Monoposto Formula Ireland - Opinions please
Discussion
Calling all Monoposto racers again....
I am gradually getting my facts together, and have decided the way forward for me would be an 1800 or 2000 Mono. I know of a 2000 for sale (Formula Ireland) but I have spoken to one chap who believes the Irelands were designed for racing schools, more for saftey rather than sharpness and may be a bit of a blunt tool to be competitive. I am under no illusions of being able to win anytime soon, but it would be nice to know that a car could do it if my skills grew sufficiently. Considering these are not the cheapest single seaters, I don't wanna make a very expensive mistake.
Any thoughts gratefully received!
I am gradually getting my facts together, and have decided the way forward for me would be an 1800 or 2000 Mono. I know of a 2000 for sale (Formula Ireland) but I have spoken to one chap who believes the Irelands were designed for racing schools, more for saftey rather than sharpness and may be a bit of a blunt tool to be competitive. I am under no illusions of being able to win anytime soon, but it would be nice to know that a car could do it if my skills grew sufficiently. Considering these are not the cheapest single seaters, I don't wanna make a very expensive mistake.
Any thoughts gratefully received!
Fairly sure that F Irelands were NOT designed for racing schools - that was a different Van Dieman beast with a motorbike engine in the back. There maybe some similarities/ shared components or bodywork but that doesn't make them a "blunt instrument". The F Ireland was, funnily enough, designed for an Irish one make formula to replace something else. A few cars were built but it never really took off in a big way. Some of the cars are still used in Irish F Libre and some have been converted to Monoposto spec, where they have been reasonably competitive, depending on the driver.
Just remember that at the sort of level that you are talking about its the driver that counts and plenty of good drivers could win in Monoposto in a F Ireland but I still wouldn't be able to win if I was driving a Mclaren! Have a look at the Monoposto results on their website to see how people got on in these sorts of cars - I think that Jeremy Timms did well in one in the early part of the 2007 season before switching to a Dallara. They are sometimes known as Van Dieman FX so look for those results, too. Tom Brown struggled with his for a while but I think that it has recently been discovered that that particular car had a crack in the chassis (now repaired with a new sub frame) so that it could not get its power down.
The F Irelands are good cars to race in Mono and should be reasonably "economical" to run. F Vauxhall-Lotus (FVL) are also good cars - don't dismiss them for this level, they are strong and quick in the right hands and have loads and loads of spares available and there is a wealth of advice available from people who have run them for years.
Remember, also, that a Vauxhall Lotus will be eligible for the "Monoposto Classic Cup" for older cars such as the Vauxhall Lotus, F3 cars pre 93 (I think) and all F Renaults (pre 2000), whereas I am not sure that a F Ireland is, so if you bought an FVL you might have something to race for even if you weren't at the front of the grid. Either way I am sure that you will enjoy yourself in Monoposto whatever car you run. I used to come last more times than anything else and still finished with a big grin!
Just remember that at the sort of level that you are talking about its the driver that counts and plenty of good drivers could win in Monoposto in a F Ireland but I still wouldn't be able to win if I was driving a Mclaren! Have a look at the Monoposto results on their website to see how people got on in these sorts of cars - I think that Jeremy Timms did well in one in the early part of the 2007 season before switching to a Dallara. They are sometimes known as Van Dieman FX so look for those results, too. Tom Brown struggled with his for a while but I think that it has recently been discovered that that particular car had a crack in the chassis (now repaired with a new sub frame) so that it could not get its power down.
The F Irelands are good cars to race in Mono and should be reasonably "economical" to run. F Vauxhall-Lotus (FVL) are also good cars - don't dismiss them for this level, they are strong and quick in the right hands and have loads and loads of spares available and there is a wealth of advice available from people who have run them for years.
Remember, also, that a Vauxhall Lotus will be eligible for the "Monoposto Classic Cup" for older cars such as the Vauxhall Lotus, F3 cars pre 93 (I think) and all F Renaults (pre 2000), whereas I am not sure that a F Ireland is, so if you bought an FVL you might have something to race for even if you weren't at the front of the grid. Either way I am sure that you will enjoy yourself in Monoposto whatever car you run. I used to come last more times than anything else and still finished with a big grin!
Edited by andy97 on Sunday 9th December 12:46
Edited by andy97 on Sunday 9th December 12:52
Andy,
You are obviuosly a knowledgable and experienced bloke! I have read several threads to which you have contributed some very useful points. Would you be willing to PM me your phone number so I can have a proper chat? I'm finding out loads at the moment, but there are so many conflicting opinions. But generally that's all they are - opinions, not hard facts.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Nick
You are obviuosly a knowledgable and experienced bloke! I have read several threads to which you have contributed some very useful points. Would you be willing to PM me your phone number so I can have a proper chat? I'm finding out loads at the moment, but there are so many conflicting opinions. But generally that's all they are - opinions, not hard facts.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Nick
Well written Andy..!
I would advise buying a car that can be used in a variety of championships.
This would give you a bigger choice of events that you can pick and choose from and would also give a wider audience to sell the car on to at a later date, not dependant on the popularity of a specific championship.
For me, a FF2000 (not Formula Ireland) is damn good value, I think there must be five championships it can run in, dependant on the year of chassis. They hold their value and are real race cars, not home built specials.
Graham
www.lananracing.com
I would advise buying a car that can be used in a variety of championships.
This would give you a bigger choice of events that you can pick and choose from and would also give a wider audience to sell the car on to at a later date, not dependant on the popularity of a specific championship.
For me, a FF2000 (not Formula Ireland) is damn good value, I think there must be five championships it can run in, dependant on the year of chassis. They hold their value and are real race cars, not home built specials.
Graham
www.lananracing.com
Edited by lanan on Sunday 9th December 13:25
CaptiV8ted said:
Andy,
You are obviuosly a knowledgable and experienced bloke! I have read several threads to which you have contributed some very useful points. Would you be willing to PM me your phone number so I can have a proper chat? I'm finding out loads at the moment, but there are so many conflicting opinions. But generally that's all they are - opinions, not hard facts.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Nick
NickYou are obviuosly a knowledgable and experienced bloke! I have read several threads to which you have contributed some very useful points. Would you be willing to PM me your phone number so I can have a proper chat? I'm finding out loads at the moment, but there are so many conflicting opinions. But generally that's all they are - opinions, not hard facts.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Nick
I have e-mailed you. Not sure how knowledgeable or experienced I am - there's plenty of people in Mono that will laugh out loud at that thought, I was hopeless in a single seater but I still reckon I enjoyed myself as much as the guys that won - but I'm very happy to have a chat about Mono etc.
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff