Competing in Motorsport in Thailand

[J4M35]

Hello, I am new to the forum

 

I'm an English expat in Thailand (Pattaya area) for about 4 months so far, working in the oil & gas industry on a construction project in Laem Chebang.

 

Back in the UK I was competing in club level motorsport 2010-13 and sold my Caterham race car in December before coming out here. Of course I am now looking into ways to get my racing fix here.

 

My searches for arrive-and-drive opportunities has been unsuccessful so far so I'd love to hear any advice you may have on whether I can go kart racing or even sports / saloon car racing without having to buy, store, maintain and transport my own car.

 

So far I have only a Thai 1 year driving license. I was a UK National 'A' race license holder from 2011-13 but I did not renew for 2014.

 

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

 

[bkkjames]

They have karting in Pattaya - they also have a big race track - visit both and ask the question.

[nedkellylives]

No such thing as a racing license to drive on the public roads in Thailand 

or anywhere else I have driven

A big percentage of drivers race on public roads here without one

[keemapoot]

Forum member Warpspeed was a professional racer and should know the Thai club race scene.  Hopefully he will be able to answer this for you.

[Spoonman]

Check out bira circuit just outside of Pattaya, they may be able to assist you.

 

http://www.bira.co.th/circuit/home.php

 

 

[J4M35]

Thanks everybody,

 

I'm not shy of a little homework so before I posted I had already had a dig around on the BIRA website, The RAAT and the karting associaion. There isn't a race meeting at BIRA until next month but I'll endeavor to go to one when possible and ask around the paddock- this would be my usual approach.

 

A work colleague knows a chap who runs a race team in tintops and they are racing at Kaeng Krachan this weekend but it's too far for me to travel on my only day off. This is why I'm specifically interested in arrive and drive, I have too little time to get more involved.

 

I have been karting at Pattaya kart which was great fun but I'm no karter- I'm 6' and 90kg. That's not to say it's out of the question, I just can't compete at the sharp end agaist 55kg drivers. I will have to have a go in one of BIRA's karts if they are still there as they'd be the fastest corporate karts I've ever driven and the circuit looks rather good too.

[WarpSpeed]

Honestly you can go to Bira in a well prepared street car and just buy a day of drive time provided there are not any other races or events scheduled. It is not expensive. Too bad I'm no longer there as we could have worked something out for me to help you build, store and support a car for you to race, but alas the timing is always crap for me.. There was a guy who was actually importing & selling Caterhams there for the track, not sure how he managed to do it or where he is now it's been some years since I last heard of him, I took a brief search and didn't really find anything but a more comprehensive search may turn up something..

 

Contacting these guys may yield some results, I know they were supporting a few cars of other competitors or may even consider building you one and do an arrive and drive program. There are few foreigners that just have arrive and drive programs through Thai sources as well. Not sure what is happening with their road course bug these days but I had occasion to drive it and it was quite a hoot it's been enhanced a bit since I last competed in it, it's capable of being a track record holder, but I didn't get to drive it enough to quite get to that point, only drove it once and it wasn't well set up initially but we worked it out and I got close to the front times over the course of the weekend. I was on fully treaded hard compound street tires while the competition was on cut soft compound Nitto's I'm told were worth about 7 seconds per lap, though I question that estimate, I was within 2 seconds of the lap record for those cars by the end of the weekend, first run in the car, on the track, only second ever right drive competition, standing start quite a steep learning curve, and several years out of racing prior.

 

http://www.vwshowtime.com/v2/    Ask for Pratak or Greg, but they both speak English quite well, If someone answers the phone and speaks English likely it's one of them, both have US college educations, Pratak has a bit heavier accent, but he's a great guy..

 

Karts, there is a kart track right next door to the car track in Bira. There are warehouses on premises for teams there and if you go and talk with some of the teams on a weekend you may be able to get a supported kart for competition or buy your own and they'll support it. Also there's Tony Kart Thailand which is the team many expats use and they rent,sell and support their karts.. I couldn't locate the actual team web site but here's a list of Tony Kart sources the Thai info should be able to point you in the preferred direction.. Have fun, hope you find what you're seeking..

