I’ve decided to start prepping my very old mx5 (1992) and get it into the Mull Rally 2013.
This rally is entirely done on single track tarmac B Roads (have a search on youtube for Mull Rally).
I know there are a few of these going round (mostly in the US and Australia i think).
So, why this post? Honestly, i need advice on the setup 
BTW, i only intend on having some good fun.
I don’t know if you have competed before, but on the assumption that you haven’t…
Do you have a current Blue Book?
If not you will need to get a copy of the 2013 edition from the MSA, as the car will need to be prepared in accordance with the regulations.
I don’t have my 2012 one in front of me at the moment (it is in the bag in the boot of the car) but from memory you are going to need an approved Roll Cage, seats and belts amongst other things. You will also need the correct helmets, overalls gloves and boots.
You will also need a competition licence from the MSA which I think for this level of event will require taking and passing an approved course
One of my fellow car club members Andy Elcomb should also be able to help out, and he is also an MX5 owner (x4 at the last count) He has competed on rallies amongst other things fairly recently.
If you have any specific questions, please ask, I may not be able to answer them but I know a man who can, well a couple of them actually, one who is a senior MSA official and another who is on the Rallies committee.
Thank you for the reply m8.
Even though i’m over halfway throught life I have never competed before. I’ve been on the msa website and i need to get a non-race group b license (i think), which i will in due time.
I’ll see if i can grab a blue book somewhere.
Yes, i intended on installing a full roll cage, new seats/harnesses, then upgrade brake system and suspension. If rules allow i also intended on installing a turbo.
What Colin has said is spot on. However I think you’ll find the minimum licence will be a Nat B Stage Rally licence but I can’t find a set of regs on the web so not sure if it could be Nat A. Nat B will require £200 odd worth of BARS test at a rally school, Nat A will need Nat B and then successfully doing 5 events before being able to upgrade to A.
Blue Book is available online from the MSA website but its a minefield - try and talk to existing stage rally drivers and co-drivers as well. Let me have your address and I’ll post you a 2012 Blue Book or DVD for free.
Not wishing to P on your strawberries, but I sincerely hope you are intending to take in a few other stage rallies before Mull as that is a very serious event, even if you are only out for a bit of fun. You will also need a co-driver who has done the event before or at least has experience of pacenotes.
I’d also consider carefully the logic of fitting a turbo. If you do, you’ll find yourself in the same class as the absolute top whack Mk2 Escorts with their Millington engines and you WILL be slaughtered. For a 1.6 engine off the top of my head the .70 equivalency will bring your engine size up to 2700cc and for a 1.8 it’ll take you over 3000cc.
Assuming you already have a decent condition road car as the basis, then again purely off the top of my head I reckon once you have all the safety gear and some decent brakes and suspension and tyres, the BARS test to get your licence, the entry fee, accommodation and travel then you’ll be a minimum of £5000 the poorer. As I doubt you’ll be able to run in the Historics section, I also doubt you’ll be allowed to run a soft top so factor in a hardtop too that will fit over the full rollcage. That’ll probably mean a bespoke cage as I doubt you can fit a regular hardtop over any of the racing series cages.
Unless you have access to a seriously good workshop that has done them before, then that turbo installation is going to cause you mega grief, not make the car any faster over the stages if you are inexperienced and probably let you down on the event. Factor in another £3000 for that aspect alone.
Please don’t think I’m all doom & gloom - far from it. I’d love to see a decently prepared MX5 thrown around Mull. Its just that in my opinion starting from scratch for you and your car is going to be a very expensive, very time consuming, very frustrating and ultimately possibly disappointing exercise.
The MSA Blue Book is available FOC online (Click) Section R covers rallying, with R49 covering historic cars, think you need to do a good bit of research as to whether an NA MX-5 is going to be eligible. Good luck with this
Just found this while looking at the regs:
MULL AGAIN SET TO RIVAL MONTE CARLO
The harbour at Tobermory on the island of Mull in the Scottish Hebrides doesn’t boast quite as many luxury yachts as Monaco Port, but the 2 maritime venues have something very much in common.
