Minitwins or Thunderbikes?

MRO no longer run a minitwins class, only the Bemsee Clubman Minitwins now.

Minitwins will be cheaper by far than thunderbikes and plenty fast enough for a rookie. I'm racing my rookie season in minitwins currently, scoring points in the main clubman championship and getting top 5 finishes amongst the rookies.

The bike is more than competitive and cost me just ?1750 + ?200 for wets on wheels. I have not needed to spend a penny more doing the bike up, total spares cost to date comes in at a set of sintered brake pads for the front at ?33 and a couple of sprockets for another ?30.

Thunderbikes runs to more expense as the rules allow for greater suspension and brake upgrades as well as tuned engines. The only advantage is if you really like tinkering and building your bike then thunderbikes may prove more fun as your allowed to do more with the bike.

lets put it this way.

What can you afford? 10k for a season or 20k? If it's the latter then go for thunderbikes as it's a good laugh being out there iwth such a variety of bikes but if it's the former mintwins it is.

I run in thunderbikes and the cost of getting nyour bike to the kg/bhp limit is mind boggling. I run a SV700 with an absolute fortune spent on it and i'm actually quite a way off the limit.

I love the thunderbikes due to the freeness of the regs allowing you to do whatever you want pretty much to the bike whereas for a beginner the mintwins doesnt allow that free reign so the cost of getting a competetive bike can be pretty much nothing.

at the end of the day though it's up to you so just do what you want

it doesnt have to be huge expense to run thunderbikes, start with a minitwin and do stuff when you can, if you look at the times there not a million miles apart and it is a different type of riding when your racing against a bike that makes power differently you have to think alot more and get the most out of what your on, when theyre all the same its just down to commitment.

there have been a few minitwins get up the front so dont let the possible costs put you off, it just means when you come to do work on the bike you have a larger choice of mods without rule restrictions.

Danny was saying he might nick my CBR600 and do some Thunderbikes rounds if his RGV proves to be crap.

I'll be racing in the thunderbikes this weekend at snett. My entries got lost in the post en-route to BEMSEE and there are no spaces in the Minitwins left.

Originally Posted by Jester666

As a novice rider where do I start if I want to have a go at club racing?

Do I go MT or TB?
Cheers.

I am not sure you are asking the right questions.

• First of all - what do you WANT to race? ? what gives you wood to think you would be a xxxx-racer??
• Secondly - why do you want to race?
• Thirdly - how tough do you want the competition?
• Finally - What can you realistically raise budget wise for the first season?

Answering these questions honestly makes the answer drop out pretty easy

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

I am not sure you are asking the right questions.

• First of all - what do you WANT to race? ? what gives you wood to think you would be a xxxx-racer?? Moto-GP please. Or WSB.
• Secondly - why do you want to race? Constant supply of brolly dollies, fame, fortune etc
• Thirdly - how tough do you want the competition? Stoner, Rossi - you call that competition?! I'd take them all
• Finally - What can you realistically raise budget wise for the first season? About a fiver.

Answering these questions honestly makes the answer drop out pretty easy

Hmm, not sure what answer just dropped out, but I don't think I'm going to like it this season

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

Hmm, not sure what answer just dropped out, but I don't think I'm going to like it this season

So hows about now answering the questions seriously/realistically

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

So hows about now answering the questions seriously/realistically

Teehee

Ahh, well serious and realistic are two different things. Purely seriously then I think my original answers still stand
Seriously, I'd love to do GP or WSB - realistically, well, it's not going to happen is it
Seriously, brolly dollies, fame and fortune are still perfectly good answers, realistically I've only achieved the first
Seriously, every race I went out thinking, no, knowing, I had the potential to beat everyone there; if I didn't then it was just a case of not yet reaching potential, so long as I learnt a little bit I'm happy - if you don't go out intending to win then there's not point going out in my opinion Realistically, I've found competition is as much budget as skill, realistically I'm middle ranking skill at clubman level.
Seriously, my budget this year is about a fiver. Realistically my budget is also a fiver

I might knock something together to squeeze a couple of meets at the end of the year, more likely looking at '09 now.

Matt I take it you race in mini twins then? How many season did you do?