New Driver Guide
Starting Out
If you've never raced before then we recommend starting out with Circuit Sprints which consist of 6 races each where you are in a group of 6-8 cars.
Each race you head out onto a course, have a warmup lap, then come to a halt on the grid. You are then flagged away in pairs, with the next pair starting 10 seconds behind you, and so on. You get 3 laps with a standing start then the chequered flag. You then have one warm down lap.
This gives great experience on the track and lets you get used to racing close to other cars in a low risk environment.
Check out when the next event is on at our Circuit Sprints page.
Alternatively If your just looking at taking your road car out on track for a blat in a safe controlled environment then we recommend checking out Christchurch Trackdays.
Preparation
Some basic preparation is always a good thing to do before your first race day.
Make sure you have the correct licence and club membership and they haven’t expired.
Make sure you car meets the regulations for the series and class you will be racing in.
Make sure your safety gear meets the regulations.
Do some basic checks on your car:
Fire Extinguisher is still valid (not expired).
Fluid leaks
Wheel bearings
Brake pads
Brake rotors
Oil level
Brake lights work.
Check your tow hooks are fit to use and clearly marked.
What To Bring
Some useful items to bring to get the most out of the day are:
Safety gear
Race licenses (and any other documentation required)
Spare Fuel (with Fire extinguisher to regulations)
Spare engine oil
Jack
Lug nut socket + wrench
Rags
Tools
Cable ties
On The Day
On Arrival at the track:
Unload your car
Complete documentation
Complete scrutineering (you will be told if you need to do this at documentation)
Attend new drivers briefing
Attend drivers briefing
Warm your car up, double check your fluids, no leaks etc.
Enter the staging area when called, then complete Qualifying.
For each of the races, enter the staging area when called, you will receive your grid spot on a sticker, then complete the race.
A typical race day looks like the follow:
8:00am Track gates open
8:30 - 9:30 Documentation & Scrutineering
9:35 New Drivers Briefing
9:45 Drivers Briefing
TBA* Qualifying for each class.
TBA* Race 1
TBA* Race 2
TBA* Race 3
* Qualifying and Race times vary based on your class and how many other classes are racing, check the events Race Schedule for the provisional times and keep and ear out to announcements on the day.
Upgrading From M to C Licence
If you are stepping up from sprints to full racing, then you will likely need to upgrade your license from an M Grade to a C Grade License, to do this you must apply for the upgrade through the MSNZ Online system.
Then contact a licence examiner and set up a time to sit your licence test.
Once the test has been sat and passed the licence examiner will upload the test result and MSNZ will process the licence and post it out to you. This will generally take between 3-5 working days from receipt of the test result.
Note that there may be additional medical requirements to be completed prior to licence issue.