Grass Roots Motor Sport – UK

Well, you could say it involves just about any kind of sport that contains a motor where amateur drivers race or compete against each other. In the widest sense that might include cars, motorcycles, powerboats, lawnmowers etc [and it is also true that some professional drivers may start their motorsport career at grassroots level before moving into the mainstream]. However, for the avoidance of doubt on what this Blog is about; we shall define Grassroots Motorsport as being ‘amateur competition in cars at club and entry level’. 

Grassroots Motorsport is the basic level at which thousands of motor racers indulge in weekend on weekend in the UK and across most of the globe. It is a way of life that has consumed my own time for just about all of my adult life; despite being born into a family without any interest at all in motorsport or even automobiles; but once hooked at the tender age of 16, I have been a lifetime fan and competitor.

‘It is not the winning but the taking part that counts…’ (Pierre de Coubertin, Olympics Founder). He also said, ‘The important thing in Life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.’

That was never truer than in Grassroots Motorsport and no matter your level of ability, there is always a place for enthusiastic competitors that not only wish to take part but compete to the best of their ability. Grass Roots Sport is often used to describe basic or entry-level participation. However, motorsport at grassroots level is really more than that; it is actually the backbone that supports the whole sporting body. Public focus may be directed at high-profile mainstream motorsport; but the main thrust of competition is aimed squarely at the grassroots end. Grassroots Motorsport is practised by the majority of racing drivers in the UK and come to that, in Europe and all over the world too – albeit some of the ‘Grassroots’ disciplines may differ from UK ones; but here we are primarily concerned with Grassroots Motorsport in the UK and we will leave it to others to write about amateur motorsport in other countries. The UK Motorsport industry is the largest in the world and has been valued at £9 billion with an employment base of more than 38,000.

Types of Grassroots Motorsport

In our guide to Grassroots Motorsport we are going to discuss the various disciplines of motorsport and talk about how to get into them. Over time we will be looking at a whole range of grass root disciplines and the first guide will cover Sprints and Hill Climbs – my own passion which are grouped together under the heading of ‘Speed’.

Next we will look at other kinds of motorsport that are less expensive to participate in such as Autosolo, Autotest, Time Attack, Circuit Racing [both saloon and single seater], Drifting, Drag Racing, Rallying, RallyCross, karting, Off-road including Auto Grass, sand racing et al and much much more and the ‘more’ may include Trackdays [yes I know it’s not a ‘sport’ but it’s a darn good starting point which can lead into more serious sport later on – you have to start somewhere…] and perhaps online based racing such as GT Academy and Sim-Racing. Not Grass-Roots? Not really: the aim of GT Academy is to turn a Video Racer into a Racing Driver and has been very successful at just that; and … and a large number of racing drivers learn new circuits and sharpen their wits via online racing or PC Games … in online sim-racing you might just occasionally find yourself competing against a professional racing driver.

GRMS actually can therefore cover a wider range than you might have thought; these are all forms of Motorsport that engages and draws folk into the arena.

If you wish to know where I come from then read my ‘About Me’ page. I am a motoring journalist and Sprint & Hill Climb Competitor.

This site will be a work-in-progress for quite some time [probably forever] but we intend to make strong progress during 2020.

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” — Ernest Hemingway

Which Grassroots Motorsport do I choose?

Well, there are a number of factors to consider. Cost. Opportunity. Desire. Talent. A suitable car…

Probably the first and easiest step for most people would be to book a Track Day at a local circuit. This will give you a feeling for driving at speed on track with other drivers and in most cases almost any road car will be suitable. If ultimate speed is not your thing then a sideways move into Autotest or AutoSolo may be your choice [Paddy Hopkirk once told me that AutoSolo is an ideal first choice to begin a Motor Racing career – because to do well at it you need to develop all the skills that you will require to do well in other forms of Motorsport]. Perhaps you fancy off-road then consider Autograss or even Rallying where you might try driving or even navigating.

Another possibility is to become a Track Marshall where you can be at the heart of the action – but without the cost involved in competition.

Sprints and Hill Climbs are a whole lot of fun and a good choice for a beginner; at the lower end of the sport it is possible to compete at low cost with a standard or mildly modified car although costs will escalate sharply in the classes competing for Fastest Time of the Day. Speed [FTD] because the preparation and dedication required comes very close to that required for professional motorsports. However, a less costly way to begin Sprinting would be to compete at a non-MSUK Javelin Sprint meeting. Costs and equipment expenses are far less in a very competitive championship.

Moving up the ladder. There are a number of racing championships aimed at the fledgling racer and these include MSV Trackday championship and Time Attack. But costs will increase as you move into more specialist classes. The 750 Motor Club has a wide range of classes including single seaters and saloons.

Of course for many Grassroots racers with some mechanical ability, much of the fun comes from building your own car and this often keeps costs down and means that you can build a car to compete in any class from Sprints to Road Races and anything in between.