Newbie looking for advice
Discussion
I have some experience in karting and had a single race “experience” at Brands Hatch when I drove a BMW 3 Series with instructor and then 5 or so laps in a Formula First single seater. I have seen the Radicals race and really feel it’s for me. My long term aim would be to purchase a Radical Clubsport (possibly SR4) and use it on trackdays and then possibly when I am comfortable move onto racing. First question is…. Am I trying to run before I can walk (is the Radical Clubsport a good first trackday car)? Secondly, what are the main pieces of support equipment I would be looking to also purchase if I run my own club sport (trailer, tools etc.. is a van necessary or would a decent size hatchback do)?. Sorry if these are really obvious questions.
Thanks.
Thanks.
I have recently sold my sr4 to move up a notch.The Sr4 was a fantastic car,very rewarding to drive and quite easy to become quick in.
As a track day car it makes alot of sense and is great fun.With regards to racing it then that's another story.You can easily and I mean easily spend 40k a year racing one of these,they are very breakable and very expensive to fix.
ie Nose cone circa £600,front carbon splitter £300 rear end circa£1500 without spoiler.Wishbones £300 uprights £500 etc.I did not damage any of these but understand that these are the sort of replacement prices you are lookingat.A small front or rear end shunt can easily become 5-6k in damage and they do have quite a lot of contact in the Radical racing.
Entry fees are around £500-700 per event and radical fuel is expensive.The top boys use a set of tyres per event so factor thatin as well.Normally 2x20 minuite races per meeting.
The car will require lots of attention to keep it in good working order.If you can afford it then it will be great fun.
I only tracked mine after talking to some of the guys about racing costs.
An alternative would be to buy a Global light or Xtr2 and race in the 750mc bike sports championship.Amixed grid with differing levels of cars and ability so you won't look out of place,this will give you time to learn.
Entry fee's are betweem £150-200 and most races are 30mins plus practice and timed qualifying.So plenty of seat time and fun to be had.Running costs on these cars is a fraction of the Sr4.Lap times are also similar as are the circuits raced at.
Hope that helps,im not an expert but it's what Ifound out from my own experience.
As a track day car it makes alot of sense and is great fun.With regards to racing it then that's another story.You can easily and I mean easily spend 40k a year racing one of these,they are very breakable and very expensive to fix.
ie Nose cone circa £600,front carbon splitter £300 rear end circa£1500 without spoiler.Wishbones £300 uprights £500 etc.I did not damage any of these but understand that these are the sort of replacement prices you are lookingat.A small front or rear end shunt can easily become 5-6k in damage and they do have quite a lot of contact in the Radical racing.
Entry fees are around £500-700 per event and radical fuel is expensive.The top boys use a set of tyres per event so factor thatin as well.Normally 2x20 minuite races per meeting.
The car will require lots of attention to keep it in good working order.If you can afford it then it will be great fun.
I only tracked mine after talking to some of the guys about racing costs.
An alternative would be to buy a Global light or Xtr2 and race in the 750mc bike sports championship.Amixed grid with differing levels of cars and ability so you won't look out of place,this will give you time to learn.
Entry fee's are betweem £150-200 and most races are 30mins plus practice and timed qualifying.So plenty of seat time and fun to be had.Running costs on these cars is a fraction of the Sr4.Lap times are also similar as are the circuits raced at.
Hope that helps,im not an expert but it's what Ifound out from my own experience.
I must admit, I had seen the XTR2 on a couple of websites while doing my initial research and was very tempted, not sure why I got Radical stuck in my head, I think maybe just because I saw a couple racing in last years Biduro. XTR2 certainly seems to be a more economical route into trackday and then racing. Don't think I have the time or space to build one from a kit so would be looking for a ready built one.
Hi Simon,
I've been racing my Clubsport in 750mc Bikesports, Matador Challenge and Castle Combe GTs. I would be happy to chat about costs or other aspects of racing (mine's up for sale but even if you're not interested in it I would still be more than happy to chat) Drop me a mail with a contact number if you want
Cheers
Simon
www.tillingmotorsport.co.uk
I've been racing my Clubsport in 750mc Bikesports, Matador Challenge and Castle Combe GTs. I would be happy to chat about costs or other aspects of racing (mine's up for sale but even if you're not interested in it I would still be more than happy to chat) Drop me a mail with a contact number if you want
Cheers
Simon
www.tillingmotorsport.co.uk
You can't compare the XTR against a Radical, the XTR isn't a very good car at all. It was a bit of a hash up and I don't think Westfield make it anymore. I race a clubsport and would happily recommend one to anybody. Costs arent as high as mentioned above and there are lots of alternative places to source parts should things go wrong. If you are coming from karting you'll love the Clubsport. I can also vouch for Simon's car mentioned in this thread. If you want some more information check out my site www.mtcracing.co.uk. The only downside about a radical for trackdays is that your be the quickest thing out there in the corners which can get frustrating at times.
So far I've not seen anything negative written about the XTR2 (apart from in this thread) and it still appears on Westfields site. I still think it might be a good option to get me into trackdays and then maybe move up to a radical in a year or two after? Topgear highly rated the XTR2 when it went up against (and whipped) the Zonda! I have emailed asking them if its still a current model in their range. Havent been able to find any information on Global Lights.
Edited by smartmove on Thursday 31st August 11:26
The old ADR's weren't particularly good, I know one chap that had all sorts of issues with ADR and they've never been very competitive when I've seen them on track - not that this is a issue to you at the moment. The newer ADR3's are supposed to be better but how much better I don't know.
