Which Radical to go racing in?
Discussion
A friend and I are toying with the idea of racing a Radical next season. We know nothing of Radicals, nor the race series run so this seemed like the place for some advice! The idea of downforce and looking like a mini Le Mans racer appeals. Here are a few criteria / thoughts to help with suggestions...
- we have raced for last 3 years in a variety of things (Porsches, Lotus, Caterham) in various club-type series such as Britcar, Porsche Open etc
- prefer to be in a car capable of overall podium/race win rather than class wins
- prefer series that have events in the Southern half of the UK and at major racing circuits
- don't want to rebuilding engines/boxes evert other race
- would like to buy second hand (so at least don't get initial clattering on value and you know the car is set up with proven performance!)
- not a SR8 (too expensive)
Secondly, any flavour of running costs would also help. I am fine with tyres, fuel, brake consumables, entry fees etc. It's more the major mechanical stuff such as rebuilds, drivetrain etc that are either pre-programmed or just regular.
So, in summary ideas on car, race series and maintenance costs. I had a whizz through the forum but these points didn't leap out at me.
Thanks for any help, James
- we have raced for last 3 years in a variety of things (Porsches, Lotus, Caterham) in various club-type series such as Britcar, Porsche Open etc
- prefer to be in a car capable of overall podium/race win rather than class wins
- prefer series that have events in the Southern half of the UK and at major racing circuits
- don't want to rebuilding engines/boxes evert other race
- would like to buy second hand (so at least don't get initial clattering on value and you know the car is set up with proven performance!)
- not a SR8 (too expensive)
Secondly, any flavour of running costs would also help. I am fine with tyres, fuel, brake consumables, entry fees etc. It's more the major mechanical stuff such as rebuilds, drivetrain etc that are either pre-programmed or just regular.
So, in summary ideas on car, race series and maintenance costs. I had a whizz through the forum but these points didn't leap out at me.
Thanks for any help, James
A PR6 in more or less any engine guise is very much on the case in any number of championships.
Running costs depend on the level of engine tuning & size you have / number of races entered / how many incidents you get involved in / your level of mechanical ability etc etc.
As a for-instance I ran myself this year in two full championships of 23 races with a few test days at a number of circuits I hadn't been to before, ROUGH idea of costs from memory as follows-
Entry fees & test days £5000
Tyres 3 sets of slicks £2250
Consumables, oils, chains, fuel £1200
Accident damage, couple of wheel rims & two more tyres! £650
My engine did the whole season of approx 28 hours with just a head gasket needing changing all year. The end of season engine rebuild would be approx £2000-£3000 ish depending on who does it & what they find (however if your unlucky / a bit of an animal you could conceivably destroy an engine several times a year, at a cost of anywhere between £2000 for a bog stock 1300 busa to circa £15,000 for a full house 1585cc)
So I would say pretty damn cheap considering the level of performance available from the car, however if you are-
a) unlucky with engines / accidents / running out of talent issues
b) mechanically unsympathetic
You could easily end up with a season costing well in-excess of £30,000 if using a team to run you & using a big tuned engine that lets go & a decent crash.....
PR6 is a fabulous car to drive, balance is superb & works well with a fairly aggressive driving style, rewarding the committed driver. Great car for holding in mint oversteer slides too!
Running costs depend on the level of engine tuning & size you have / number of races entered / how many incidents you get involved in / your level of mechanical ability etc etc.
As a for-instance I ran myself this year in two full championships of 23 races with a few test days at a number of circuits I hadn't been to before, ROUGH idea of costs from memory as follows-
Entry fees & test days £5000
Tyres 3 sets of slicks £2250
Consumables, oils, chains, fuel £1200
Accident damage, couple of wheel rims & two more tyres! £650
My engine did the whole season of approx 28 hours with just a head gasket needing changing all year. The end of season engine rebuild would be approx £2000-£3000 ish depending on who does it & what they find (however if your unlucky / a bit of an animal you could conceivably destroy an engine several times a year, at a cost of anywhere between £2000 for a bog stock 1300 busa to circa £15,000 for a full house 1585cc)
So I would say pretty damn cheap considering the level of performance available from the car, however if you are-
a) unlucky with engines / accidents / running out of talent issues
b) mechanically unsympathetic
You could easily end up with a season costing well in-excess of £30,000 if using a team to run you & using a big tuned engine that lets go & a decent crash.....
