| Author | Message | ||
| Randy (Schatten)
Junior Member Username: Schatten Post Number: 182 Registered: 4-2001 |
yes! I did see the lotus following the F40 - that was a great vid indeed. If the budget were there, I would also look for a purpose-built race car. Once I hit that stage, tinkering with road cars will be a thing of the past - at least on a personal level. =) That's my assumption at least. 500hp? man... that's too much for me to tell you the truth. I'll get there one day, but right now, I'm not prepared in skill. One day.. one day. =) Thanks for the response. | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Junior Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 80 Registered: 8-2001 |
Randy, Spec Racer Ford is wheel to wheel racing in cars that look similar to the radical but are a bit smaller and not nearly as fast. The Lotus is certainly a great track car that can dust much more expensive machinery costing thousands more. I am sure most of you saw the video of the Elise keeping up with a well driven F40 at a track in France (posted a few weeks ago). But ultimately it's still a road car (even if it isn't street legal). Nothing compares to a very light purpose built race car. A Formula Dodge open wheeled race car with a 150 horsepower engine from a Dodge Neon is nearly two seconds faster than a full blown 400 hp 355 Challenge car at Lime Rock. A 355 C will do about 1:00 minute, maybe 59 sec. if it's driven at the limit, but a Formula Dodge driven by an everage racer can easily post sub one minute laps. The record at Lime Rock was set this year at 57.45. You can imagine what the Radical would do to that record with 100 extra hp and the same weight. I got to drive four laps last year in a Skip Barber Dodge Pro car. These are the cars that you see doing the support races at CART weekends which are basically CART cars (a bit smaller) with the Dodge V6 (289 HP). I am fairly competant in a Formula Dodge (sub one minute at Lime Rock) but I was totally unprepared for the sheer power and grip of the Barber Pro car. Where I was able to mentally think everything through in the Formula Dodge (brake, heel n' toe, turn in, trail, and track out) in the Barber Dodge Pro car everything happened incredibly fast and the car seemed downright violent. I never had time to think about what I was doing. When you dirve one of these things everything has to be purely instinct. If you have to think about it the way I did your never going to be able to drive the thing fast. God only knows what that car must feel like with another 500 hp (think F1). Road cars are fun, but a purpose built racer is the ultimate fun. I have seen a few F3 cars show up at a few tracks this year. Some place in Florida is bringing them over from Europe and sticking Australian built GM holden engines with nearly 400 hp all for about 40K. Choices, choices!!! Jon | ||
| Randy (Schatten)
Junior Member Username: Schatten Post Number: 179 Registered: 4-2001 |
dig the car! very sweet! LOVE the video. That's real racing. =D but what kind of racing are you looking to get involved in? sounds like Solo II classes to me. not wheel-to-wheel racing? at MG Racing, we've imported one of the Elise's and recently sold it. Its a great car, and awaiting our next little toys: Lotus Exige and a Super 7 kit (can't remember which one it was at the moment, not the two typical kits) with a 320hp Hayabusa engine in it. =D And as always, if you'd want to import anything, I have the connections you might need. But for a race car like this, I'm sure you are better off dealing with the company directly as you already are doing. | ||
| Ken (Allyn)
Junior Member Username: Allyn Post Number: 184 Registered: 10-2001 |
The Lotus Elise would be a great SP autocross car and the competition level will not be as intense. If you lack the bucks then pick up a Europa for $12k and put about $5k in upgrades and if your skill level is there, very little can touch you. | ||
| Frank Parker (Parkerfe)
Member Username: Parkerfe Post Number: 552 Registered: 9-2001 |
Great looking car. I would think it would cost a lot less than 1/2 the cost of a 355 to run and maintain. You could also consider a Lotus Elise as a track car. They cost the same amount and in a pinch can be driven on the road and not attract the long arm of the law. | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Junior Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 78 Registered: 8-2001 |
