RE: Radical launches SR1 entry-level track car

RE: Radical launches SR1 entry-level track car

Monday 25th June 2012

Radical launches SR1 entry-level track car

Cheap(ish) new Radical is a new rung on the sports prototype racing ladder, reckons Radical



This is the new Radical SR1, the latest offering from the Peterborough-based maker of (for want of a better word) radical sports cars.


Presumably in a move designed to provide some sort of balance to the company's recent tentative foray into more road-biased machinery (in the shape of the Radical SR3 SL), the SR1 is a determinedly track-only affair. Radical says its £29,850 (+VAT) offering is aimed at the trackday driver and club racer, and creates a new entry-level rung on the sports-prototype racing ladder (kind of like a Caterham SP300 R, only less powerful and a lot cheaper).

Designed to deliberately ape LMP-style spots prototypes (and indeed created by the same team behind the SR9 LMP2 racer), the SR1 gets the Radical Performance Engine-developed 1,340cc Suzuki four-cylinder engine, which develops 210hp.


Chunky 240mm ventilated brake discs and four-pot calipers help bring the SR1 to a stop, while a six-speed sequential gearbox and Quaife ATB differential transmit the power to the rear wheels via Dunlop slicks, wets or road tyres.

Meanwhile occupants are protected by a comprehensive safety cell and deformable crash structure tested to FIA standards, racing-spec harnesses and an integral fire extinguisher system.

"Over the last decade, the SR range has introduced and inspired a new generation of racing and track driving enthusiasts, and the SR1 extends that engineering development out to a wider audience," says Radical co-founder Phil Abbott. Sounds good to us, Phil...







Author
Discussion

garypotter

Original Poster:

1,465 posts

149 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Good luck Radical,

These cars are unbelievable on the track OK a bit asmatic on the straights but braking and cornering is something everyone should try.

wormburner

31,608 posts

252 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Superb shape. Love the rear arches.

mad4amanda

2,410 posts

163 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Yep Good luck with this one, remember those shots being taken at Brands on one of our sunnier days !

BigTom85

1,927 posts

170 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Looks stonking for the cash. OK, not breathtakingly quick on the straights (hardly a slouch though), but what a machine!

9/10 from me.

mat205125

17,790 posts

212 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
You'll need a massively fast "normal" car to catch it on all but the longest straights, as it'll be entering the start of the straight faster than nearly anything commercially available and complient for a track day.

NB ... For use on a track day, it'll need to change from its slick for most organisers to approve.

V8 FOU

2,970 posts

146 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Stick some lights on it and drive on the road!

Mmmmm. wonder if I'd get away with driving on on trade plates......

trickywoo

11,678 posts

229 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
How much more expensive would an ex F3 car be to buy and run over a couple of seasons?

ManOpener

12,467 posts

168 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
How much more expensive would an ex F3 car be to buy and run over a couple of seasons?
There are a couple of F3-esque hillclimb cars up on RaceCarsDirect at the moment, around £25k with a big spares package (there's a Pillbeam one with a 300bhp ex-BTCC XE engine in it that's up for under £21k, here). No idea what seasonal running costs would be.

mat205125

17,790 posts

212 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
How much more expensive would an ex F3 car be to buy and run over a couple of seasons?
It'd need a lot of work to get it to a stage where it would be accepted on a track day, however it would be worth considering one for a monoposto championship season.

The F3 alternative could be made to be cost effective with a change to a less stressed (yet similarly powerful) turbo powerplant .... Whatever happened to all the Formula Audi cars that used the 1.8T motor?

Krikkit

26,494 posts

180 months

Monday 25th June 2012
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Anyone got any big versions of the engine bay shots?

s4sturge

8 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Its an SR4 is it not?

PhilboSE

4,315 posts

225 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
How much more expensive would an ex F3 car be to buy and run over a couple of seasons?
F3 car in a championship, or F3 for trackdays?

If the latter then you will struggle to get an F3 on most normal trackdays, they don't like open wheelers.

If you want similar track performance for less money, just look at Radical's back catalogue. You should be able to get an ex-racer package (all the options, usually well-maintained, loads of spares) for about one third the price of one of these new.

