good beginners rally car ?

[mitchy]

Interested in starting to do some rallies and wondered what would be a good car ?

Would also like todo some sprint and hill climbs so a car I could use for both would be good, I don't mind work in between events to allow me to use the car more.

I've always liked mk1 escorts, I know they arnt the cheapest but I could use it for the events I would like todo.

Any info much appreciated thanks.

[mitchy]

Or maybe a rwd starlet with a different engine ? I would like a rwd car really

[denkimi]

what's the budget?

[mitchy]

Well not sure but on a budget, I have seen some nice escorts for 10k with some work needed or cheaper cars then do a lot of the work myself, if you bought a standard escort in need of work for 5k say how much would it cost to make it into a rally spec ? Do you need a cage to start with ? I'm going to look at the msa regs later and have a read as to what is needed for beginner spec club classes

[Sulland]

I would have started off in a cup car. Then it is easier to check your own driver development towards the rest of the cup cars.

[mitchy]

What sort of cup car ? I'm located in cornwall so the nearest rally to me is Somerset stages and then Wales so not many around

[Sulland]

What cups are run in the UK this year, Swift ?
Any brits that knows?

[Steve Boyd]

Within the BRC there are one make cups for Citröen C2R2Max & DSR3, Ford Fiesta ST, R1 & R2, Renault Twingo R1 and Renault Twingo R2, but you'll need an International licence.
The BRC Challenge, which is made up of shortened versions of the BRC events, can be entered on a National B licence and has the Fiesta Sport Challenge for Ford Fiesta MS1 & ST cars.

[mitchy]

All the cars listed are new and in the big budget category, I would rather a escort or old starlet that I could work on and do the odd rally sprint and hill climb, I'm not to bothered what category I would be in.

I live in cornwall do the closest rally is minehead then Wales and I could never make all the rallies in one series.

Do people recommend early escorts or starlets for beginner rallying or should I do sprint first and see how it goes ?

[Steve Boyd]

Sprinting is a lot easier to get into. Just buy a licence & some basic safety gear & find an event that runs a "road car" class and you're away.

For rallying you need to buy a starter pack, go to a rally school & pass an assesment before you buy your licence. You need a cage in the car (which isn't needed for the "road car class" in sprints) and underbody protection for anything other than a smooth surface tarmac event with no jumps.

Regarding a rally car - just look at something that's already prepared that's within your budget to start with. If you're really into RWD then a BMW325 Challenge car might suit, see Home Page : 205 Cup (http://www.205cup.com/)

[mitchy]

I have a evo 6 which I could use for sprints but I'm interested in having a go at some of the close rallies etc

[mitchy]

There doesn't seem to be anything going on this year or the dates arnt out yet for the above link ?

[Fly_Half]

Peugeot 205 GTI. Relatively cheap, parts are cheap, bomb proof, and more importantly, they're still competitive.

[mitchy]

Have always liked 1.9 gti's are the gearboxes strong, unlike 106s ?

[Rollo]

There's been rally versions of the Mk1 Ford Ka and the Ford Puma. Because they're based on the Fiesta Mk4 platform, they make for really nicely handling cars.

The Astra/Kadett E had a really well sorted GSi variant which punched well above its weight and they can be had cheaply.

[mitchy]

I guess all of the above cars can be used at most events as long as its not a cup/car specific event ?

[MrJan]

Not sure how much you've already looked into this, some of this advice may be going over old ground or it could be useful.

Get on racecarsdirect.com or pistonheads classifieds section to see what's about. Somerset Stages is your closest gravel rally but you can easily find single venue stuff to start out, such as Smeatharpe near Honiton (one coming up in the next month or so I think) or possibly Portreath (not sure if they still run that one) or Predannack. Sprints wise you want to check out Camel Vale, Newquay Auto Club or Torbay MC for stuff in the area. If you have a car that will pass scrutineering for a rally then you'll almost certainly be able to enter a sprint, likewise I think the rally license will be suitable for speed events.

