My Stock Hatch is ready and tested

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Some of you may know im entering the 750 stock hatch championship this year so i went on search for xr2 ......... after a long search i found one and a proven car as it ran in stock hatch in 2004/5/6 and was a front runner. after a little chat to my business partner he decided he wanted to maybe enter for next year so off we went for the 2nd car. now we have 2 cars we decided to goto snetterton testing yesterday to have brilliant results, there was some big cars out there new focus sts, golf gtis, meganes, clios etc and both are xr2s were wiping the floor over them on bends shame about the straights were Rob and me just couldnt keep up but in the end my fastest lap was 1:28.84 which in the stock hatch would put me right up there Robert my Business partner got a 1:30.21 but hit a wrong gear change and bending 4 valves halfway through session im weighing in at 18st im on a very strict fitness program to get me down to 15 over next coming months. that will gain me some good time. We have landed a really good sponsor to pay us for whole seasons expenses which is a result its amazing how many people follow this sport and want to sponser. Hopefully my first race will be mallory park in 2 months still got a few things to setup on the car ie driving position and should get some better times. Pics of Roberts and my cars

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[Elvis]

looks nice stu.

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Originally Posted by Elvis

looks nice stu.

Cheers mate its because of your post that made me want to do it

[fraser9764]

not very tall are you....
question on the sponsorship though, what do they want in return? we always found it wasnt worth the hassle with the rallying tbh

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Lol nah the seats really low for centre of gravity lmao....... nah thats my son playing about

nothing at all obviously the name on cars and any word of mouth recomendations etc.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by Stu @ Claims Care Centre

Cheers mate its because of your post that made me want to do it

you owe me a ride in it then..

Im looking into single seaters

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Originally Posted by Elvis

you owe me a ride in it then..

Im looking into single seaters

RGB for you then ZX12R engines

[Elvis]

should have tiger stripped it before the decals went on, would be uber cool then

[fiend]

Looking awesome! I keep thinking about seriously entering the stock hatch championship.

[Simmo]

Good stuff!

So tempted to get an ex racer xr2 with my dad for getting into track days and seeing pics like this are pretty much making my mind up...

[chameleon]

is that glass windows?
are you not allowed flexi glass?

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Originally Posted by chameleon

is that glass windows?
are you not allowed flexi glass?

nope if i could get away with it i would...

even bolts have been shaved down to lose weight

[chameleon]

what sort of money gets a car like that?
just interested..........
is the engine got to be standard?
looks like fun,being on the grid with loads of cars round you is a rush like nothing else.....................

[lee s1]

hi i know quite a few people that run in 750 stockhatch you should have some good clean fun may see you at some races good luck

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

Originally Posted by chameleon

what sort of money gets a car like that?
just interested..........
is the engine got to be standard?
looks like fun,being on the grid with loads of cars round you is a rush like nothing else.....................

both of ours are proven front running class b cars and are ready to race with best bits so about 2500 for each,

engine are std but blueprinted and +5mm pistons mine making 94bhp @ Wheels and robs is 92bhp @ wheels

[OldDan]

Are you at Brands this weekend?

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

i am but not racing couldnt get my MSA licence quick enough so at Mallory

[OldDan]

I see - I'm there watching a car in the Kit Car series running an engine I built

[Touring Car Spares]

Originally Posted by Simmo

Good stuff!

So tempted to get an ex racer xr2 with my dad for getting into track days and seeing pics like this are pretty much making my mind up...

still waiting to hear back on that one Paul .

[Simmo]

Originally Posted by Touring Car Spares

still waiting to hear back on that one Paul .

No rush whatsoever Tony; we prob won't get to use it in anger til next year anyway! Will try and pop in at some point...

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

my car come from west sussex Ian laughton had it for a while lives in Pevensey Bay

[WongRS]

Ace, that really does look a cracking championship.
A chap who runs the rolling road was/is involved in it a bit.

[Brookesy]

Can't beat an XR2 on corners & they great when you get them on 3 wheels lol, good luck in the championship

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

ill post a pic up later of my car on 3 wheels at russells

[Touring Car Spares]

"TwocossieBob" (Tilling ) did stock hatch for the last few years in a fiesta , drop him a pm if you need to know anyhting .

[TwoCossieBob]

Thanks for the name drop Touring Car Spares (Tony), Hello Stu.

Stu, Stockhatch is a great race series with very close racing, huge grids that usually require heats and a final, all at a sensible cost particularly at the double header weekends. The class A cars such as the Saxo's are quicker than the cars in class B which tend to be the older small hatch's like the XRII but there is always someone to have a race with wherever you quaify on the grid.

See the picture below of me in my orange XRII, its from Snetterton 2 seasons ago.

I am at Brands Hatch this weekend so come and say hello? Its my first race for over a year and the car has a new engine and fuel delivery system, both unproven as yet! It will also be my very first time on the new semi slick control tyres which do need warming up so I am told.

All in all I am not expecting much from the weekend but at least I will be there racing unlike many others on this site who think they are the greatest drivers in the world.

Bob

[TwoCossieBob]

Originally Posted by fiend

Looking awesome! I keep thinking about seriously entering the stock hatch championship.

what about my mk2 XR2? see the picture thats now on this post

its in very good condition for such a car that has been raced. proper msa approved cage, pair of seats, harnesses, plumbed fire system etc etc. has leda negative camber race struts and koni rears all with tarmac race springs. engine is a new build race unit within the stock atc regs.

it would also make an exciting and fully ready to go track car. yours for £1500 despite the £1500 engine rebuld as i no longer have the time to use it due to my new job for an american company.

its bright orange!

thanks, bob, 07770-225671.

