How essential is competition?

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One season in the Mini Challenge would cost £25,000. Minimum.

At least, that’s what Gary Robertshaw of Robertshaw Racing (2004 Mini Challenge Clubsport champion) reckoned. Having spoken to other people about it, however, I reckon I could expect to spend double that. Despite the dizzying numbers, a few weeks back I was seriously considering having a go.

I would need sponsorship, of course. I’ve got no desire to take out a loan to fund motorsport — it’s just not sustainable. Funding would have to come from sponsors, at least in part. So, I started to make a list of companies to whom I could pimp myself and the race series. I got information from the organisers of the Mini Challenge about TV viewing figures and their distribution. I started making plans. In the end, though, that’s as far as things went.

The point at which my dreams became grounded in reality were when I spoke to my friend, Gav, about it, maybe a couple of weeks back now. He’s the most enthusiastic guy I know, with a real passion for his own sport: snowboarding. He’s considered doing a season of his own in the past, so he appreciated the financial dilemma. Speaking about my passion for motoring and motorsport, he began to question how much I needed the competitive element to enjoy driving fast. It’s a fair point — the 2 or 3 trackdays I do each year keep me pretty happy. Would I be better off finding a way to dip my toes in the water of competition, rather than diving in headlong?

We came to the conclusion that, for this year at least, I could simply increase the number of trackdays I do. Ten or so should do it. While not cheap, it would cost one hell of a lot less than a season of almost any motorsport and would allow me greater flexibility in the timetable. At the same time, I could apply for my National B Licence (the ARDS test) so that I was at least qualified to enter racing should an opportunity arise. And if I were to get lucky, say as a stand-in driver, it could help attract sponsorship in the future. Even if I don’t luck out, I should still have a great year of trackdays.

So, all that remains is for me to start booking a few trackdays. It’s time I pulled my finger out again.

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