Racing Rules
& Regulations
On this page you'll see our annually updated Racing Rules & Regulations. This is the definitive guide to racing at the Hot Rod Races on Pendine Sands. Racing at Pendine is authorised by the IOPD and the rule book is in full accordance with their guidelines. You can click on the cover image, which will take you to a new page with a PDF file, which you can then either read on screen, or, and we highly recommend this if you plan to race at Pendine, download and print a copy.
It is worth noting that this rule book does not currently apply to other VHRA events. They are run under the licence of our hosts and it is to those rules that we adhere. Full details of what is required will be included on the respective event pages.
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The Racing Rules & Regulations carry the guidelines for construction of a roll bar or cage, as well as number of diagrams and critical measurement to give you an idea of what’s required. Obviously, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, so in an effort to help the process, we are running the information below to give an insight into the Farrant Bros approach to things. Since the start of the Hot Rod Races, both Matt and Malc have taken safety very seriously, with our three time King of the Beach, Matt, running a roll bar, whilst Malc's roadster sports an individual cage. Our thanks to both of them for sharing their information and pictures with us.
Roll Bars & Cages
First up, here’s Malc’s description of how his roll cage came together:
"I looked at a lot of cage designed from the early land speed roadsters, settling on the Sand, Teague and Bentley roadster to loosely base mine on, It dates from 1960. Most cars of that era had a nice sweeping curve to the rear tube behind your head, with I felt was an important element in getting the right look.
I first mocked up the cage in plastic tubing, cardboard and pipe lagging material. At this stage, I made sure I could fit in it with my helmet on, reach all the controls, as well as get in and out fairly easily. I completely forgot about the ignition switch and found out at a late stage that I could switch the car on or off when strapped in. A 4” extension to the key got me out of trouble!
There were days of agonising over the look of the cage and a ton of small changes until I was happy. The design was then transferred to sheets of hardboard, which I took to Andy Robinson Race Cars. He supplied the tubing and did all the bends. Andy understood exactly what I was trying to achieve and did an excellent job on the bends, which were made from 1 3/4” seamless tube. Following this, I was into into notching the tube for a nice fit. I used cardboard toilet roll middles as templates, slipped over the tubing, then cut to fit around the tube it was joining. I used a hacksaw and various large files to shape the ends of the tube.
The feet of the cage are made from 5mm plate and it’s all TIG welded. If you don’t have a TIG, it’s worth the extra effort of taking it to someone to weld as it’s much stronger and neater. To mount the cage to the car at the rear, there is a horizontal piece of tubing in the boot that bolts to the chassis using existing holes, as I hate drilling holes in my chassis. The front of the cage bolts to mounts under the seat. The left hand mount bolts to the chassis, whilst the right hand mount is welded to a crossmember I put in when I originally built the car. When the cage is removed, the bench seat goes in and hides the mounts, giving the car its street look back.
The cage seat is made from 3mm aluminium and I sit on a piece of foam to make the drive to Pendine more bearable. I may at some stage bolt in a piece of tubing going forward to protect my legs.
I use Simpson cage mount belts from Summit Racing and Sparco arm restraints from Demon Tweets. I also use a Simpson neck brace. All of this stuff is pretty affordable.
I hope this is of some help to fellow racers. I would recommend not leaving not too late in the year to get started, (I did!), as there is a surprising amount of work in it."
Matt’s turn now, with his roll cage. It’s worth noting that from 2019 onwards, Matt upgraded to a cage due to his speed, so this is for those running a roll bar.
"First, I looked at as many old photos as I could to get a period looking roll bar. It is mostly based on the Dean Lowe roadster pickup, as I could actually measure the car as it is now owned by fellow Vulture, Stephen Hill, along with some other B/SR cars from that era. I decided to add a roll to the top bar to soften the shape which I think helps the look.
One detail that I thought was important was the tube diameter. I used 1 3/4" tube as it was a common size in the 50's and 60's. I had all the tubing bent by Andy Robinson Race Cars (RRC) as he carried this tube size, was local to me, and understood my need for the right look. Most of the drag race chassis builders should be able to help though.
I marked out the shape of the main tube on a piece of hardboard with a marker pen. I was able to try the board in the car to check the dimensions and look of the roll bar. Once I was happy with the final shape I was able to give the board to RRC as a pattern.
Mounting the roll bar hoop to the chassis required a little thought as I didn't want to cut the floor which sits a couple of inches above the chassis. The solution was to make up a spacer box that fits between the chassis and floor. It is made from 4mm plate and has captive nuts welded in so I can bolt it from both sides.
The main hoop has a diagonal brace and a horizontal brace. The horizontal brace doubles as the rear harness mounts as they just loop around the tube. This is by far the best method of mounting the shoulder straps. The forward tube braces are all removable making it easier to fit. I have used a couple of different clamping method for these that RRC advised me on and are FIA approved so there are no question marks about safety. The forward mounting points for the bracing tubes use the front body to chassis mounts which is about the only practical point I could use. The body is pretty strong here and ties in to the chassis with the original riveted outer chassis brackets.
I welded it myself but there are plenty of guys out there for hire with a welder these days.
I use a mixture of TRS and Simpson harness. It's a 5 point harness so I can't slide out forwards in the event of an accident. TRS stuff is well priced and available from Demon Tweeks and the Simpson harness I scrounged for free. Both are the same design with a period looking buckle so I could interchange the parts. Arm restraints are TRS and only about £30 the pair.
The seat is a simple steel tube frame with a riveted aluminium liner that attaches to the roll bar.
I think that is everything. I did it all for the minimum cost possible, by doing as much of the work myself, so it doesn't have to cost a fortune."