[chameleon]

just been reading the rules could you use a mg zr 1.4 16v......

[TwoCossieBob]

Originally Posted by chameleon

just been reading the rules could you use a mg zr 1.4 16v......

You could but no one does because they are too heavy to be competitive. You can't up the engine power much as the rules prevent it so you need to look for the lightest car with the best power figure. For class A this is usually a Saxo and for class B usually an XRII. There are of course many other cars you could use but the ones I have mentioned are the best.

Bob

[Stu @ Claims Care Centre]

twocossie bob ill come say hello tommorrow! whatcar are you driving tommorrow pm me your mobile and ill come say hello need all advise i can get.

[chameleon]

bob are you running the xr2 at brands?

[rallycross]

i'll be there as well racing at brands in number 85 a 106 xsi (red) come and say hello should be a good event lots of cars entered

[Brian]

Your XR2 looks smart Stu

How much does it all cost to enter the championship?


Brian

[chameleon]

what time does the racing start?

[TwoCossieBob]

Yes, I will have the Fiesta at Brands Hatch, will be taking it easy though after a year out and a brand new engine, new fuel system and no experience at all on this years control tyres.

Its about fifty quid to register with the championship plus the cost of each race entry of course. You won't find anything cheaper than Stockhatch except for track days!

Bob

[Touring Car Spares]

Originally Posted by TwoCossieBob

Yes, I will have the Fiesta at Brands Hatch, will be taking it easy though after a year out and a brand new engine, new fuel system and no experience at all on this years control tyres.

Its about fifty quid to register with the championship plus the cost of each race entry of course. You won't find anything cheaper than Stockhatch except for track days!

Bob

As if by Magic ,......
Hi Big Bob , great so see youre still about mate , would love to see you , maybe i can get away form the emporium tomorrow and pop up , whats the Schedule for the day ( saturday ) .

[chameleon]

first race is around 2 pm for the stock hatches.......................

[TwoCossieBob]

Hi Guys

Just an update on the Stock Hatch racing at Brands Hatch this weekend as so many of you have been asking a questions about how to start racing and what its actually like on a race day.

Well.....

My XR2 failed scrutineering on Saturday morning as the external engine kill switch toggle pull was seized and it was not possible to kill the engine from outside the car. This was because the car has been stored for over a year and its the one item I failed to check before leaving for Brands.

It would not come undone and so a new one was required. I had to go out of Brands to find a replacement toggle cable and then fit it to the car. By this time I had missed my qualifying session and was excluded from the starting grid.

Well, got the car checked again and passed scrutineering, begged the clerk of the course to let me on to the grid without qualifying as I had raced at Brands Hatch in my XR2 several times before. He agreed and cleared me to do the race but the grid was completely full as there were 66 entries with two grids of 32 on each making 64 as Brands only allows 32 cars max per race. I had to go one the reserve list even though I entered in time.

Everyone turned up for the first race so I thought I had missed out. The race started without me but on the second lap one poor chap in an XR2i rolled his car and the race was stopped. The race was to be restarted from the beginning but with the rolled car missing. I know the racing rules so I requested they let me join the new race from the rear of the grid to make it back up to 32 cars which I did just as the lights went go!

I took it very easy as I had not been in the car for a year, it has a brand new engine that has not been fully run in and my fuel system had also been fully replaced in the days before. The new A048 control tyres took a bit of getting used to, I had never ever used any car with them on yet alone my XR2 that I had last driven a year ago.

Anyway, got 11 laps in the shortened race and managed to get a bit more familiar with the car and tyres. Got passed a Saxo and an XR2i (both more powerful than an XR2) and then made a silly error at Graham Hill bend and ran wide, they both got passed me. Eventually managed to get past them both again but by that time the rest of the pack was well gone. One lap from the end there was another accident with two more XR2's suffering heavy damage although they both did get repaired in time for Sunday. Overall I got 2 seconds a lap faster from the start to the finish but was still rusty and off the pace of the leaders.

Second race on Sunday I still had to start from the back of the grid as it was based on Saturdays qualifying which of course I missed. At least I got to do the whole race from a proper start this time. No mistakes this time and managed to get past a Saxo and 3 XR2i's but once again the pack was well gone by this time. There were a few more minor incidents with cars going off or stopping but nothing to bad. Two of the Xr2i's I passed didn't make the finish so I ended up being 2 or 3 cars from the back again on the results sheet.

During the second race I improved another 2 seconds per lap from the first lap to the last lap making a massive 4 seconds per lap over the weekend. Looking back its a great shame I missed qualifying as I would have got another 15 laps experience with the car and the sticky tyres before the first race. I would have started further up the grid to begin with to give me a better chance of progressing up the field. Anyway as they say, thats racing!

Overall I am pleased the car ran very well after all the time and effort I had put into it recently to get it up to scratch after its engine failure a year ago. I found the racing close and exciting, I enjoyed both races and went home happy.

Got to say hello to Craig ("Rallycross" on here), he has a Peugeot 106 which went very well and he manged to keep out of the incidents. Missed Stu who started this thread, hopefully see you at the next race.

Would be great to see a few more PF members taking up the challenge of Stock Hatch racing.


Thanks, Bob.

[Brian]

Sounds like you had fun mate

How much does it cost roughly to get started?

Brian

[TwoCossieBob]

Originally Posted by Brian

Sounds like you had fun mate

How much does it cost roughly to get started?

Brian

Its about 200 for an ARDS race licence training course, 50 for a licence, 50 to register for the series, race entry is about 165 to 295 per race weekend depending upon where the race is and if its a double header or not, a car is about 1500 upwards, trailer about 500 upwards and of course the travelling costs.

Bob