It is extremely disappointing to be having to write this bulletin but it is imperative that solutions are found to prevent the amount of car contact that occurred during the 24hr race at Silverstone this weekend.
We have, over the winter, put a number of rules into place to help remedy these things, one being the mandatory use of cameras. However, we can only act if we have the evidence to use in a disciplinary hearing, where possible we initiate reviews and we spent a lot of time during the race reviewing incidents that we either saw or our attention was brought.
We are now asking you to help us with this situation, your cameras have the evidence that we need to take the culprits to task with anything that occurred during the race. We have already received a number of video clips of incidents which we are now reviewing.
Specifically, within rule 2.22 the following statements are made
Review of the footage is encouraged and anything that a competitor feels needs review be brought to the C1 Series Organisers attention.
Where it is necessary for the C1 Series Organisers or Clerk of the Course to review footage after an event that such footage should normally be reviewed within a period of 7 days of the event.
If you need to remind yourselves what is expected from a driving standards point of view please read our Driving Standards Policy here.
We will do everything within our powers to take action and resolve incidents that are brought to our attention. As an example of action that was taken during the race one driver received 3 points on his licence and a £700 fine by the CoC for a totally avoidable collision.
Please be a positive part of the solution, with suitable evidence we can initiate a disciplinary procedure that still has time to be escalated to the CoC and Msuk. We also have the powers within our rules to take internal disciplinary action and apply penalty points onto members records, ultimately this could mean that a driver would no longer be able to compete in the C1 race series.
Any evidence that you send to us will be treated with total confidentiality and anonymity, send your clips to board@c1racing.club and we will take action.
Scrutineering is going to be really busy as BARC have to safety and compliance scrutineer 100 cars, weigh and seal ballast trays on 100 cars and check the clothing, helmets and Hans devices for 425 drivers. It will start at 9am on Friday morning and run throughout the day. Please remember that the scrutineers are there to help you race safely and not to stop you from racing. These notes are to help you get through the process as quickly as possible.
Cars
All cars should be presented to the scrutineering bay full of fuel and in a ‘ready to race’ condition. This includes all series stickers applied in the correct positions. Please make sure the car’s log book is with the car before arriving at Scrutineering. If you don’t have a log book you can apply for one at Club HQ. Scrutineering starts at 09:00hrs on Friday morning and will be finished by 20:00hrs on Friday evening. If you are testing on Friday, please bring your car to scrutineering after your last testing session. The following list of items may, among other things, be checked by the scrutineers, so please make sure you are compliant with these safety checks.
Roll cage
Fire extinguisher and mounting
Seat and mounting
Harness in date
Windscreen and window film
Master switch
Remote operation of master switch and signage
Remote operation of fire extinguisher and signage
Towing eyes and signage
Left, right and interior rear-view mirrors
Lighting (side lights, rain light, brake lights)
Race numbers
General condition
Transponder present and location
Central locking disabled
Petrol tank guard
Things that often catch people out and you might want to check are as follows:
Fire extinguisher must be in-date. That means that it must have been officially tested within the last 2 years.
Your race harness must be in-date.
Make sure both external pulls for the fire extinguisher and electrical cut-out are free and working correctly. They often get corroded in the Bowden cable when left over the winter.
Check that your rain light (rear fog light) shows on both sides of the car.
The scrutineers may also want to check any other items for compliance with our regulations.
Tuff Jugs
All Tuff Jugs must be presented at scrutineering for checking. If the jug has a vent plug it will be checked and any with holes will be replaced. Every jug will have a seal applied and only sealed jugs can be used during the race.
Weighing and ballast sealing
Once you have passed scrutineering, your car will be weighed and your drivers’ race kit will be checked. It is in your interest for all your drivers to be present for weighing so that your ballast can be wire locked and sealed at this time. If some of your drivers are not present, your ballast will be wire locked and sealed and the missing drivers must present themselves for weighing by 19:00hrs at the very latest. Your car will not receive its scrutineering ticket until all drivers have been weighed and their race kit checked. If your car is subsequently found to be underweight you will have to refill your car with fuel, have it re-weighed, and the ballast adjusted and re-sealed before it will be allowed on track for qualifying.
Each car will be weighed full of fuel, to enable us to calculate the minimum weight of the car. It is in your interest to make sure the car is completely fuel of fuel, if it is not, you will need to carry more ballast to meet the minimum weight. Any car arriving at scrutineering not full of fuel may be turned away. Each driver will then be weighed with their race suit, gloves, boots, helmet and Hans device. The weight of the lightest driver will be added to the weight of the car and 28.4kg will be deducted. The resulting weight must be more than 910kg. If it isn’t, you will be told how much ballast you need to fit and you’ll need to go back to your garage to fit the ballast. You will not be allowed to work on your car in the scrutineering area. You can then return to the scrutineering area to have your car re-weighed and sealed.
If you do not need any ballast, a seal will be applied to a drilled cap screw that will be fitted to the rear near-side seat mount. You do not have to use a ballast tray if all your drivers take your car over the weight limit.
A ballast tray and its fasteners weigh 3kg. If you don’t need any ballast on the ballast tray, the drilled bolt supplied with the ballast tray must be fitted to the hole nearest to the B-pillar with the bolt shank uppermost, so that the lock wire hole is easy for the scrutineers to get at.
If you intend to run with alloy wheels, you must present the car with alloy wheels for weighing and scrutineering. BARC will identify cars so presented with a sticker and any cars running alloys during qualifying or the race without the identifying sticker will be subject to further scrutiny.
Should you need to remove your windscreen (and therefore the rear glass hatch) you must ensure your car still conforms to the minimum weight rules.
Clothing
The scrutineers will be checking that your helmet, race suit, gloves and boots are all in-date. They will also check the specification of your balaclava and socks.
If you haven’t raced before (or if you’ve bought a new helmet or Hans device) they will need to check the approvals on both. They will then place an MSUK sticker on the outside of your helmet and Hans device, for which you will have to pay a total of £5, so please bring some cash with you if your helmet or Hans device aren’t already stickered.
Parc Fermé
The pit lane will be used as Parc Fermé. At the end of qualifying and the race all cars will be held at the pit lane entrance. The pit lane will be cleared of all personnel and all garages doors must be shut. Please assist the marshals in getting the pit lane clear. Cars will then be released into the pit lane, where they should park on the left side of the pit lane next to the pit wall and as directed by the marshals. Some cars will be selected for more detailed scrutineering and they should carry on down the pit lane into the scrutineering bay.
Important note: When you finish qualifying or the race do not touch anything in the car. Just get out of the car and congregate as directed by the marshals. Do not put the safety pin back in the fire extinguisher.
We hope you all have a fantastic weekend and if you have any questions please come and see us in the Club HQ.
Here is some essential information and the timetable for the upcoming 24-hour at Silverstone. This will be the largest grid ever to start a race in the United Kingdom.
Timetable BARC have published the timetable, which can be found here. The important bits for us are:
Start
End
Activity
Friday
09:00
17:00
Paid testing
14:00
Onwards
Signing on
14:00
Onwards
Scrutineering
21:00
21:30
Qualifying
Saturday
17:15
17:20
Pitlane open
17:30
Race Start
Sunday
17:30
Race Ends
18:00
Prizegiving
Location If you haven’t been to Silverstone before, the circuit has an excellent set of maps and instructions that can be found here.
Don’t forget the speed camera on the A43 just before you get there.
Access Access to the circuit will be available from 1900 hrs on Thursday 25th April. Tickets will be required to gain access to the circuit at all times, including Thursday evening.
4 tickets will be issued to each driver directly from BARC. Tickets will not be required for support vehicles or motorhomes. If your team needs more tickets these can be purchased from the Silverstone ticket office.
We will have to vacate the area behind the garages by 2300 hrs on Sunday 28th April as Silverstone have another event on Monday. You will be able to camp at the circuit on Sunday night, but will have to move to the Centre 1 Car Park behind the motorhome park. Please remember that the electric hook-up in this area is 3-phase, so you’ll need a splitter.
