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Silverstone 2019 Scrutineering Notes

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.

C1 Racing Club Board