Aircooled VW South Africa

Can anyone give me some pointers on getting into the racing scene as a privateer? I've always been interested in getting a car onto a racetrack but never had the opportunity, I have an extra complete bug just sitting and also the 59 Ghia that I'm not too sure what to do with yet.
Got to some see some clips of the Volkspares bug's going round Zwartkops raceway and it really looked interesting and a lot of fun. Now that I've managed to build a Turbo 1600 ( as a rookie ) I'm interested in racing something someday,

Any advise appreciated

Try to get into the pits area of one of these races, or go with a guy that's already into the racing scene.

Look at all it involves, not just the final part, where you race the car, but all the behind the scenes things, like pits, workshop, helpers, fuel, tyres.

These are the things that scare off most guys, and by that time, you have spent so much money on a car, that you land up selling it at a lose.

Then the most important thing, go to race school, some can race, some can not, you have to be able to qualify to be able to race.

I went into racing with my Hillman Imp, but when the engine crashed, so did my bank account.

Herman

Well the next historic race is next weekend in east london so scrap that idea. BUT next month (19th May) we all going to Kyalami, so that would be a good place to come visit and look. Sure there will be 2 or 3 of the beetles there. If you want to see how Lotus Challenge does things then wonder further down the pits and I'll show you around. Tickets aren't that expensive and will give you access to walk around the pits.

I do almost all my own work on the car, set it up myself and race it. So you cant get more privateer than that. But yes, its a lot more expensive than what it seems:

Entry fee of R900 per race, fuel for the practice sessions and race R500 - R700, Tires for the season R3800 - R7200 (if you drive nicely and have a super light weight car like a Seven), Tow vehicle fuel + what ever else it needs R300 (just a figure) per race, Consumables for the race car R100 - R600, food and what not on the day R200, Fix broken bits on the car after the race R100 -R????.

Car it self - Fire extinguisher R180, Harness R1500, Sticker pack R50, Roll cage R????, Fuel cell R???, Helmet R2000+, Fire proof suit 5000 or more, gloves and shoes and underwear R2500.

You will also need to get the car race ready and get a historic tour passport for it.and a trailer to tow the car (yes you can drive the car to the track and back but what if you put it into the wall?)

To quote one our Racers "the only cheap thing in racing is the trophey" and "How do you make a small fortune in racing? you start with a big one!"

So come join us for a race day, I dont want to scare you off but there is a bit more to it than rocking up in a car. and its going to cost a few amount more than i have put in the lines above.

The best would be to start building a race car (But not an all out racing car) and then take it to open track days and try it out. There are track days every month at zwartkops, there was one today actually. If you want to go further then take it from there.

The way i started was by buying an Elise, then i didn't want to write it off so i went to the Lotus Academy in the UK and spent a day with Martin Donnelly who taught me some track stuff. I came back and took the Elise to the track, did alright on track days, then I bought a race ready Birkin, fixed it up to the Gauteng safety standards and thats what i race now. Modify and fix it inbetween each race day and enjoy every moment on track!

Join us for a day, its a really fun day out any way you look at it and then take it from there. Some of the racing guys are friendly and will chat and help.

But, feel free to bug me if you have any questions. I'll probably be racing the Formula Vee soon, there is a historic single seater race in July that I want to enter, also kyalami!

The best way to get into racing is buy a race car. Sounds silly but the building and dialing in of a car usually cracks most folks enthusiasm and bank balance way before any real racing or fun (loose term) is had.

James, please can you put up reminders in the events side closer to the races in JHB if you get the time, good to cruise out with the buses and spend a afternoon

I must agree, buying instread of building is a much cheaper and easier option Unless you are going to try revolutionary things! But then again, you dont see many racing beetles for sale. And you cant really do many revolutionary things with them that will be allowed in historic racing.

Ya, can stick up events for every one, wont ever turn down support for the historic racing scene. there really are some amazing cars on the grid, even an original 356!

Sounds like a lot of fun!! Can anyone and any car go to open track days? And what cars do you see there? (Other that the expected race cars) I would love to join sometime just to see what its like. It's been some time since I have been to any event at a track but it is always nice to attend.

Open Track days are split into 3 groups normally. Group 1 is novice drivers and small CC engines (Less than 2 liter). Group 2 is Larger engines (over 2 liters) and guys than can race/have faster smaller engined cars. Group 3 is racing cars (not single seater unfortunatley).

