RE: SOTW: Ford Fiesta XR2 Stock Hatch
Discussion
A mate of mine races a very similar XR2 in Stock Hatches and has an absolute whale of a time. If you spanner and tweak the car yourself, it's not as expensive as it looks (there are plenty of people out there stomaching the depreciation on their brand-new BMW 3-series whose outlay is similar - and for what?).
OK, so if that's the approach you take you probably won't win any races, but he has a friendly rivalry among a group of mates and he's more bothered about beating them than winning any silverware - so maybe that's the point?
Not much at all to make you feel like a BTCC driver on a regular basis. Also, I reckon if you were to buy a decent XR2, strip it out and fit the statutory safety equipment, the whole lot would probably cost you more than £950.
For what it is, it's a bargain, and a reminder of how accessible 'proper' motorsport can actually be.
OK, so if that's the approach you take you probably won't win any races, but he has a friendly rivalry among a group of mates and he's more bothered about beating them than winning any silverware - so maybe that's the point?
Not much at all to make you feel like a BTCC driver on a regular basis. Also, I reckon if you were to buy a decent XR2, strip it out and fit the statutory safety equipment, the whole lot would probably cost you more than £950.
For what it is, it's a bargain, and a reminder of how accessible 'proper' motorsport can actually be.
Great find shed! I'm surprised there are so many nah sayers. You can more fun in an old race car than most cars today! Chuckable, driven it to the limit, the rawness and the feel you get from these are great! The adrenaline rush is something you'll never come close to, even in most new fast cars today!
Boxster vs racing a shed debate.
In my mind, one is an average sports car, mainly good for posing or having a 'nice' drive on a sunny day.
The other is pure adrenaline, competition, self improvement, cameraderie. Once you start doing it you LIVE to do it, you get down during the off season because you get used to your monthly hit of excitment. You get out of the car after a race long battle and you are absolutely buzzing. It doesn't matter if you are racing F1 or an Xr2, these feelings and benefits are the same.
I guess its down to the individual, but i know which i'd go for.
In my mind, one is an average sports car, mainly good for posing or having a 'nice' drive on a sunny day.
The other is pure adrenaline, competition, self improvement, cameraderie. Once you start doing it you LIVE to do it, you get down during the off season because you get used to your monthly hit of excitment. You get out of the car after a race long battle and you are absolutely buzzing. It doesn't matter if you are racing F1 or an Xr2, these feelings and benefits are the same.
I guess its down to the individual, but i know which i'd go for.
im amassed at the level of negative opinions to a small light sub £1000 track day car with decent level of safety equipment is a great option in my book!
in the 80's i done 100k miles in a XR2 and loved it, basic enough to take apart at a week and put back together again.
I run a 173 bhp 1995 Fiesta Si as a track day car and can upset a significant number of others in larger more expensive cars and i assume the general ones slagging this off might be those!
in the 80's i done 100k miles in a XR2 and loved it, basic enough to take apart at a week and put back together again.
I run a 173 bhp 1995 Fiesta Si as a track day car and can upset a significant number of others in larger more expensive cars and i assume the general ones slagging this off might be those!
6 months ago I changed my job , this has meant I can ditch the financed car and have swapped to an old 5 series touring as my daily ( I have kids and couldn't bear an FWD family car ). This has freed up enough cash to enable me to put some away ,every month, for doing this.
the plan is hopefully at end of this year get a car to use as a track toy for no more then £1000 then look to go racing in some way in 2014.
No doubt kids or house will get in the way but it is closer than at any point in my life so far...
so 10/10 for this shed for allowing me to believe it may actually be possible.
went to the Autosport show this year their version of cheap all seemed to be about £5k to the grid then the cost of the season on top, the only "cheap" motorsport stand was the stand with the rover 214 ,owned by a mate, talking up navigational rallys and autosolos cos they are cheap motorsport !
the plan is hopefully at end of this year get a car to use as a track toy for no more then £1000 then look to go racing in some way in 2014.
No doubt kids or house will get in the way but it is closer than at any point in my life so far...
so 10/10 for this shed for allowing me to believe it may actually be possible.
went to the Autosport show this year their version of cheap all seemed to be about £5k to the grid then the cost of the season on top, the only "cheap" motorsport stand was the stand with the rover 214 ,owned by a mate, talking up navigational rallys and autosolos cos they are cheap motorsport !
jimbro1000 said:
re33 said:
I just don't get this attitude? ANY car in a race on a track is better than ANY road car on the road!
(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
Actually I think there is less of an argument than you think - ignoring the cache of having a prancing black horse badge on the nose of your car.(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
To prove a point, not so many years ago I pitched a "track day" Clio 172 against a road spec Ferrari 430 around Brands Hatch. Anyone care to take a guess at which one was actually quicker and which gave the biggest grin? Granted we are talking about a Clio 172 and not a slightly battered Fiesta XR2 with barely half the grunt but the principle remains...
CO2000 said:
jimbro1000 said:
re33 said:
I just don't get this attitude? ANY car in a race on a track is better than ANY road car on the road!