Paddock The paddock is going to be very busy with 100 cars sharing it. Here is a link to a map setting out what you can park where. Please be considerate of other teams, it is not a land grab and everyone has to fit in somewhere.
Car parking for all drivers, mechanics and team members will be in the area marked A on the map
Trailers must be parked in the trailer park marked on the map. Trailers will NOT be allowed into the area behind the garages. If you are towing a trailer, you must drive to the trailer park, unload your car and drive the car to your garage, leaving your trailer neatly parked in the trailer park.
Motorhomes. Each garage (not team) has been allocated an area behind their garage and garages 1A to 9C a bay in the motorhome park. Garages 10A to 12E have an extra area for motorhome parking behind their garages. Each bay in the Motorhome Park can accommodate up to 6 motorhomes/campers depending on their size and the space needs to be shared with up to 3 teams. Please be considerate to the other teams in your garage if you’re the first to park your motorhome.
Electrical hook-up is available from the garages for those parked immediately behind the garage. Those parked beyond the service road behind the garages will have access to the 16-Amp blue round-pin single phase sockets and 32-Amp red round 5-pin 3-phase sockets on the side walls of the ‘pods’. Those parked in the motorhome park will have access to one 32-Amp red round 5-pin socket that is available for each bay. This means that a splitter will be required to go from a 32-Amp 3-phase plug to 3 x 16-Amp single-phase sockets so that everyone from the garage can hook-up. Teams sharing a garage will have to liaise to decide who will bring the splitter.
Garages & Facilities The garage & Paddock plan has already been sent out separately to each team.
Each garage has the following electrical supplies: 2 x 13 Amp square pin sockets on the back wall 2 x 10 Amp round pin European sockets on the back wall 3 x 16 Amp blue round pin sockets on the back wall 1 x 32 Amp 3 phase red 5 pin sockets on the back wall 1 x TV socket for live timing on the back wall 1 x 16 Amp blue round pin socket on the front wall 1 x TV socket for live timing on the pit wall 1 x 16 Amp blue round pin socket on the pit wall
There is no compressed air available in the garages
Other Facilities Loos and showers (both male & female) are marked as WC on the map. Behind the garages there are 14 ‘pods’ which have a shower, loo and wash basin. There are 4 male and 2 female showers in the main paddock toilet block.
The café is shown on the map. The opening hours are as follows: Friday 0700 – 1900 hrs Saturday 0700 – 2100 hrs Sunday 0700 – 1900 hrs
Testing Testing is available on Friday. It can be booked directly with Silverstone circuit here.
Fuel The fuel station is shown on the map. It is unmanned and is open 24/7. You will need to pay for your fuel each time you use the pumps using a credit or debit card. The only fuel that will be available during the race will be 97 RON. The other pumps (99 and 102 RON) will not be available.
HuTags The C1 Series runs with HuTags, which are a second transponder worn by every driver on his / her right wrist, in addition to that fitted to the car. The purpose is that we have a constant record of who is in each car at all times. TSL can then publish this on the timing screens and there is no need for teams to fill out driver change and pit stop forms, hand them to marshals etc etc. If you are not familiar with HuTags, please attend the New Drivers’ Briefing, where their operation will be explained in detail.
Signing On Signing-on will be in the first-floor office in the Race Control building shown on the map. You will need to have your Club membership card, race licence, HuTag and one driver from each car must have their BARC membership card. You will be breathalysed before signing on, anyone failing the breathalyser test will not be allowed to sign on until they pass the test. Remember the limit is zero.
We will be breathalysing drivers and pit crew throughout the weekend. If you have finished the race and want to have a drink, please feel free, but hand in your HuTag to Club HQ first, and collect it at the end of the race. Anyone found or photographed with drink in their hand wearing a HuTag will lead to their team being disqualified.
If you haven’t got your Club membership card or HuTag yet you will be able to collect them from the signing-on office above Race Control before being breathalysed, after 1400 hrs on Friday.