PR6 is a fabulous car to drive, balance is superb & works well with a fairly aggressive driving style, rewarding the committed driver. Great car for holding in mint oversteer slides too!
Edited by dsl2 on Sunday 6th December 19:52
dsl2 said:
A PR6 in more or less any engine guise is very much on the case in any number of championships.
Running costs depend on the level of engine tuning & size you have / number of races entered / how many incidents you get involved in / your level of mechanical ability etc etc.
As a for-instance I ran myself this year in two full championships of 23 races with a few test days at a number of circuits I hadn't been to before, ROUGH idea of costs from memory as follows-
Entry fees & test days £5000
Tyres 3 sets of slicks £2250
Consumables, oils, chains, fuel £1200
Accident damage, couple of wheel rims & two more tyres! £650
My engine did the whole season of approx 28 hours with just a head gasket needing changing all year. The end of season engine rebuild would be approx £2000-£3000 ish depending on who does it & what they find (however if your unlucky / a bit of an animal you could conceivably destroy an engine several times a year, at a cost of anywhere between £2000 for a bog stock 1300 busa to circa £15,000 for a full house 1585cc)
So I would say pretty damn cheap considering the level of performance available from the car, however if you are-
a) unlucky with engines / accidents / running out of talent issues
b) mechanically unsympathetic
You could easily end up with a season costing well in-excess of £30,000 if using a team to run you & using a big tuned engine that lets go & a decent crash.....
PR6 is a fabulous car to drive, balance is superb & works well with a fairly aggressive driving style, rewarding the committed driver. Great car for holding in mint oversteer slides too!
Thanks, very helpful. Sounds like a refresh a year at £2-3k which is not unreasonable, but it's not a new engine/box etc every other race; mechanical sympathy down to the driver obviously. All the other costs are the "normal" costs of going racing. I have found best not to add it up or it all gets a bit frightening;). Always best not to tell the wife...Running costs depend on the level of engine tuning & size you have / number of races entered / how many incidents you get involved in / your level of mechanical ability etc etc.
As a for-instance I ran myself this year in two full championships of 23 races with a few test days at a number of circuits I hadn't been to before, ROUGH idea of costs from memory as follows-
Entry fees & test days £5000
Tyres 3 sets of slicks £2250
Consumables, oils, chains, fuel £1200
Accident damage, couple of wheel rims & two more tyres! £650
My engine did the whole season of approx 28 hours with just a head gasket needing changing all year. The end of season engine rebuild would be approx £2000-£3000 ish depending on who does it & what they find (however if your unlucky / a bit of an animal you could conceivably destroy an engine several times a year, at a cost of anywhere between £2000 for a bog stock 1300 busa to circa £15,000 for a full house 1585cc)
So I would say pretty damn cheap considering the level of performance available from the car, however if you are-
a) unlucky with engines / accidents / running out of talent issues
b) mechanically unsympathetic
You could easily end up with a season costing well in-excess of £30,000 if using a team to run you & using a big tuned engine that lets go & a decent crash.....
PR6 is a fabulous car to drive, balance is superb & works well with a fairly aggressive driving style, rewarding the committed driver. Great car for holding in mint oversteer slides too!
Edited by dsl2 on Sunday 6th December 19:52
Which of the series are well attended and popular? What's a sensible price for a PR06 as a quick search and I cannot find them knocking about the web/classifieds? I presume they are the latest model from Radical website so therefore not many in circulation.
The 750MC Bike sport championship was rather poorly attended this year that's why I won it! But in years gone by it has been very popular & probably due a resurgence in number for 2010.
However the Radical club cup was in a different league for professionalism & quality of competition with not too much in the way of additional cost, then there is BESCR / MSVR open sports......
Hardly any of them about & they don't seem to hang around for long, but Racecars direct usually the best bet. Cost wise I guess as a minimum your going to be looking at £22k for a bog basic 1300 spec to £40k+ for a newish full house 1585 with paddle shift etc etc
If you wanted to start with a top spec one, Garys 1585cc PR6 was up for a very fair price. (Just bare in mind running costs!)
However the Radical club cup was in a different league for professionalism & quality of competition with not too much in the way of additional cost, then there is BESCR / MSVR open sports......
