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