Anyone here try Formula Mazda?

Final pic. last year's series champion Luis Schiavo prepares to race. Luis advanced from something like 14the to 7th before breaking a suspension piece, but still finishing in the top 10.

Final comment: as for FM v FC, having been on both sides, you have to understand that the FC guys always have looked down on the FM guys as inferior drivers with inferior cars.

 

Will,

I think he was referring to the differnce between the FM cars from the Russell days and the current FM's from the 90's (older style not the Pro cars).

So Racer's Edge has a few Pro cars. Have you raced them yet? What's it like?

Yeah the FC guys in the MARRS series really hate the FM guys and talk them down. Never understood why. If you go to the FC boards they constantly harp on their "real race cars" vs. the "antiquated tanks".

Never understood this apsect of SCCA. While I am sure that CSR and DSR guys don't think much of a SRF with a Pinto engine they don't go outof their way to denegrate us in any way.

Regards,

Jon

 

Jon - my mistake, if the comparison was between the old Russell cars and the now club only FM. Sorry about that.

I have not driven one of the new cars. The guys who have them tell me they are a giant leap from the old cars.

As for FM v FC, I think there are a lot of factors. The FC is as you know in fact a more sophisticated machine, requiring precise suspension set-up, multiple gear sets, more frequent engine work, etc. I think a lot of the old FC guys were pretty hands on. Also, initially FC had the big time pro series, which was truly big time in terms of dollars and the quality of the top teams. FM was perfect for the arrive and drive open wheel novice, as well as the DIY guy. And the FMs could equal the FCs on the straights, but usually held them up in the corners, which drove the FC guys insane, quite understandably. I think a sort of peace is fashioned when the FCs and FMs are put in separate race groups, works better for everyone I think.

 

Jon,

I stand corrected. The new car is obviously much different than what I drove. It actually looks like a composite tub too. However, I think the car Ryan is talking about the previous model. I'm sure it is a non composite car at $18,000. The newer car looks very nice, though. When Mark Verbosky was cut out of his tube frame FC Riverside May 1989 they had to amputate him at both ankles to get him out because of the collapsed frame. He then went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene. I hit the wall at Laguna Seca exit turn 3 at about 100 mph in a Swift DB-4 (carbon fiber tub) at a similar angle and walked away. My passion is this: If your racing one of those old tube frame cars be careful. Composite tub is much safer.

 

Just to clarify a Swift DB-4 is a Formula Atlantic car not a FC car. In 1991 the Swift FC car was a tube frame car too.

 

There is a Fm1 and a Fm2. The new Formula Mazda is Completely different from the old Fmazda.

You can see info at http://www.racersedgemotorsports.com/carpages/fm2/fm2.htm

They were former champions, from NJ, and run by a Nice guy. I was looking to help them with some engineering services(data acq assistant) however I could not commit to thier busy travelling schedule for the summer, so I had to decline. I'm morelooking to go into the Manufacturer side of things then the end user race team.

 

You should try one of these, they are a blast!


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