There are some good kit cars out there that will do what you want and not break the bank. You could look at Mallock, Sport2000 etc. You might be better asking your question on Ten Tenths forum so you get a more unbias reply
There are some good kit cars out there that will do what you want and not break the bank. You could look at Mallock, Sport2000 etc. You might be better asking your question on Ten Tenths forum so you get a more unbias reply
I found myself in your position a year and a half ago. Not sure what to get, not sure what I could afford, not sure if I would be over my head in the car. In the end what I did was to by an old clubsport. You can pickup an clubsport for something in the range of £8-10k. I have spent the year doing track days (7 events) sometimes with the support of a team and sometimes by myself.
I had never been racing before nor done any track days, but the clubsport was not too difficult to get the hang of. I can go around at a “reasonable” pace, at track days this means quicker than most people in Porsche, Ferrari and M3, but I know that there is a still good room for improvement. You really need to be driven in one by someone who knows what they are doing and then for you to drive it yourself to really see how much fun/exciting they are.
I think that the car is reasonably priced for the performance/ thrills that it gives. Perhaps a thing to think about is that the Clubsport and Prosport prices have hit their low stability price. If you buy one and drive it for a year or two, you probably will get something back close to what you paid when you sell it.
I had never been racing before nor done any track days, but the clubsport was not too difficult to get the hang of. I can go around at a “reasonable” pace, at track days this means quicker than most people in Porsche, Ferrari and M3, but I know that there is a still good room for improvement. You really need to be driven in one by someone who knows what they are doing and then for you to drive it yourself to really see how much fun/exciting they are.
I think that the car is reasonably priced for the performance/ thrills that it gives. Perhaps a thing to think about is that the Clubsport and Prosport prices have hit their low stability price. If you buy one and drive it for a year or two, you probably will get something back close to what you paid when you sell it.
if Lydden is near you, I understand that semsec is a good place to go racing. Just to be clear on the cars the clubsport is not an SR4 and they are leagues apart in purchase cost certainly. The clubsport is certainly going to be more cost effective and I think that semsec offers good value racing. If I ever work out how to convince SWMBO that I can go racing and I find the time between other weekend driving exploits I will try my hand at Semsec.
Graham
Graham
I had the conversion done by Van Kaiser (a few people here have a converson as well) and it is top notch quality. The cockpit has been expanded a bit and I don't find it too small with a second person (I'm 6'2'' and 190 lbs). If I'm not mistaken Van is using the seat from the SR4 in the conversion.
Here is the link for Slipstream.
www.slipstream-motorracing.com/
If you are interested, I can e-mail a few photo's of my car.
Jon
Here is the link for Slipstream.
www.slipstream-motorracing.com/
If you are interested, I can e-mail a few photo's of my car.
Jon
yep, me too! The seat is indeed an SR4 seat and having passenged and driven with a passenger in an SR4, I can confirm that the clubsport conversion is more roomy rather than less. I have got Van's first conversion and it works very well indeed. The *only* thing I might want to change is that the instrument pod stays in the middle which is not perfect if you want to wring that last ounce of performance out in a race situation. This would only need a second set of change lights to solve.
Mine is in Epsom if that is close to have a look at.
Graham
Mine is in Epsom if that is close to have a look at.
Graham
I have had both the Radical and Xtr2 and now run a Juno.The radical is a slightly quicker car around the track than the Xtr2 but that's only slightly.
The Xtr can be driven to and from the track and is much cheaper to run.Last year I did several track days and 1500 road miles all on the same brakes and tyres.
2x seats with plenty of room in the Xtr,my Sr4 was a real squeeze for two.
I have just road registered another Xtr2 for fun and track days toi go with the Juno.
At £21.950.00 for a brand new 06 Xtr2 that would make a the Radical; look very expensive.
Also the Xtr2 only costs me £250.00 to insure and for £50 per event I get fully comp track day insurance thrown in.Now that's a bonus for any novice,it really takes away the worry of trashing your car.
In comparissom my Juno costs £250.00 a day to insure.
I have now had 2 xtr's along with Radis and Juno's and they are an excellent strating point for a newbie.
For better info try the Xtr owners forum,very helpfull guys.Search xtr2.net on google.
The Xtr can be driven to and from the track and is much cheaper to run.Last year I did several track days and 1500 road miles all on the same brakes and tyres.
2x seats with plenty of room in the Xtr,my Sr4 was a real squeeze for two.
I have just road registered another Xtr2 for fun and track days toi go with the Juno.
At £21.950.00 for a brand new 06 Xtr2 that would make a the Radical; look very expensive.
Also the Xtr2 only costs me £250.00 to insure and for £50 per event I get fully comp track day insurance thrown in.Now that's a bonus for any novice,it really takes away the worry of trashing your car.
In comparissom my Juno costs £250.00 a day to insure.
I have now had 2 xtr's along with Radis and Juno's and they are an excellent strating point for a newbie.
For better info try the Xtr owners forum,very helpfull guys.Search xtr2.net on google.
Thanks for the reply UFO 2 NOB. Must admit, with the research I have done so far you do seem to get most bang for your buck from the XTR2. I think I would be looking to purchase a used one (if there are any around). The Westfield/Caterham style car has never really appealed to me, the XTR2 looks beautiful. I think I am now almost sold on that car 
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