You may be tempted to get the car set up for competition to give you an edge. Bear in mind that there are strict limits to what you are allowed to change on the car. The aim is to stop anyone buying an unfair advantage.

The tvr Car Club Speed Championship doesn't restrict modifications to the car, however all cars will need to comply with the technical regulations for their regional championship. You should consult the regulations for your regional championship for the definitive regulations, but here's a summary:

. Tyres: To compete in the tvr Speed Championship, your car must be shod with tyres which appear in list 1A or list 1B in the MSA Blue Book. List 1A tyres do not affect your handicap, but list 1B tyres will attract a loading of 2.25% to your handicap algorithm. Slick tyres attact a loading of 3.5%. If it is your intention to compete in championships in addition to the tvr Speed Championship, it is likely that your car may be required to run list 1A tyres in roadgoing classes. This may affect your decision as to which type of tyre to run.

. Dampers: generally, you will find the handling improves if you stiffen up the dampers by about 25-50% from normal road settings. If you are replacing the dampers at any point, get ones that can be adjusted on the car.

. Harness: a competition harness is recommended as a safety measure, but also holds you in your seat better and improves your control over the car. Once you've tried one you'll never go back. Costs start from around £30, some work is generally required to fit them and the best advice is to come and see how someone else has done it.

. Roll-over Bar: these are recommended but not always easy to fit to tvrs. If you want to fit one of these you can expect to spend several days making one up yourself or a few hundred pounds getting a professional to sort it for you. Again, come and see how others have managed it.

. Seat: you are allowed to fit a competition seat if you want. Most people get by with the standard tvr seats, which are already pretty good.

. Seat Mount: the standard seat mountings used on many tvrs do not meet the full MSA safety guidelines. Although the standard seat mounts are permitted, it is possible to reinforce them to bring them up to the full MSA specification (Q2.2). Tower View Race Services can supply suitable reinforced mountings to fit most models.

. Engine Modifications: engine modifications are permitted but will affect the car's power to weight algorithm.
Any changes which affect the power to weight ratio of competitors' cars must be declared to the championship administrator so that the handicap algorithm can be updated. Failure to declare such changes before the commencement of a qualifying event will result in the points for that event being null and void.