Hi Rob, Yes this is an upgraded version of the Radical that runs in SCCA (D class I think). The SCCA one runs a 1.3 liter engine with 150 hp I think (maybe it's 130 hp can't remember). This newer version is not yet classified by SCCA and I am not sure where it would fit in as it is nearly 8 seconds per lap quicker around Silverstone than the 1.3 is. I am not sure if I would race the car or not, since it is very cost effective to rent a Spec Racer Ford and as you pointed out in C and D sports there are rarely more than a few cars to race against. The other factor is, as you mentioned, the step up to the SRF Pro Series. The 355 has the Challenge cage not the SCCA cage, and yes you are right it would run in ITE or T1 (likely only one or two cars in T1 here in the DC region). Jeff Staley ran his 98 Challenge car last year in T1 and ITE (until he flipped it and totaled at Summit last Spring). There was a gentleman a few years back who campaigned a 308/328 in SCCA but I can't remember his name. He only ran a few races. The other problem with ITE is the level of competition and the willingness of some of the more high budget racers to trade paint if it means they will gain a spot. I have seen this in T1, ITE, and especially in GT1 where people must have F1 type budgets to be able to destroy their cars every weekend in the pursuit of a trophy. Think I wlll stick with SRF and see if I have what it takes to get to the Pro level. The team I am racing with this year is Hagermann Racing who preps and prepares SCCA National Valvoline Run Off's Champion Richard Spicer who came in first last year at Mid-Ohio (was broadcast by Speedvision several times). My first test is in a couple of weeks. Regards, Jon | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Intermediate Member Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 1063 Registered: 12-2000 |
Yes, I've seen the car before. What class does it run in the SCCA? I think CSP, DSP? Something like that. Anyway, what other classes have you looked at? SP is a great class (small prototypes), but there's not a bunch of participation. SRF is a great choice because they're inexpensive ($15-25k), it's a very very popular class, and it has a pro series that even gets TV coverage. Other classes I would look at are Formula Ford or Formula Mazda, they're open wheel, but great if you want to go pro. Does your 355 have a SCCA legal roll cage? The stock challenge roll cages have to be changed to meet SCCA regulations. Anyway, your car expires from T1 after this year. I'm really thinking about building a Gt4 or 308 for SCCA ITE. I'm not crazy about ITE because it's only a regional class. I want to start racing mid-ohio in my next race car. Those are some of the best racers in the world. Just no classes for a Ferrari besides T1. | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Junior Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 77 Registered: 8-2001 |
Well not exactly? But.... The Challenge car may be history at the end of this season. I have been doing track events for nearly 5 years and am getting into racing this season (Spec Racer Ford Pro Series). I love the 355 but it's too expensive to use as just a track toy and way to expensive to risk racing it and getting it banged up. After racing an open wheeled Dodge Formula car and testing a Spec Racer Ford (think mini 333 SP minus 500 horsepower) I have decided to look for a purpose built track car. I found a company in the UK called Radical Motorsport sells a prototype track/race car that looks like a mini 333 SP and comes with a 252 hp motorcycle engine (w/ a weight of less than 1500 lbs.). Performance is staggering, 0-60 in 3.2, 0-100 in 7.6 and a top speed north of 150 mph. All I would need to do is order it in red and slap some Ferrari shields on it and I have got a mini 333 SP. It costs somewhere in the neighborhood of 40K-50K and maintenance would be half what a Challenge car runs. Only thing I am concerned with is getting flack from people for putting a Ferrari shield on the car when nothing on the car is from Ferrari. I am also checking with the various FCA regions to see if they will allow the car to run in their track events. Mid-Atlantic allows non-Ferrari's to run, but some regions like the Empire State Region do not allow this. Here are some pictures and a video (note let the video download the first time and then run it again for smoother playback.) What do you think of the car? Regards, Jon P. Kofod video page http://www.radicalmotorsport.com/video/snett.mpg  |