Hardly any of them about & they don't seem to hang around for long, but Racecars direct usually the best bet. Cost wise I guess as a minimum your going to be looking at £22k for a bog basic 1300 spec to £40k+ for a newish full house 1585 with paddle shift etc etc
If you wanted to start with a top spec one, Garys 1585cc PR6 was up for a very fair price. (Just bare in mind running costs!)
Edited by dsl2 on Sunday 6th December 20:49
Hi Jimmy
tried to email you but no go....
I like any other Radical racer would be happy to help either by email ( well done darren ) or by phone....
alternatively why not contact Amanda ( Radical race cordinator ) at Radical direct on 01733 331616 or amanda@radicalsportscars.com
Good hunting
David
FOB 91
tried to email you but no go....
I like any other Radical racer would be happy to help either by email ( well done darren ) or by phone....
alternatively why not contact Amanda ( Radical race cordinator ) at Radical direct on 01733 331616 or amanda@radicalsportscars.com
Good hunting
David
FOB 91
I must have been dreaming, I'm sure a couple of emails I read earlier have since disappeared into the ether.
Speaking to Darren (750MC BE Champ & 3rd in Club Championhip Tuned Class) and/or David ('Diamond Geezer' 2009) will be most enlightening, but I think Step 1 is for you to decide whether a Radical is for you; Caterham gives you a strong clue (following ever disappearing Moslers round for lap after lap after lap doesn't), but it's a big performance envelope beyond in terms of very low COG, mega grip, genuine downforce etc.
To assist Step 1, I'd suggest two things; firstly a good peruse through the Results on TSL Timing which will reveal a Radical's astonishing pace (in it's own right and by comparison), then if you like what you see (and let's be honest, not forgetting this is all experienced 'open to air', there's no way you won't be impressed), arrange and go visit the Radical Factory in Peterborough and see firsthand just how impressive this British Product is and the back-up that comes with it.
Best take your cheque book / credit card ............. just in case you'll understand
Speaking to Darren (750MC BE Champ & 3rd in Club Championhip Tuned Class) and/or David ('Diamond Geezer' 2009) will be most enlightening, but I think Step 1 is for you to decide whether a Radical is for you; Caterham gives you a strong clue (following ever disappearing Moslers round for lap after lap after lap doesn't), but it's a big performance envelope beyond in terms of very low COG, mega grip, genuine downforce etc.
To assist Step 1, I'd suggest two things; firstly a good peruse through the Results on TSL Timing which will reveal a Radical's astonishing pace (in it's own right and by comparison), then if you like what you see (and let's be honest, not forgetting this is all experienced 'open to air', there's no way you won't be impressed), arrange and go visit the Radical Factory in Peterborough and see firsthand just how impressive this British Product is and the back-up that comes with it.
Best take your cheque book / credit card ............. just in case you'll understand
Edited by splitpin on Monday 7th December 16:25
James,
Happy to chat if you want more info. Drop me a mail with a contact number
Simon
www.tillingmotorsport.com
Happy to chat if you want more info. Drop me a mail with a contact number
Simon
www.tillingmotorsport.com
Thanks chaps. My mate had a good chat with Radical today around race series, cars, whether they do rental for a bit of "try it and see" etc (they do). The SR8 suddenly starts looking good value in relative terms which is a worry... We have a boys night out on Thurs so will do some serious nonsense chat then to see where we're at in our thinking now we are better informed.
Advice around trying it all good. The performance is pretty hot - our Caterham laps Brands Indy in 50s dead and TSL tells me that mid 40s are on the cards for Radicals. That is pretty full on!
I will drop a couple of email also to those who offered advice. Thanks
James
Advice around trying it all good. The performance is pretty hot - our Caterham laps Brands Indy in 50s dead and TSL tells me that mid 40s are on the cards for Radicals. That is pretty full on!
I will drop a couple of email also to those who offered advice. Thanks
James
jp-speed-triple said:
I know i've done this before......but,
Buying an SR8?...don't forget the support package:
I know, I know.....
You're right. In relative terms the cost if you rent sr8 vs sr3 was surprisingly modest. The bit we laughed at was the need to open the box of an 8 after every race. That's a road car according to the write-up. Love it! Nice idea but not on my budget. Buying an SR8?...don't forget the support package:
I know, I know.....
Gassing Station | Radical | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff