Getting Started

Licence and Club Membership

Bristol Motor Club Championships are open only to paid-up members of Bristol Motor Club. No additional fees are payable aside from entry fees to the events themselves but participants must hold a Motorsport UK Competition Licence where required to enter the qualifying rounds.

You can join the club here – Click
It costs £20 per year but means you can enter a wide range of motorsport events plus various club activities.

You don’t need to do every event, some competitors choose to only do Autosolos, whereas others only do Speed events (Sprints and Hillclimbs).  You will need a licence from Motorsport UK though.  This is just a paperwork exercise and actually very straight-forward.  It costs £69 per year.
This needs to be a “RS Inter Club” if you want to participate in Sprints or Hill Climbs.
For Autosolos, you just need a free “RS Clubman” licence.

You can apply for your licence at the MotorsportUK website: https://www.motorsportuk.org/competitors/competition-licences/

Once you’re a member of the Motor Club and you have your licence then keep an eye out on social media for when the organising club issues their event invitations. We’ll be notified when they’re issued so will also make sure we post them on the Bristol Motor Club social media platforms too. To secure a spot at events it’s often good practice to get your entry in early as it’s not uncommon for events to fill up in hours.  

The championship is regulated by Motorsport UK so this means, for sprints and hillclimbs, you need an appropriate helmet, a race suit and gloves [note: this equipment is not required for Autosolos].  As a minimum, you need to have:

Equipment

• Helmet – Keeping this guide concise, the most common standard is a FIA helmet conforming to one of the following:
  FIA 8860-2004 (Avoid as they’re not valid after 31.12.20)
  FIA 8860-2010
  FIA 8859-2015
  Some SNELL and SFI helmets are allowed but not very common.

  Most motorsport helmets you’ll find in the retail outlets will most likely be FIA 8860-2010 or 8859-2015.
  Karting Helmets are NOT permitted

• Race Suit – The most common type of suit will be an FIA 8856-2000 suit.  Again, this is most likely what you’ll find in a retailer.  

• Gloves – Again, these need to be FIA 8856-2000

• Boots – These are optional but most people will buy them to gain extra feel, not to mention the extra protection they bring.

Where to buy your equipment

There are many retailers, this is not a recommendation or endorsement but are typical places where you might buy the above equipment.

• Autosport Show (January every year) – https://www.autosportinternational.com
  This is a great place to try on lots of gear and usually get ~10% discount.  Saves messing around trying to find the right size.

• Demon Tweeks – https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/
  Well known retailer with a good range of gear.

• Merlin Motorsport – https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk
  Based at Castle Combe so useful if you need something quick.

Car Modifications for Sprints and Hillclimbs

If you plan on entering Sprints or Hillclimbs you will need a timing strut which fits to the front of the car which essentially provides an appropriate silhouette to activate the timing equipment. These can be bought however the majority of competitors make them from plywood or aluminium sheet cut to size, painted matt black and attached to the number plate plinth. The specifics are in the Blue Book Rule S.10.9

Your ignition switch must be clearly marked with the “On-Off” position. A sticker, visible to a marshall, adjacent to the ignition barrel will usually suffice.

The negative lead on the car battery must be marked with yellow tape.

Competition numbers must be displayed clearly on a contrasting background on both sides of the car (S.9.2.5) to the satisfaction of the Chief Timekeeper. We’ll endeavour to liaise with the organising club to try and maintain the same competition number for your sprints and hillclimbs throughout the season. 

This list is not exhaustive therefore for peace of mind please refer to the Blue Book section S.