Welcome to my video on turning a rusty old shed in to a thoroughbred Italian race car. In this episode we are talking about what we are doing, where we are going to be doing it and when.

What

Put simply I am going to transform a 1990 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v from a shed in to a thoroughbred race car. The car is currently full of rust, has many bodged repairs, has no engine, no doors and is pretty much a wreck. Definitely not ready for the race track.

The plan is to dip the car, repair any damage, weld in strengthening plates, put in a group a rally cage and add the required safety and security features needed to win some races.

Where

The plan is to race the car predominantly within the club racing circuit throughout England with a trip out to Europe also. The current calendar looks is starting with a visit to my local circuit in Norfolk at Snetterton (300 configuration) on the 1^st & 2^nd of April. Then a trip to Hampshire on the fastest circuit in the UK; Thruxton on the 22^nd & 23^rd of April. Silverstone (International) is next on the 27^th & 28^th of May which should be great with the wide open FIA circuit which is then followed by the legendary Spa Francorchamps on the 23^rd to 25^th of June. The north of England is next with Croft on the 22^nd & 23^rd of July and then the English West Country with a visit to Castle Combe on the 12^th & 13^th of August. Donnington Park (National) is next on the 9^th & 10^th of September followed by a trip north once more to Oulton Park on the 7^th of October. The season finale takes the car to Brands Hatch, which will include proper night races on the 11^th & 12^th of November.

Series

The plan is to race the car with the Classic Sports Car Club. I have completed a few rounds with them in 2015 and 2016 with a Renault Clio 182 in their Tin Top and New Millennium series reasonably successfully. For the Delta, the car is eligible for the Future Classics. Modern Classics and Open Series’.

Future Classics is designed for Sports, Saloons and GT cars from the 1970’s and 1980’s and is split into 2 groups with an overall winner for each decade. The class structure is based on engine capacity, allowing cars to battle it out all down the field and provide great entertainment. The grids are full of iconic cars from the period including Sierra Cosworths, Porsche 911s, Jensons and TVRs. The Lancia is in the A80 class, which is the highest and fastest class in the series for cars manufactured in the 1980s.

Modern Classics is designed for most production Saloon, Hatchback, Sports and GT models produced up to the end of 1999. Modern Classics attracts a wide range of cars from Alfa Romeo and Volkswagen through to BMW, Ferrari and Porsche. The Lancia is in the A0 class, which is the highest and fastest class in the series. Nothing short of a win will do for both series!

The races are run over forty minutes and include the added excitement of a mandatory pit-stop with a 30 minute qualifying session on the same day. Entries may be two drivers sharing a single car or as a two car team, however I am competing as a single driver. All race winning cars/drivers accumulate winners penalties, helping to stop the same car/driver dominating at every round.

Next episode

We see the car once it has been dipped, welded and strengthened. Don’t forget to subscribe and give the video a thumbs up.