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What should I do first?
You have to be a member of a Motorcycle Club that is
affiliated to the Auto Cycle Union, the ACU for short.
The ACU is the governing body of motorcycle road racing
in England and Wales, including the Channel Isles and
the Isle of Man. The cost of Club Membership varies
but is normally a few pounds each year. You then have
to decide which Club(s) you wish to join. You may have
to obtain information from several Clubs to help you
decide.
Do I need a licence of any kind?
Yes.
You will need a Road Race Licence from the ACU to race
your motorcycle at authorised race meetings. A Licence
will cost you £43.00 and will be valid from 1st
January until 31st December each year. Provided you
are reasonably fit there is no need for a medical, but
an eyesight examination will be required every third
year.
There is a requirement to attend a Pre - Licence Qualification
Course (ACU-T) before a new Road Race Licence can be
issued. Details of this course will be sent with your
ACU Licence Application Form. The ACU-T course is also
held from time to time at Darley Moor details are on
the Darley Moor website. You must successfully attend
and pass this course before you can apply for your Road
Race Licence. The Certificate, which is valid for 12
months, from your ACU-T Course must be attached to your
Licence Application Form. (For security reasons you
are strongly advised to take and keep a copy of your
Certificate)
You must also prove that you can ride a motorcycle.
This can be done in several ways - see the ACU Licence
Application Form for full details. At certain times
of the year this can be done at Darley Moor again see
the website for details.
Once you have obtained your Licence application form,
complete the form, had your eyesight tested and successfully
completed the ACU-T Course, you should send your Licence
Application Form to the Club Secretary together with
your Membership Form to join that club. If you put a
stamped addressed envelope to the ACU with your Licence
application form (remember the cheque if required),
the Secretary will normally countersign your Licence
application and forward to the ACU.
What bike can I race?
There are restrictions as to size and type of motorcycle
you may race if you are a newcomer to road racing.
At 12 years of age you may ride a Production
based machine up to 125cc two stroke or 250cc four stroke.
At 15 years of age you may ride a GP type
machine up to 125cc two stroke or 250cc four stroke.
AT 16 years of age you may ride a Production
based machine up to 250cc two stroke, or a 400cc four
stroke four cylinder or 650cc four stroke twin cylinder.
At 18 years of age without a DVLA Class
A Road Licence you can ride a Production based machine
up to 600cc four stroke four cylinder, 675cc four stroke
three cylinder or a 750cc four stroke twin cylinder
or a GP machine up to 250cc two stroke.
There are no restrictions on the type of machine you
can ride if you are over 18years old and hols a DVLA
Class A Road Licence.
Please see the ACU
Licence Application Form (ACU
Web Site) for full details of these restrictions.
As a newcomer to Road Racing you are required to wear
an orange vest over your leathers, this can be obtained
from the ACU at the same time as you apply for your
Licence. The cost of the orange vest is £7.00
(non-refundable)
What next?
When you took your ACU-T course you would have been
given an ACU Handbook that will help you understand
the rules and regulations governing Road Racing. Also
in this book are the technical regulations concerning
the safety requirements of your machine and clothing
(including your helmet etc.). You are advised to pay
particular attention to these requirements because failure
to observe them may result in your not being eligible
for a race meeting.
And to enter a race?
The Club(s) that you have joined will normally send
you Regulations and Entry Forms for the meetings they
are holding. These regulations are in addition to those
in the ACU handbook and not instead of them.
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