Since my last update way back in September last year, the majority of the effort has unsurprisingly gone in to the car build. Tucked away in a cold, dusty barn in deepest rural Herefordshire resides our race car, affectionately named “Sodpig”. Just about every Sunday since I care to remember, auto mechanic superstar Luke Eversham (assisted/hindered by yours truly) has beavered away on the little Mazda, transforming it from an innocent sports convertible into a bonafide racing thoroughbred!

Although the technical regulations of the Ma5da MX5 Championship are very restrictive (there’s not a great deal you can do on the engine nor aero), turning an eighteen-year-old road car into an MSA-compliant race car requires a thorough attention to detail on all components to ensure it’s race-worthy, safe and hopefully fairly reliable.

At the time of writing, the last “big” job on the to do list is overhauling the engine, although there’s still plenty of seemingly-small jobs that usually end up demanding more time than you estimate. If all goes to plan we’re probably on track to finish the build by the end of February, giving us just over a month to squeeze in a bit of testing.

Away from the car build, our race entry has recently been accepted by the organisers (fairly important I suppose) and the car will be adorning the number 9 this season. Logistics have been considered, with team owner Keith Ratcliffe purchasing a motorhome and Brian James shuttle trailer to ensure the team and car travel in style and comfort.

Last but not least, we have a new sponsor on board – Twenty Seventeen Ltd. Based in Hereford, 2017 offer a huge range of printing and marketing services and pride themselves on their customer service. 2017 will be providing the graphics work for the car and trailer, along with all the team racewear and will be present at most of the race meetings. Needless to say, we’re chuffed to have them on board.

Next steps? Finish off the car and get some track time under our belts. Stay tuned!

Obtaining your MSA license involves several steps – some practical, some admin – but all requiring you to hand over more money. Your first step is to purchase a “Go Racing” starter pack from the MSA. This pack includes the blue book – your bible for going racing as it contains all the competition regulations – a DVD providing advice on passing your ARDS test (more below), and the all-important license application form. The pack will currently set you back £59.

Next, if you are over 18, you will need a medical assessment by your GP – there is a section on the license application form that your GP will need to complete. This includes checking your heart rate and breathing, eye sight test, urine sample and a few other bits. GPs can charge what they like for this (as far as I know) and mine relieved me of £50 for the privilege.

With the medical in the bag, it’s time to book yourself onto the ARDS (Association of Racing Drivers Schools) test. There are several racing schools in the UK that offer the test, mostly based at the main tracks in the country. Although the test itself is standard (I believe), the offering from each racing school differs in the circuit you conduct your practical on (obviously), price and the level of tuition/advice provided prior to the test. I booked myself on to the test at Castle Combe in Wiltshire (purely as it’s my local track) at a price of £320.

The test itself is made up of two parts – a written test and a driving test. Preparation for the written test is done by watching the DVD in your starter pack several times and making sure you know the flags (getting a flag wrong is an instant fail). The rest of the written test is multiple choice and is mostly common sense. The best tip I can give is make sure you read the questions properly.

On the day of my test, I turned up nice and early (we needed to be there for 8.30) and straight away my nerves kicked up a notch as the skies greyed and a drizzle set in. Through the course of the morning, the rain came down heavier and by the time I got round to sitting the practical (I was the last of three to go out) the track was sodden, with standing water in several inconvenient places.

As I headed out onto the track with the instructor riding shotgun, I was on tenterhooks. That day the circuit was being used as a test session, meaning we shared the track with all sorts of machinery, including a Ferrari 458 Challenge and several Formula Ford cars. Considering I was in a Ford Focus Zetec (and a pretty tired one at that), the difference in speed was significant and certainly added to the challenge.

Thankfully after a few laps familiarising myself with the car, track and conditions, the nerves ebbed away and I settled into something approaching a rhythm. The session lasted about twenty minutes, with the instructor (who was superb – really helped me feel at ease…possibly due to his thick west country accent) gradually giving less and less tuition. The test culminates in you having to drive two laps at a good pace (we’re not talking lap records here), taking the correct lines etc with no input from the instructor. It’s important here to be consistent and not over-do it – a spin at any point results in an instant fail.

With this accomplished, it’s back to the pits for feedback and a report card (A’s across the board, since you ask ) before sitting the written part of the test. Positively buzzing after the driving, the hardest part with the written test was actually concentrating and reading the questions properly. Thankfully following no slip-ups there, the instructors delivered the good news and the all-important ARDS racing school stamp was applied to my application form.

The final cost involved is in sending off the application for your National B racing license – you’ll need to include a cheque for £53 for that (not to mention every subsequent year you want to hold your license). Following completing six race meetings next year (hopefully), I’ll graduate to a National A license and far more importantly remove that pesky black and yellow cross off the back of my car.

A petrolhead since my early teens (I’m now 25), in recent years my interest in cars has shifted significantly from tasty road-going machines to competing in motorsport. For sure, I still stop and gawp at the sight of a gleaming Ferrari 458 cruising down the road, but these days my passion lies in the skill and science of reducing lap times and the adrenaline rush of wheel-to-wheel racing!

I’ve done a few bits of karting in the past but nothing to shout about. Over the past few years I’ve felt an increasing desire/pressure to bite the bullet and get involved in earnest. So, with the bullet well and truly devoured, the time is now. Well, next year actually, but the wheels are already in motion with the aim being to compete in the 2012 Ma5da MX5 Championship. I’ve recently attained my MSA National B racing licence (a prerequisite) and work has begun converting a road-going Mk1 MX5 into a legitimate entry for the series.

This whole experience will be one massive learning curve for me and everyone else involved in our entry. Hopefully by sharing our experiences, others will find it of interest or at the very least mildly amusing! Over the coming months I’ll post updates on the car build along with all other aspects of preparing for going racing. Then, come March, the real challenge begins!

Cheers!

P.S. Hopefully I’ll get the website looking a bit swisher in the near future as well.