hey dave
i'm about to start my first season racing and in the 750 stoch hatch
in a pug205 my first race is this sunday.. the best way is to attend some races and have a chat with the drivers to get an idea of whats involved..thats what i did.
and i went to a couple of stoch hatch races and saw some very close but fair racing and the drivers were very friendly.
and i'm sure you could enter and not have to re-shell upto 3 times
if you want some more info just ask
i'm running a website for my first season
if you want some more info
MY SITE
good luck