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Updated 06-Jan-2007
GOT
A PASSION FOR DRIVIN?
You may have seen the flier distributed by Cheltenham Motor
Club.
The Club wants to attract new members who are specifically interested in motoring and motor sport of all kinds. The Club is involved with motor sport at all levels – from events run in the Gloucestershire area to having members competing as drivers or navigators at Regional, National and International level. As well as competitors we also have members who marshal at events at all levels. To take part in local club level events in Gloucestershire you need is a car that is taxed, insured and with an MOT if necessary.
For more details on local events click here.
To take part in National and International events significant performance enhancements can be made. In addition to performance enhancements improvements to safety such as roll cages and fire extinguishers are also necessary. Many ‘big’ names in International motor sport started at club level including the McRae family, Phil Mills (navigator to World Rally Champion Petta Solberg) and the late Richard Burns.
In addition to ‘car’ events the club is home to clubs with two wheel and ‘custom’ car interests.
Monday and Friday evenings are good times to call in and have a chat with our members with motor sport interests. You will find us on the right, about 200 yards along Upper Park Street (just off the Hales Road junction with London Road). We have our own clubhouse and celebrated our 100th anniversary in 2006. Come along and set Cheltenham Motor Club on the road to the next 100 years.
Here is a taste of local ‘club’ level events
we organise that take place in Gloucestershire that
you could easily take part in. Most of these events take place on a Friday
evening.
Treasure Hunts. Crews are given a route to follow as a set of instructions eg ‘turn left at traffic lights’. Between instructions will be questions eg ‘add the miles to Sheepscombe and Stroud’. The answer will be on a signpost and will require you to add together the respective distances. Treasure Hunts are typically 30-40 miles long.
Scatters. Crews are given a set of different points to visit in any order to collect answers to questions similar to those for Treasure Hunts. Scatters are typically 40-60 miles long.
Autotests. These are usually conducted on tarmac or grass and require drivers to follow a simple diagram that takes them around a series of cones. Reversing may be involved. The event will consist of a number of ‘tests’ and each ‘test’ is usually completed twice. Typically each test will take 1 minute to complete and each event will have six different ‘tests’ to traverse.
Precise Driving Test. These are usually conducted on tarmac or grass and require drivers to complete a series of slow speed manoeuvres demonstrating skill and knowledge of their vehicle. For example, two posts will be placed 20 metres apart. The driver starts with the car positioned mid-point between the posts and then drives up and stops as near to the first post as possible. The organiser measures the distance from the post to the most forward point of the car. The driver then reverses straight back to as near as possible to the post behind the car. Again the distance between post and car is measured and added to the distance from the forward facing post to obtain a ‘score’ for the test. The event will consist of a number of ‘tests’ and each ‘test’ is usually completed twice.
12 Cars. Crews are given a set of route instructions based on navigators skills ie ‘novice’ or ‘expert’. A fixed route is followed using route details described as eg ‘herringbones’ and ‘tulips’. ‘Codeboards’ are put out at the side of the road by the event organiser and competitors note them down as they pass along the route. 12 Cars are typically 50-70 miles long and only run during the winter months.
Click below to see what other things we do:
Marshalling | Navigational, Road Events | Stage Rallies | Sprint, Hillclimb & Race | Photos