The best way to be sure is to check the MSA website and Yearbook (known as the Blue Book), probably a copy of last year's would be good enough to give you a fair idea.

As for type of car, well it depends on what type of rallying you want to do, will it be gravel, sealed surface (tarmac/concrete) or both? Look down the entry lists to any event and you're likely to see what type of thing people go for. Small Peugeots are most common, then Vaxhaulls etc. It really depends on what budget you're looking at, I'd advise getting a well prepped small car rather than blowing it all on something like a tatty Escort.

[mitchy]

I go to a few sprints with camel vale and newquay auto club and Plymouth motor club, id really like a rwd car tbh, I have a evo 6 I can use for sprints etc but its not rally prepped and I wouldn't want to rally it tbh

[MrJan]

I go to a few sprints with camel vale and newquay auto club and Plymouth motor club, id really like a rwd car tbh, I have a evo 6 I can use for sprints etc but its not rally prepped and I wouldn't want to rally it tbh

Have you been to St Eval then?

If RWD is what you're going for then Beemers seem increasingly popular with sealed surface drivers, lairy too. Otherwise it's just a case of trawling Pistonheads for ideas and seeing what's around for your budget. Remember that rallying needs a whole lot more prep than sprinting...plus someone willing to sit beside you stumping up cash...plus people willing to lose their weekends servicing for you.

Another event that would probably be a good one to start with is the rallysprint at Weston Super Mare, no co-driver but otherwise a rally format on a stage round an airfield.

[mitchy]

I might pop up and look at the rally sprint, how much do u think it costs for a co driver then ? It's a shame you need 2 service people as it just makes it more awkward for people to get a team and attend etc

[MrJan]

I might pop up and look at the rally sprint, how much do u think it costs for a co driver then ? It's a shame you need 2 service people as it just makes it more awkward for people to get a team and attend etc

I think that a lot of drivers ask a co-driver to chip in with running costs, TBH it's not something I've looked into because the prep/expense of rallying is so off putting (entry fees alone are crazy, especially as there's no guarantee that nothing will go wrong in the first stage). I'm strictly a spectator when it comes to rallying, reserve competing for sprints/hillclimbs where we can pretty much do nothing to the car between events.

[mitchy]

That is one thing putting me off tbh, I might just build a kit car for sprints hillclimbs trackdays etc atleast I have some local events and they cost under a 100 quid to get to and including entry lol

[Allyc85]

I might be wrong, but I think this years Weston Rallysprint was the last due to the airfield being redeveloped.

[MrJan]

If you have an MSA license then a test day at Llandow is good value, think it's about £75 for 3 hours track time to do as many laps as you like, plus £15 for additional drivers. Only downsides are that it's in Wales and weekdays only.

[mitchy]

Sounds good ill have a look around on Google and see what I can find, I would like a rally car thou, I could do an occasional rally but sprints and hillclimbs in it to, what are evos like as rally cars, I know they won the wrc etc but as more of a rally car for someone new to it ?

[Darren Jones]

I started 5 years ago at 17 in a 205, that was a great car to learn in but now the cars are getting less and less. I always run my cars cheaply and the 205 could be quite un-reliable at times as lets face it the base car is just a basic car built to get from A to B, its always going to rattle apart and if your like me havnt got the time to put into it you will spend alot of money on retirements.

Always been obsessed with escorts, was my first car and only just brought myself to part with it but bottom line with MK2's is if you dont have the money they are worth too much to driver properly.

If your after fun and RWD best car I can reccomend is an E30 BMW 325. Built like tanks and very cheap parts, You wont ever make a beamer as good as an escort but I would challenge anyone to have more fun than me in a rally!

They are getting more common now so you can always compare your times on rallies against them, also there is the challenge which Im doing this year, plenty of beginners abd experienced drivers who are full of advice. Great forum where any question asked gets answered and it is definley the most social championship to do! By far the cheapest and most fun rallying out there