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February 07, 2013 at 12:21 PM

This article outlines my preparation of a standard 1275 Midget to be eligible for the Luffield Hillclimb and Sprint championship, and is an overview of my particular car and preferences, not meant to be exhaustive, or cover every car set-up or every detail, but I hope it helps anyone considering competing with their car. If you are needing some advice, then its best to check with a seasoned competitor before showing up at an event. The Luffield forum is a good place to start with your questions, but hopefully this will help with some of the basics.

Firstly let’s deal with the requirements for the Motor Sport Association (MSA), who set the rules and regulations for these events.  Apply for a licence first, that’s quite straightforward, no tests involved, and can be done online, then make sure you have regulation race suit, helmet and gloves. A standard road going car, either soft top or roofed, does not need to have a roll bar fitted, or a race harnesses – standard seat belts are sufficient. What does need doing is to mark up the ignition switch with an arrow in the ignition key off direction. Stickers are available from most motorsports suppliers, but equally, a piece of white tape on the dash with the word OFF and an arrow does the trick.

The windscreen is recommended to be laminated, but toughened windscreens are eligible, so no worries for the older cars. Some scrutineers insist on taping up headlamps, others don’t, so best leave that one to the event, and take a roll of tape with you!

In the engine bay, make sure all pipe work and wiring is secured, pipes are in good condition with no leaks - nothing more than should be checked for normal road use anyway. With the standard engine, the crankcase breather pipe is plumbed into the inlet system, so no additional catch tank is required. It is mandatory to have a secondary throttle return spring. On my Midget, it already has a spring on each carb and one on the balancing spindle, so that seems to fit the bill. The earth cable on the battery needs some yellow tape around it near the battery terminal. While you are in this area, check that the battery is securely clamped, and the terminals well insulated.

Something that is a bit obvious, is to take everything out of the car that’s loose. More an issue if you drive the car to events, sunglasses case, satnav etc from inside the car and tools, spare wheel etc from the boot – all good at rolling around at inopportune times, and the scrutineer will not be impressed if you leave them in.

Whilst thinking of loose items, wheel trims and wheel weights need to have some attention. Stick-on wheel weights are advised to be secured with tank tape over the top for additional security and any wheel centre caps removed that could fly off during the event.

One stipulation that does need some attention is that the passenger compartment needs to be sealed from the engine bay and boot. On the Midget, this means replacing the fibreboard rear panel with a fire resistant panel, not all models have this issue, so doesn’t apply to all MG’s. A little thought is needed to work out how to cut the correct shape to replace the fibreboard, I made mine in 2 aluminium pieces to make it simpler. Also the side inner panels have large pressed holes behind the trim, leading into the boot, these need a plate over as well.

    

On the engine bulkhead, check that all grommets are in place and any gapping holes are taped over, or blanked off - a nut and bolt can be useful.

Finally a timing strut to trigger the timing beam is needed. It must conform to the MSA required size, but this is quite straightforward, and is usually a piece of folded metal, generally bolted to the number plate fixing. Make it simple, as it’s something that has to be fitted at the event, and taken off before venturing back on the road home, if you are not trailering the car.

 For the Luffield championship, a fire extinguisher is mandatory, which can fit neatly just in front of the passenger seat in my case.

Entry numbers are required on the day (and not visible when the car is on the road. These can be purchased as a pack of numbers, but black or white tape can be pressed into service to make up the numbers. No one seems to complain as long as the numbers are legible, although most people buy them to save the hassle.

For the road going classes in the |Lufield championship, tyres need to come from the MSA standard road going tyre List 1A, which exclude exotic tyres, handy for keeping costs down, and does cover most of the “normal” road tyre makes. The more modified classes are allowed sticky tyres from List 1B, so check the rules for which class you are going to enter.

In keeping with the basic road going class of the Luffield championship, very few modifications are allowed, but there are other classes to enter, so most cars can fit in somewhere. However, a decision is required about how far to go with modifications, or if already done, which class your car fits into. The essential is making sure all the mechanics are in good condition, just as you would for the road. I chose to fit a safety harness (must be 4 point fixing) and roll bar (the design of which is not regulated in the road going class, but makes sense to use a recognised supplier and follow the fitting instructions), but its down to the individual, and the car - the more modern MGs come with much better safety protection as standard than the 70’s Midget has.

As in all events, it pays to read the rules! The Luffield championship are on the MGCC website, and quite straightforward, the MSA rules come in a big blue book, and on disc, when you get your licence. These are a bit more weighty to wade through, but hopefully this article will help you look for the areas required. The main thing is to get out there, it’s one the easiest way into motorsport, and can be undertaken with our cars as standard, and have a lot of fun. There is a beginners guide on the Luffield Championship web site, which guides you through the first event, so see you out there this season?

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