to race when you have spare time.

Here you can have upto 3 drivers per car, even with 3 it can be a tight turn around between changing drivers and getting back in the queue to all be in the same numbered run and not annoy the time keepers too much.

This is a great entry level which will give you the rush, competitive fix and many 'if I push any harder I might total the car or myself' moments.
Winton would likely have more cost effective and more relaxed approach than Phillip Island but the Vics will know better
@Spac and @peterwgpa thanks for the replies, both insightful and what I was after.

Cheap car challenge looks sweet but it's abit of a trek - Might be sick of driving by the time we arrive! I'll have a look into some of the other classes you mentioned, cheers.

I'm sure it could get complicated, especially if somebody had an off - something we'll have to factor in for sure. That being said, half of us like building cars more than driving them (or seem to spend more time doing so) so there is that!
@Philia_Bear and @240Joe thanks for the advice also. Sounds like autocross or khanacross with a stock car is the go to get the feet wet - and then down the line build a dedicated car for a class of door to door racing if all goes well! I live near Sandown and Phillip Island so I'll see if they offer anything along those lines.
Cheers
Sundown is a few times a year track that is not cheap.
There's also the historic rally association (HRA) over your side, I'm not sure what the rules are about multiple drivers but the cars need to be pretty standard. There're quite a few 240s in that club. Some come over to Avalon for events between rallies.
HRAs standard car challenge is a good low cost option if you're interested in rally. Best suited to those racing with a drive-the-car-home attitude. 240s have proven a popular option as they are tough enough to actually finish races and sitting in line waiting for an autocross run in air conditioned comfort is a great option.
Some events such as the Bagshot Rallysprint allow multiple drivers per car.
There is a guy running a 360 at avalon for autocross. Something has to be said for not having the longer overhangs of a 240 at that track.
Just buy something cheap, remove as much weight as u can and start.try hill climbs, sprints etc
If you get the bug then start looking through gumtree eBay etc for parts. The car can evolve with you and your skill level.
You will soon sort out who is who amongst your friends.
I have to agree with the others about the 360, unless you already own one there would be a lot cheaper alternatives to going fast. That transaxle is not fantastic and upgrading is expensive. I've just purchased a 242 rolling shell to do the same.
Wakefield Park in NSW do "Speed off the streets" days. Other tracks probably do the same.

Its not racing, but pretty much private practice on a race track. You could spend a day there in your own car for under $200 including 12 months licence, helmet hire, some fuel, and lunch. Bring along a few mates (for moral support and a tow car/trailer) and off you go. A good way to get a cheap introduction and see if you want to take it any further. Just do some basic preparation to your car before you get there such as a oil change/service, ensure you have plenty of meat on the brake pads, and bleed the brakes so you have fresh brake fluid in the system - your brakes will get HOT!. The biggest mistake i have seen over the years is people spending a ton of money on a vehicle before they even have worked out if it is something they really want to do.
if you car is pre 1979, there is a club call GEAR. In QLD you can get a license just to run Ipswich and lakeside raceways. GEAR has about 10 outings a year. They divide you into speed groups and you get 4 20 minute runs, im off tomorrow with my 76 year old father who is having his 1st run.
He's not in Queensland! He's in Victoria!
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