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
mat205125 said:
You'll need a massively fast "normal" car to catch it on all but the longest straights, as it'll be entering the start of the straight faster than nearly anything commercially available and complient for a track day.

NB ... For use on a track day, it'll need to change from its slick for most organisers to approve.
Slicks are fine on most trackdays when your car is equipped with proper roll over protection (which this is).

Yazza54

18,450 posts

180 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Entry level, lol. I know plenty of people who couldn't drive that biggrin

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
How much more expensive would an ex F3 car be to buy and run over a couple of seasons?
To buy, not a million miles away. To actually do a couple of seasons racing in, a terrifying amount more. I stopped counting when I'd already comfortably passed the price of our car (by quite a lot) without even taking into account accident damage, maintenance and repairs for a season in VdeV with ours, hence we just run it for fun on track days.

A single seat, open wheeled car is not really allowed any more on most UK track days. The days of picking up a sub £10k Formula Ford are long since gone sadly. The most focused track machinery you can take realistically are sports prototypes and even then you have to behave yourselves (I don't want to see them banned too). Which some might find frustrating.

EDLT

15,421 posts

205 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
juansolo said:
mat205125 said:
You'll need a massively fast "normal" car to catch it on all but the longest straights, as it'll be entering the start of the straight faster than nearly anything commercially available and complient for a track day.

NB ... For use on a track day, it'll need to change from its slick for most organisers to approve.
Slicks are fine on most trackdays when your car is equipped with proper roll over protection (which this is).
Even if you can use slicks it won't be much fun, you'll be constantly catching 'slow' cars.

How much does a test day cost compared to a track day, you'll be allowed to overtake wherever you like there.

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
EDLT said:
juansolo said:
mat205125 said:
You'll need a massively fast "normal" car to catch it on all but the longest straights, as it'll be entering the start of the straight faster than nearly anything commercially available and complient for a track day.

NB ... For use on a track day, it'll need to change from its slick for most organisers to approve.
Slicks are fine on most trackdays when your car is equipped with proper roll over protection (which this is).
Even if you can use slicks it won't be much fun, you'll be constantly catching 'slow' cars.

How much does a test day cost compared to a track day, you'll be allowed to overtake wherever you like there.
You have to choose your days and TDO carefully. I've run a Juno for the last few years and hired a Radical for a couple before that, and I have no trouble. Some might say because I can't actually pedal it that quickly wink Go to the bigger tracks and stick with organisers with sensible overtaking rules and who keep the number of cars to a sensible level.

Here you go, this is from a while back, but it shows that with a bit of courtesy and patience from both parties, you can mix in on a track day. This was a particularly busy couple of laps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ-ucy3AaqM That's only frustrating if you drive aggressively and let it wind you up. Chill, realise that you're as much as an inconvenience to them as they are to you. Hang back, let them get around the bends and pull over to let you by. It's no great shakes. Because for a lot of the time, the track was actually more like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK1wHofF1ZI

Test days are a whole other thing. Firstly you'll need a race license to attend. Secondly you'll be mixing with the egos and heros... Which personally, as someone who just likes driving fast and challenging cars on circuits for fun, isn't really what I want.

Though I would say that if catching people is a worry, go Caterham. Get an R300 and have a ball (get an R500 and you'll be in the same boat).

Edited by juansolo on Monday 25th June 19:56

bakerstreet

4,750 posts

164 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Never driven one of these in real luife, but one of the early Radicals is my favourite car on the Race Pro game for the XBox smile

I wish the best of luck to Radical with this car smile

phaworth

9 posts

236 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
s4sturge said:
Its an SR4 is it not?
It does look like a repackaged SR4, yes. That's no bad thing in my opinion - the SR4 was a great baby Radical, although its short wheelbase made it a bit lively. 1st gen SR4s are currently going from £10-12k upwards, I think.

"Bentley Speed 8-inspired design", was the sales chat at the time...

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
complete bargain for such a capable car, makes the sp300r look expensive. as for being too fast for track days, i disagree, the best organisers like goldtrack usually quite a number of faster cars