The Aim of track days is not to race but to drive quickly and push yourself and your car safely, hence the main rule is no overtaking round a corner (all overtaking must happen on a straight). Your car needs to be mechanically sound and you need to have a Crash helmet on (and they prefer long sleeves but not a must). Costs about R350 for the day and you will go out for 15 minutes every 50 minutes or so. so there are about 6 - 7 sessions a day you can have fun in. Passengers are allow, they just pay a small fee and can go as many times as they want/can stand.

The cars vary from track day to track day. Corsa's, astra's, citigolfs, GTI's, Porsches, Lotus, corvette's even, Nissan skylines, 350Z's, 370's and GTR's, BMW's. Merc's, Subaru's, Alfa's. Anything and everything! There aren't as many race cars as you would think, they all go to open practice wednesdays. You can even get an instructor on the day to help you.

If i'm at the track day then i'll gladly help you guys that are keen as well. the skip pan is also a lot of fun! and like half the price of the track sessions.

I would like to take my Beetle once just for the fun of it but probably won't make a habit of it. Maybe visit to support guys like you now and then. What is the next date? or few dates?

Bratjie wrote: Can anyone give me some pointers on getting into the racing scene as a privateer?

I would suggest going to a couple of track days first. You can even go with your turboed bug as the open track days are open for any car. The open days are once a month and costs R380.00 for a whole day of fun.

The racing is fun, but with the cost involved... I'm not so sure anymore. From next year we might withdraw both our cars and only go to the open track days, and those BMW track days.

Look at it this way... ok you build a car to the specs that the historics guys want.
Now the season starts,

MSA license and medical: R1800.00
HRCR membership: R450.00
= R2250.00 and you have not raced

R900 for the Zwartkops race entry
R500 for fuel

So after your first race of the season you are over R3650.00

On race day you get a 15 minute qualifying session and two 8 lap races. (call the race around 12 minutes each) So in total you have been on the track for 39 minutes. R900.00 for 39 minutes of track time..???

On a track day you get 15 minute sessions, normally you will get at least 4 sessions before lunch time which equals to 60 minutes of track time
... you see my point?

For track days, no stupid rules about how your car should look. No club fees, no MSA fees... pay your entry and petrol.

Wentzel wrote:I would like to take my Beetle once just for the fun of it but probably won't make a habit of it. Maybe visit to support guys like you now and then. What is the next date? or few dates?

Well why dont we organise to all go to a track day together one day? we can all meet up there and take our beetles out on the track? if we can get 4 or 5 bugs then it could be fun! If something happens then you atleast have friends there to help. There are clubs that are too cheap to hire out the track for themselves and then just piggy back onto a track day. so it really wont be a problem if a group of us go and have fun together. Just a thought!


Edit: Let me reword that, There are clubs that cant get 55 members together to hire the track for the day so the 30 or so members that do want to do a track day then just pile onto a standard track day....

That sounds like a plan to me. We just have to arrange well in advance or work might interfere . . . again. On which day of the month does it usually happen? Sorry Bratjie don't want to take over your post.

Its normally on the third or fourth sunday of the month. so its not so bad to make some time...

This is exactly what I suspected, WOW , it is expensive to race, and exactly what I
thought, ( not for the ordinary salary earner ) thanx's for the input but I'm sure (me being me) I will attempt to go for a track day, ( wife permitting ) I'll HAVE fun on the day, wuzzup with sponsors? any info on that? ( stiil pushing my luck) not to sound too brave but had a crack at Kyalami and ended up better than average on a superbike track day at the very first go ( A Blacbird none the less) ,Marshall called me out to go out and do the thang!!! All the same still want to know how a car behaves and what you feel inside the cockpit of a racecar even if it's not really that fast

Sponsors, well, IF you can get sponsors then you can plaster them down the side of the car and reap the financial gain which will take some of the sting out of racing!

The main differences between track day and Racing are
1. You get a standing start with other cars on the grid in a race
2. You can over take in corners in a race
3. You will have closer racing (and more chance of damaging your car) in a race

other wise the feeling is the same. On track days you can still hunt down cars in front of you, you can still get timing so you know how you doing between sessions.

Try a track day and if you cant get enough then take it further. or just become a track day junkie. A couple of guys go to every track day!

Is there a lap time limit?? Would luuurve to take the bug around a track but err what time does it close? Don't want to hold up the cleaning crew. Haha.

The group track day sounds fun hey. Count me in, probably will go with the bug, but race a gti or ST