 

 http://www.tonykart.com/riv_world_asia_eng.html

 

Also in some series, depending on the class there is no real need for a racing license not surprisingly, but some series require a Thai racing license which can be obtained from the The Royal Automobile association Thailand

 

http://www.fia.com/about-fia/member-clubs/royal-automobile-association-thailand-raat

 

When I went over strangely they made me divest myself of my other club affiliations and pro licenses (Grand American, FIA, SCCA Pro) and my FIA license in order to obtain my Thai license but since then they are now FIA accredited (which they weren't previously) so that was a bunch of rubbish hoops they made me jump through you won't have to. I have one other source I may recommend to you but in order to run with them you'd have to be willing to get in a fair bit deeper financially, not sure how serious you wan't to be?

Edited July 22, 2014 by WarpSpeed

[J4M35]

WarpSpeed- wow. Comprehensive.

 

That is all helpful information and has given me a lot to think about.

 

Where is my level? well, as in the opening post, owning and running my car is not feasible. One thing I should've mentioned (apologies) is that I work six days a week so I really am on the bottom end of the scale in terms of commitment (unlike at home in the UK where I did all of my own mechanical work and contested full championships). This is why I was interested in 'arrive and drive' type options; in the UK there are teams running MX-5s (Miatas) who will let you loose in one of their old cars for a reasonable sum.  

 

Having a car prepared for me sounds a bit expensive/serious considering my testing opportunities are going to be pretty much nil.

 

This is why even as a reasonably experienced car competitor of 50+ races and with zero karting ability I am considering that route. I had also looked into trackdays at BIRA which would be interesting if I could borrow/hire a car for one (at the moment I have a Pajero which firstly isn't really suitably and secondly isn't really mine but a shared car with colleagues).

 

Thanks again for the contribution, I will bear Pratak and Greg in mind for sure.

[WarpSpeed]

Well it seems you and I are quite a bit alike as I did much the same as you mention in building, competing etc. all of my own equipment and actually prefer that as a matter of fact, can't let it go now, one reason I did not do as much as I had planned while I was there..But it seems that if you don't have the time and want to do this you're going to have to part with some of that hard earned dosh you're making to hire someone else for the prep & support.

 

It is not nearly as expensive as it is for us in the west, the labor cost which is usually a major part of the expense on a given weekend is very low there relatively speaking, sadly many times you're getting what you pay for. I have met some nice Thai guys though that were not know-it-alls and seemed to be interested in learning new techniques and such and once you show them a new approach to something they begin to see you have some knowledge they lack and are even more open to learning. I have also gleaned a bit of ingenuity from them too.

[VocalNeal]

I empathize but if Kang Kachan is too far you are limited to Bira and maybe Khao Yai. Not sure how many race meetings a year but not a huge number. No shop, no storage,only Sunday's off. I think what you want is a big ask. For a fix? Karts would be easier

Fastest rental karts here would be at Pattaya Kart Speedway. They are not anywhere near new but fast enough to get ones heart rate up! Used to be 500 baht for ten laps. Every now and again there is another "racer" there!

The "downtown" track way down at the end of Walking street has probably the best surface. Ok they are 4 stroke but as you already know being quick in a lower powered vehicle is more difficult than...If was retired and lived in/near Pattaya I would probably start of by going there every day and keep trying to improve my lap time.

Karting Association of Thailand has a Seniors class here for over 40's or heavier guys! retired doctors etc.. that sort of thing. About 4 or 5 expats. They run Rotax 125 or used to.

 

Pizza company's Thomas would be a good contact as he started in Karts etc. if i can dig out some contact info I'll send you a PM.

From a purely philosophical point of view different aspects, periods of life offer varied experiences. Embrace Thailand's differences rather than trying to recreate a different period in your life. Buy a bike and go riding in the sunshine. Need 100% concentration, need some adrenalin? Buy a bike and go riding in Thailand in the sunshine  



 

Edited July 30, 2014 by VocalNeal

[Lancashirelad]

Just a thought, this being Thailand and the way things often work. Racing a borrowed/rented car.......... is there some agreement/contract re who pays if the engine lets go whilst being driven by you?

[WarpSpeed]

There should be a contract covering everything from breakage to crash damage.. A data logger is a must if renting, one that also logs shifts, max RPM's etc.

[J4M35]

Hmm. Mechanical failure is not a factor I'd consiudered. Accident damage, though, is usually on a 'bend it mend it' basis. It's much easier to live with these risks when it's your own car!