We know that motorsport isn’t necessarily the easiest sport to get into. But this shouldn’t be the case, and is something we’re looking to change! Eastern Counties Motor Club strives to support new people to get involved in motorsport across all roles and disciplines.
There are so many ways to get involved in motorsport across the East Anglian region, whether you’d like to compete as a driver or navigator, or take part in another role to get closer to the action such as marshalling. So here’s our guide compiling our key advice and guidance to help you to get started!
Our first tip would be to come to an event and see what it’s all about! We have so many disciplines of motorsport in our region, and if you haven’t been involved in motorsport previously, we completely understand that it can be confusing to know exactly what these entail.
When we talk about motorsport, we’re talking about the four-wheeled kind! Our National Governing Body is called Motorsport UK and covers the following disciplines:
- Autocross
- Autotest
- Circuit Racing
- Cross Country
- Drag Racing
- Drifting
- Hill Climb
- Karting
- Rallycross
- Rallying
- Sprint
- Trials
Many of the above disciplines you can take part in using your everyday road car, and these disciplines are promoted under the ‘Street Car’ banner, which is an initiative from Motorsport UK designed to show which events can be participated in using a ‘normal’ road car. These events include variations of Autotests, Rallying, Trials and Cross Country. More information on the Street Car disciplines can be found here.
The majority of our events take place in and around Suffolk, but we also work closely with other motorsport clubs across East Anglia. Between us, events are held for most of the disciplines listed above. You can find our list of events here, and the full regional calendar here.
An overview of all of the disciplines in our region can be found below –
Have a look at the events calendars and come along to have a watch to see what it’s all about. We’d always recommend contacting the club or organiser beforehand, so that they can provide you with information and come and chat to you on the day. Many of our events are open to spectators, or if you’d like to get closer to the action, you can sign-up to marshal. Marshalling is a great way to meet new people and learn about the disciplines on offer. Typical roles on an event include helping to set-up equipment, looking after a specific test or post, operating start and finish controls. As a thank you for volunteering, you’ll usually be rewarded with a free lunch or some goodies! New marshals will always be supported by those more experienced and training is provided before the event by undertaking Motorsport UK’s online training and on the day with event officials.
Once you’ve been to an event or two and know what discipline(s) you’re most interested in, if you’re looking to compete, you will need something called a competition licence to take part in an event. There are a number of difference licences available, covering a range of disciplines and levels of competition from clubman events taking place on your doorstep to national and international levels. When you’re first starting out in motorsport, the licence you are most likely to require is called an RS Clubman licence. This is completely free-of-charge and will enable you to compete in grassroots events (such as car trials, autosolos, navigational rallies and targa rallies) as a driver, navigator or passenger. More information on the various licences available can be found here. If you’re unsure what type of licence you will need, please do get in contact with us, or Motorsport UK, and we’d be happy to help!
The other thing you will need to take part in an event is a club membership. Joining your local motorsport club is a great step to find out more about the types of motorsport on offer in your area, to meet new people and get advice. Here at Eastern Counties Motor Club we have members involved across all roles and disciplines, all of whom are happy to help and share knowledge to support you in your motorsport journey!
If you’re looking to compete as a driver, you will also need to consider car preparation and ensuring that your vehicle meets the regulations for that discipline. Generally, if you’re looking to participate in a ‘Street Car’ discipline, you won’t need to do much (if any) specialist car preparation to compete, and can turn up in your usual road going car. Motorsport UK publishes the National Competition Rules (NCR), formerly known as the ‘blue book’ or yearbook, which outlines the rules and regulations for all roles and disciplines in Motorsport. It is a very long document with lots of technical information, but it’s definitely worth reading the sections relating to the discipline(s) you’d like to participate. The most recent version of the NCR can be found here. It can be a complicated read at times, so please do shout if you need help with anything and don’t suffer in silence!
All that’s left to say is good luck and enjoy! If we can help you in any way then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us.