It’s Back! …For the first time in over a decade we are going to see Classic Aircooled Bug’s Circuit Racing.
(Racing from June to November 2008 at UK Circuits)
It’s Bigger! …With an unlimited engine capacity and minimal restrictions it’s as accessible as possible to all.
(If you have a bug and any size type 1 motor in the garage, which meets the basic requirements, you can join in!)
It’s Bug Racing! …In its raw, grass roots, low budget racing form!
(A fun circuit race series open to all to get involved and enjoy)
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It’s actually happening! The regulations have been approved, the circuits have been secured, the grid is forming – and there is an open invite for drivers to join us at any time in this year (What are you waiting for - come racing!).
The Beetle Challenge is the first ‘Aircooled’ classic VW Beetle circuit racing series in the UK since the demise of the Beetle Cup over a decade ago. This is not a resurrection, it is a brand new series, with new rules to make circuit racing as low-cost and as accessible as feasible. There has been a lot of talk and false starts within the VW community for years… but now thanks largely to a few committed enthusiasts, it is Go… Go… Go…
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The Concept:
The general concept is to take any beetle, of any age or model from the 40’s through to 1303’s, and with minimal restrictions, allowing parts from various years to be interchanged, and of course the cars being prepared to the MSA safety requirements (Cage, Restraints, Fire System etc..) You can view the full regulations, but essentially it boils down to this…
- The cars must be aircooled beetles (any age and parts can be inter-swapped between years and models)
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- No aerodynamic aids
. - 15″ x 6″ max wheel size with a control Toyo tyre
. - Brakes can be upgraded
. - Engines must be based on a Type1 Engine Case, with no electronic fuel injection or ignition and no forced induction
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The unlimited engine capacity is NOT a barrier, as it might first appear, the point is to allow anybody with whatever type 1 based running gear they have, the opportunity to participate. There is provision in the regs to allow us to handicap cars to ensure a level playing field, but to be honest I feel that it is likely to be self regulating due to the diversity of cars, engines, capabilities and of course the control tyre.
All of the drivers want close racing (that’s the most fun) but we are well aware of the fact that over the past decade we have all gone off, brought and developed a variety of engines with the abundance of new after-market parts which are so freely available, and we want to be able to use them.
The ambition for the series is to see beetles back on the grid, as cheaply as possible, without the need to spend mega bucks (More of a use what you have got or can get hold of - to join in the fun attitude).
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This is a full blown racing series for pretty much track-day money!
The restrictions have been kept to a minimum for many reasons, not least to encourage everyone to digout what they have been collecting over the past decade, and assemble a circuit racer with it!
We want this to be the most affordable, fun racing we can have, and it looks to be some of the cheapest racing in the UK!
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This debut season is about establishing the beetlechallenge, and our intention is to build on the series for ’09 and ’10.
For this debut year we will be running in our own ‘Beetle’ class within the BARC TinTops race series, which is an open championship running on the same control tyres as us. (Should bake for some interesting racing, seeing beetles mixing it up with other modern manufacturers!)
The key thing we want everybody to understand is that the unlimited engine capacity is not there as a physical/financial hurdle to stop you participating - it has been sanctioned to make the series more accessible based on what you have available in your workshop/garage/bug.
(If we set a controlled engine specification, the cost of entry would spiral due to the need to purchase/assemble and police the engine regulations - and this is exactly what we want to avoid - the series should be inclusive not exclusive.)
The fact is we just don’t know what will prove to be the best car/engine setup to lead the field… as we will now be racing on several circuits, with a very flexible set of regulations…
So will
- a 1776cc engine in an IRS bug annihilate a 2165cc swing axle bug?
- a torquey motor be able to out drag a higher revving motor that holds a gear mid corner?
- a low compression 1835cc motor prove to be more reliable than a 2007cc screamer?
(And critically remember there is the all important control tyre which will do a lot of the leveling!)
Only smarties have the answer!
(Some of the user polls we have been taking on the site, suggest that Luck and Reliability are the to most favourable/predicted attributes to a successful Beetle Challenge race car over capacity!)
One thing we do know is that one of the registered competitors is running a superb 1835cc motor, and has been campaigning this on on various track events, consistently beating cars with a so-called “capacity advantage”…So it all filters down to the fact that we want a capacity grid.. not a capacity restriction in the first race season in 2008.
The age old saying rightly points out.. to finish first, you must first finish.. ..so what are you waiting for… prep that ol’bug shell that has been gathering dust for the past decade!
For further press, sponsorship, technical or general enquiries contact us.
Full 2008 Regulations can be found here
If you want to know what you need to do to come racing, check out the ‘Getting Started’ content.
You can also register to race here.
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