04 March 2006 - Equipment,
GPR
Today is shopping day. I need some compulsory equipment
in order to compete, and some non-compulsory, but nice-to-have-fireproof
items too. Back down to Silverstone, then and to GPR
(Grand Prix Racewear) to get kitted out in some overalls.
After much trying on of various shapes and sizes of race
apparel, the best-fitting overall was deemed to be an OMP suit, fortunately
positioned at the lower end of the price range. Suits vary from around
£200 to four times that, with the higher prices generally benefitting
from lighter materials and the 'shiny' finish, as seen in F1.
To complete the fireproofing, Sparco underwear, socks,
balaclava and gloves were added - a convincing outfit in which to get
on track. The finishing touch is the helmet and the second most comfortable
option for my particular headshape, after the £800 Arai GP5, was
the Sparco Formula. It's Sparco's most popular model and at £225+VAT
(the helmet is no longer zero-rated for VAT since it is labelled unsuitable
for motorcycle use), is a sensible price for the novice racer.
Additionally, GPR sell the useful Circuit Guide publications,
and a folder containing this much information about all the UK's circuits
for only £35 seems a bit of a bargain. You can buy online at www.circuitguides.com,
but you'll have to pay an additional £8 for delivery so it's worth
picking up a copy while you're sorting your suits and boots.
20 March 2006 - Club Membership,
Championship Registration
A few loose ends to tie up today. First off, I need to
register with the championship in which I will race. Each championship
has a coordinator, or organising body through which you can register
to race. Fees vary between championships and can range from next to
nothing, up to hundreds of pounds. The coordinator can be contacted
in many cases through the series web site and this is true of Dave Abbott,
the coordinator for Formula
Jedi. The forms are fairly simple, requiring personal details and
some information about the vehicle you intend to race. Some extra information
may be taken for publicity use during the season, such as your racing
history or that of your car.
Entry into championships is usually also subject to being
a member of its organising club. There are many clubs which regularly
organise race meetings, some specialising in specific types of motorsport
or vehicles, such as the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC)
or Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC),
or more general motorsport such as the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC),
British Automobile Racing Club (BARC)
or British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC).
It is the latter of these which runs the Formula Jedi Championship so
I am required to become a 'Racing Member' at a cost of £150. Non-racing
and Junior BRSCC memberships are available at much lower prices and
this price includes a one-off joining fee of £15.
With cheques in the post for the membership and registration,
the admin work is complete until I need to register for my race entry.
This can be done for a full season at once or, as in my case, for individual
rounds.