Scrutineering Scrutineering will be very busy. BARC have 100 cars to scrutineer, check for safety and weigh in a relatively short period. Please do not assume that you will be able to turn up at the last minute.
Scrutineering will start at 1400hrs on Friday afternoon in the scrutineering bay which is marked on the map. Cars will be weighed at the same time they are scrutineered at the circuit weighbridge.
Please present your car full of fuel, with all the drivers together with their race gear; and with the lock wire post facing upwards located in the corner of the ballast tray nearest the B pillar.
Drivers’ Briefings The time and location of the Drivers’ Briefing will be posted outside Signing On and distributed on the Club’s WhatsApp broadcast.
The new driver’s briefing will be outside Race Control or in the garages under Race Control if it’s raining. Timing will be posted outside Signing On and distributed on the Club’s WhatsApp broadcast.
Pit Lane Etiquette The pit lane can be very busy with 100 cars on circuit; as they tend to come in for driver changes and fuel at broadly the same time. The Club therefore operates a 40 kph speed limit in the pit lane at all times and enforces it rigorously with the Club’s two speed guns. The penalties for breaking the speed limit are deliberately harsh; as it is there for your own safety and the safety of the other teams. The penalties for speed limit infringements and other misdemeanours are set out here.
A maximum of 2 people per car can be on the pit wall at a time and must be wearing a high visibility vest.
Pit perches may be used, but they must not cover any access holes in the pit wall safety fencing.
WhatsApp broadcast group We will be using the WhatsApp broadcast group for a variety of updates and messages over the weekend. At the very least, your team manager should have provided their telephone number to the Club. We would suggest that all Team Managers and Drivers should join it.
If you’ve not joined, or if you would like additional numbers added so that you can receive information over the course of the weekend, then please let Nick know by sending a WhatsApp message to the C1 Racing Club phone (+44 7586 460197). In that message please include: team name, car number, and your name. To receive notifications from us on WhatsApp, you will also need to have the C1 Racing Club phone number in your WhatsApp contacts, or you will not receive the broadcast messages.
Cameras /Driving Standards New for this season is the requirement to have a forward-facing camera in every car. The principal purpose of this is so that there is evidence of any driving-standards indiscretions. However, if you don’t tell us about it, we won’t be able to do anything about it for you.
If your car is involved in, or behind, an incident, please can you tell us about it, with the time, point on the track and as much other information as you can. We will watch it and, if appropriate, bring it to the attention of the Clerk of the Course.
Club HQ Club HQ will be behind the garages, opposite the burger bar as shown on the map. It will be manned 24/7 during the race weekend. We will have our usual welcome for you including tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits throughout the weekend. Please come and say hello!
You can contact any of the club directors as follows:
Spares We will be taking a small quantity of spares to the circuit. Drive shafts, wishbones, light brackets, lights, 1144 and F4R brake pads and Tuff Jug spouts will be available from the Club HQ. Small Cars R Us (www.smallcarsrus.co.uk) will also have their usual cornucopia of parts at the meeting including wings, struts, engines and so on. They will be in bay 1 in the Motorhome Park.
Tyres You will need to bring all the tyres you will need for the race; you will not be able to buy them at the circuit. Tyre fitting services will be available from Amigo Motorsport in garage 6C and RAW Motorsport in garage 6B.
Journalists Peter Scherer has been doing race reports for us during the season and these help us promote the series. Peter may well be contacting teams and drivers to get their impressions of race preparation and the race. He is acting on behalf of the Club, so please help him to write an amazing report on this iconic race.
Dan Trent and Matt Prior will both be driving one of the Club cars, and may want to interview you during the weekend. Dan will be writing for the Goodwood and Jalopnik websites; Matt for Autocar and Pistonheads. Please support them, since we all like reading about our series.
Finally, we’d like to thank you all for your support this season and especially for this race. It’s pretty amazing to have 100 cars going to a 24-hour race at one of the greatest circuits on the planet; and breaking records in so doing. Thank you all and look forward to racing with you.
Good luck to you all and we look forward to meeting you at Silverstone. If you have any questions or need more information please give one of us a call.