(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
Actually I think there is less of an argument than you think - ignoring the cache of having a prancing black horse badge on the nose of your car.(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
To prove a point, not so many years ago I pitched a "track day" Clio 172 against a road spec Ferrari 430 around Brands Hatch. Anyone care to take a guess at which one was actually quicker and which gave the biggest grin? Granted we are talking about a Clio 172 and not a slightly battered Fiesta XR2 with barely half the grunt but the principle remains...
CO2000 said:
jimbro1000 said:
re33 said:
I just don't get this attitude? ANY car in a race on a track is better than ANY road car on the road!
(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
Actually I think there is less of an argument than you think - ignoring the cache of having a prancing black horse badge on the nose of your car.(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
To prove a point, not so many years ago I pitched a "track day" Clio 172 against a road spec Ferrari 430 around Brands Hatch. Anyone care to take a guess at which one was actually quicker and which gave the biggest grin? Granted we are talking about a Clio 172 and not a slightly battered Fiesta XR2 with barely half the grunt but the principle remains...
Maybe we do need a motorsport SOTW!
Chrisw666 said:
CO2000 said:
jimbro1000 said:
re33 said:
I just don't get this attitude? ANY car in a race on a track is better than ANY road car on the road!
(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
Actually I think there is less of an argument than you think - ignoring the cache of having a prancing black horse badge on the nose of your car.(I mean a 458 on the road verus a Fiesta on the track is harder to argue but I still think its true!)
To prove a point, not so many years ago I pitched a "track day" Clio 172 against a road spec Ferrari 430 around Brands Hatch. Anyone care to take a guess at which one was actually quicker and which gave the biggest grin? Granted we are talking about a Clio 172 and not a slightly battered Fiesta XR2 with barely half the grunt but the principle remains...
Now here's a thing. I race a quad a fair bit in cornwall. The only reason that I'm not tempted to swap across to something like this is the fact I'd have to travel miles and miles and miles to use it, and I'm too lazy to start fiddling with 4 cylinders.
However, this is sorely tempting. Even my wife might be tempted to come along with the rest of the family. The thought of standing in a muddy field in the howling wind and rain means I ride largely on my own (every cloud and all that)
To put it into some kind of perspective, you couldn't by a race ready quad bike and even begin to think about competing at any level for that kind of money. Even better still, cancel that crappy sky subscription for f1 and find a couple of hundred sovs and go racing FOR REAL.
Great shed, anyone in disagreement hasn't got a pulse.
However, this is sorely tempting. Even my wife might be tempted to come along with the rest of the family. The thought of standing in a muddy field in the howling wind and rain means I ride largely on my own (every cloud and all that)
To put it into some kind of perspective, you couldn't by a race ready quad bike and even begin to think about competing at any level for that kind of money. Even better still, cancel that crappy sky subscription for f1 and find a couple of hundred sovs and go racing FOR REAL.
Great shed, anyone in disagreement hasn't got a pulse.
re33 said:
The lap time element of it is not as important compared to the competition element. Even if you get a bit of free public road to slide about on you are never going to be pushing 100% to the limit. Racing a Fiesta (at circa 100mph) is about 10 million times more exciting than driving an M5 down the autobahn at 155mph.
Maybe we do need a motorsport SOTW!
Yes, when chasing down somebody else in an identical car you push yourself harder and corner faster than you thought possible. Until you crash and realise it wasn't possible.Maybe we do need a motorsport SOTW!
It's all in the hunt.
Jellymonster said:
VolvoT5 said:
A standard road legal XR2 for sub 1k? Yes please.
This pile of crap? No thanks. Very disappointing SOTW.
Blurgh.... this site is full of moaners. This pile of crap? No thanks. Very disappointing SOTW.
This track was written for you + your moaning pals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ZW_uTlhEQ
It is a trackday toy (and trackdays are expensive) not a useable car.
CDP said:
There's a thriving MR2 racing scene from 750MC and others, you can get a '2 for under a grand and spend about the same again getting it race ready.
If you fancy watching a bit of budget MR2 racing that's quality viewing of a Friday afternoon, try this. Brands Hatch, on pole, gets shunted off and back to 30th, with a great come back - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw5dk8Xbi4Spring is here, and so, very nearly, is race season......
re33 said:
The lap time element of it is not as important compared to the competition element. Even if you get a bit of free public road to slide about on you are never going to be pushing 100% to the limit. Racing a Fiesta (at circa 100mph) is about 10 million times more exciting than driving an M5 down the autobahn at 155mph.
Maybe we do need a motorsport SOTW!
That's a pretty good idea actually. I reckon a lot of people don't realise how cheap motorsport can be. At the base level you have road-rallying and arrive-and-drive team-endurance karting, which really does cost very little but gives you a genuine sense of the IRC or Le Mans every now and then, and Stock Hatches are the bottom rung of a ladder that reaches all the way up to the BTCC.Maybe we do need a motorsport SOTW!
I guess from a spectator's point of view motorsport all looks very expensive, but when you consider the grass-roots stuff that spectators don't really show up for, it's another story altogether.
A motorsport SOTW complete with a breakdown of a year's competition costs would be great. Maybe more realistic to do it once a month though.
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