Monaco is the home of the great Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, Tobermory the home of the smaller, but equally proud Mull Rally.
Both have splendid buildings – Monaco has its Grimaldi Palace: Mull its Glengorm Castle. Monaco wins on nightlife with the Casino, Jimm’z and Stars ‘N’ Bars: Mull scores on wildlife, with whales, otters, dolphins and seals within sight, and white-tailed sea eagles amongst the birds aloft.
True, Monaco has preferential tax status, but you can breathe easy on Mull. It has fewer than 4 residents per square kilometre, compared to Monaco’s 17,700.
And try as hard as you will, nowhere in Monaco can you buy a haggis supper, and eat it to the sound of bagpipes. A lone piper even marches ahead of the Mull Rally cars at the Ceremonial Start.
Every year both rallies are hopelessly over-subscribed, with rally drivers from around the world desperate to compete.
This year is no exception: within hours of the Mull Entry List opening, dozens of entries had poured in, and Clerk of the Course Iain Campbell is delighted:
“Mull has a magic all its own: you need a ferry just to get here, and it’s not an easy rally when do arrive. We’ve had roads and bridges washed away, but equally we’ve had brilliant sunshine and better views than you’d get in the Mediterranean.”
“This year Mull, like the Monte, will be taken to a world-wide audience: iRally, the world’s largest independent rally App with its half-million user base, has backed Mull and is covering the event, stage by stage, just as it would if this was Monte-Carlo or the Acropolis Rally. We very much hope – if the necessary sponsorship can be arranged – to broadcast it as well via iRally’s famous World Rally Radio.” Get in touch if you would like to sponsor this!
Greg Strange, founder and owner of iRally, says it’s a no-brainer, and an honour to have been invited:
“Mull is very special indeed: 3 days and 2 nights of rallying, narrow roads with more dips and crests than Rally Finland, Escort Mk 1s and Mk 2s and full Scottish hospitality. Great people, great event. Every WRC driver would love it. Sébastien Loeb has won Monte Carlo 6 times, but if he ever gets bored, he could always try Mull…”
Right as my and Andy’s posts were perhaps a little negative, if realistic, perhaps we should try and be a little more positive.
The Tour of Mull is at the higher level of national rallying. There are also a lot of other types of events that do not require the level of preparation or expense.
These range from a simple grass Autotest to Autosolo, scatter rallies and 12 cars.
I compete with my Mk2 in Autotests which require no preparation , other than making sure nothing is likely to fall off 
, and cost me £12 entry fee per event.
Have a look here http://www.sevenoaksmotorclub.com/ and click on the links at the bottom of the page for a brief descripton of the various disciplines.
There is also the MSA Go Motorsport site http://www.gomotorsport.net/ which should have more information on Clubs and events closer to you.
It would be well worth joining your local Motor Club as they should be able to answer most of your questions.
Hope this helps
Yes, i’ve been living on mull for 10 years and driving on these “stages” for the same amount of time… i would be looking to grab a local co-driver (one that has already done this rally), i’ll also be joining the local car club…
i’ve had my mx5 (in working order) for about 3 years now so i do have the basis 
I will indeed reconsider the instalation of that turbo…
M8 ur not P in my strawberries at all, this is the sort of comments that i was looking for… All that you and others are saying will help me trace a path until the D-Day
This is the machine that i’ll be “transforming”
my other car… yes i like scooby’s too
Excellent! If you are a local then that will help no end. That means that you are the right kind of nutter and should have a decent idea of at least what is involved in the actual rally.
However I think for the money that you are considering spending, I’d buy a cheap already prepared Impreza, spend a bit of money on it to bring up to scratch and thrash that instead. Just my 2p worth.
I’ll pop the 2012 Blue Book & DVD in the post tomorrow - happy reading!
Andy