The motorsport world converges on the UK every July, with this year’s British Grand Prix hosting a record 565,000 fans across the weekend, followed by a sell-out Goodwood Festival of Speed showcasing the great and the good of the sport.
A recent survey showed that less than half of the 26.2 million of Britons that see themselves as a motorsport fan are aware that they can get involved in the sport. While football pitches and tennis courts are booked by followers of the Men’s Football World Cup and Wimbledon Tennis during or after the event, it is equally as easy to find and fund a competitive motorsport activity.
National Motorsport Week aims to show that there is a motorsport for everyone, whether competing or volunteering. Many clubs are holding taster events this week and a new Motorsport UK guide shows that it is much easier to take part than you might think, with many accessible disciplines suited to all levels of experience.
There are 14 different motorsport disciplines, split into five groups and covering all budgets and abilities, many open to a wide range of ages. The guide takes you through every one of these, with easy-to-follow instructions on what’s needed and the costs involved – in many cases highly affordable.
Here’s a quick summary of the disciplines – for more information click here to access the guide:
Grassroots
Autotest, AutoSOLO and trials are easy and inexpensive to enter; all that’s needed is a free RS Clubman licence and a road car. Events cost from £30 and take place on grass fields or closed car parks – think of them as the closest thing to a parkrun on wheels. The object is simple; manoeuvre around a course made up by cones, the fastest time wins.
Speed
This category covers a variety of disciplines, competing against the clock in hill climb and sprint with an RS Interclub licence, crash helmet, with events costing from £120. For similar costs, autocross is the next step up from autotests, with a longer course and higher speeds on grass or stubble field. For those wanting to compete against others, rallycross mixes circuit racing and rallying in short, sharp bursts of action with costs starting at £150.
Or there’s drag racing; the ultimate challenge for speed addicts and it’s easy to take part at Santa Pod in your own road car.
Offroad
For owners of SUVs and crossovers there are a variety of cross country events which take place on a variety of terrain and require just a free RS Clubman licence. Events cost from just £15 and take place at quarries, on farm land, in woods and cater from the curious to the adventurous driver.
Rally
Rally events have two competitor roles: driver and navigator. The most accessible are road rallies on public roads or private land at road-legal speeds and costing as little as £30 or there are stage rallies which require more car – and safety – preparation but much higher speeds and require a licence test to compete.
Race
An accessible way in is through esports where beginners can even start with a games console. Alternatively arrive-and-drive karting packages are available to all ages, requiring just protective clothing and a karting licence.
Circuit racing requires a test to be completed in order to obtain a licence but there are many arrive-and-drive packages available as well as a hugely diverse range of championships from small hatchbacks to single-seaters.
Volunteering
Volunteering is both easy to get into and inexpensive with a huge variety of roles from marshalling, officiating, timekeeping and scrutineering amongst those available as well as many club roles. It gets you closer to the action, gives a great sense of achievement in making motorsport happen and is also a really effective way to find out more about the sport if you’re planning to compete.
The guide also shows the basics required to get involved and how to get started as well as how to find a club. Motorsport can be highly addictive but with accessible events happening throughout the year there’s no reason to miss out!
Click here to access the guide.