First Season Newbie Check List - Please Check for me! :-)

[funky munky]

David,

excellant advice, I have replaced the harnesses this year, forgot the split pins !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! back out in garage tonight

[Paul Morcom]

Eligibility is mainly down to local regs (club running the event) and if you got it wrong then they will move you to the appropriate class.

Otherwise it is compliance with MSA rules and this is fairly straight forward but can be seen as a minefield and scrutineers then tend to have their own hot topics or have been advised for good reason to look at something specific. For example there was a crash at Pembrey (Westfield) where the seat belt/harness mounts failed on impact (Driver fine). So for a while did lots of checks of harness mounts and welding thereof.

Other things I have heard of but never personally experienced are things like alloy wheel nuts are not allowed, battery securely mounted (nothing worse than one of these flying around the foot well or engine bay depositing acid everywhere), fuel cap secure. Catalytic converters are only for year 2000 registered cars and newer.

Lots of little things which can vary from event to event. But don't worry there is always help on hand from fellow WSCC SS people on the day to fix anything.

With Westfields the common place to tow is from the roll bar/cage. Put the sticker on well away from a camera or GPS sensor and also maybe mark with a couple of bits of tape to indicate the precise part of the bar to tow from.

Yes battery earth lead should be yellow (wrap in yellow insulating tape) also battery terminals must be covered.

Also worth considering is catching up with a local SS competitor to have your car checked over before your first event, will take a lot of stress away on the morning of your first event. You will be stressed, we all were the first time our cars are scrutineered, but accept it and try to relax. You are doing the right think by asking these questions here and well before tour first event. But generally a well maintained Westfield plus a few mandatory safety items (that you have already noted) will be ok.

I agreed with woodman (Stuart), that additional throttle spring looks suspect, scrutineers are likely to be all over it. If you want to keep then make a bracket and ensure the spring is straight and not rubbing/catching on anything.

[Mid life crisis]

An easy place for the tow stickers is on the pasanger side of your rollbar, one facing front and one facing back. Then take some tape that contrasts the colour of your bar.

Go around the bar each side of the tow stickers, so as to indicate where they put the rope

Must type faster

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

Fire Extinguishers are not needed on any Sprint & Hillclimb cars. If you have a hand held one in the car make sure it is firmly fixed and cannot come out of it's mount and hit you or someone else in a crash, otherwise you will be asked to take it out. This is good advice for any car.

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

issues i have experienced/witnessesed over the past 2 seasons

 

1) regplate on the front of the car (for road-going) we had to make one.

2) wheel nuts need to show thread, cheated bought a captivated ones.

3) battery needs to be secure.

4) dont forget timming struct!

5) helmet need to be a proper one not a motorbike one.

6) Cars paperwork

 

 

best tip:

the paddock is a friendly place and if you get stuck someone will always help! especially pandas!

 

cheers

 

john

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

nick,

 

will i get away with just white numbers on a blue car or do i need to do the white background job?

 

cheers

 

john

[alexander72]

put white squares on mate... make the car go quicker mine do ......

[Mid life crisis]

White numbers are fine

 

 

But a sheet of white stick on fablon with black numbers looks better

 

[alexander72]

I have made my white stickers on my are out of white board material so I can draw the numbers on with a dry marker pen and then wipe them off.... handy i thought for shopping list's or general "aide memoire" as well.....

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

John, Sprints & Hillclimbs are not as strict about numbers as Racers. Do you are generally fine to use numbers which contrast to your car colour. Just put them in a place where the timekeeper can easily see them.

[Paul Morcom]

I have made my white stickers on my are out of white board material so I can draw the numbers on with a dry marker pen and then wipe them off.... handy i thought for shopping list's or general "aide memoire" as well.....

You will look a right numpty if your "dry marker" runs or smudges in the wet - you won't know what to buy when you get to the shops. :-)

[alexander72]

It's ok Phil, Debbie (Team Manager) has some waterproof mascara i can use.....

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

John, Sprints & Hillclimbs are not as strict about numbers as Racers. Do you are generally fine to use numbers which contrast to your car colour. Just put them in a place where the timekeeper can easily see them.

Thanks....

[alexander72]

Please could someone advise how much petrol we are allowed to carry/store in paddocks please?  thanks in advance, james 

[Paul Morcom]

I have never had the quantity of fuel checked at any event and we sprinters would carry and use a fraction of what the circuit racing lads use. I normally have 2-3 20l metal jerry cans of higher octane fuel in my trailer. However.....

There is some crazy nanny-state legislation that states the maximum you can store at home and what in. Regulations also control the garages and sets a maximum you can buy in plastic or metal containers at a single time (there was a topic on this forum some time ago on the very same subject). Never had a problem filling 2 or 3 jerry cans at one time but I think the legal max is only one. I once had a guy on the garage forecourt PA system refusing to start the pump because I unloaded 3 jerry cans to fill up. I went to the counter and explained that I was on my way to compete in motorsport and needed the fuel and he said fine; fill up with as much as you need mate.