Monday 16th December 2013

Race cars for the road revisited: PH Blog

Race car for the road? You'll need a racing driver too...

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As you might have picked up from my drive story, I was somewhat intimidated by the prospect of driving the Radical RXC around a cold and damp Brands Hatch in the middle of December. Sure, the whole 'it's a road car' thing had been explained to me, along with assurances that it really wasn't too scary to drive at all.

Racing car for the road and a racing driver

And you're allowed to drive it on the road. But does that make it a road car? Certainly it makes a mockery of even your caged, plastic windowed GT3 RS or Megane R26.R on that pretence.

Waiting to go I chatted to 2013 Radical SR3 Challenge champion Bradley Smith to try and quell the butterflies in my stomach but, frankly, conversation with a 22-year-old hotshoe racer probably wasn't the best idea. Smith was there to have a go with the RXC having won the Sunoco Daytona challenge, a cross-championship prize of a race seat in a Daytona Prototype at the Daytona Rolex 24 open to drivers in the SPEED Euroseries, Radical European Masters, SR3 Challenge and MSA British Endurance Championship. The overall winner is the driver with the highest score averaged from points collected for race finishes, pole positions and fastest laps in their respective championship, Smith following in the wheel tracks of previous winners like Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. And clearly handy.

Smith will race at Daytona 24 next year

Obviously comfortable at the wheel of a Radical, Bradley's pace around Brands was visibly more focused and committed and watching him did nothing to quell my nerves. Likewise his total nonchalance on return to the pits. But then he'll be driving a Daytona Coupe soon which weighs a similar amount and has twice the power. No wonder he looked chilled, describing the RXC as a nice halfway house between that and his SR3.

So what would motivate you to spend 100-grand on an RXC? I think driving one on a regular track day would lose its novelty value pretty quickly. There are the 'big-boys' days but even then. Nah, I think the leap from buying a car like that to going racing wouldn't be a big one and thankfully there are series from Britcar to various international championships and events in which you'll be able to do that. Radical is hoping it'll make it through VLN scrutineering and be able to join the N24 crowd, which if nothing else should annoy some of the German manufacturer teams. See here for the kind of pace an RXC in full road spec on street rubber can carry and you can see why they might be worried.

How long before the urge to race kicks in?

There's the challenge. Someone needs to buy an RXC, drive it out to the 'ring with a race suit and helmet in the passenger seat, get changed and go hunting down some Porsches in the VLN before retiring for a frothy Bitburger in the Pistenklause.

Now that'd be a race car for the road.

Dan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[arkenphel]

I'm not sure I'd buy one, but can we have this as the pic of the week, pretty please?

[G0ldfysh]

+1.

On a dull boring note, where do you put the number plate?

[stew-S160]

Even for me, it's a bit extreme for a road car. However, I'd happily give it a good shot at being a 'daily' driver.

[Snifflytooth]

N24? If they managed to get in, I really hope they do go down that road, if they finished and showed within the top 10, the rules would be changed so that a repeat performance the next year couldn't happen! Look at Caterham's top 10 finish in 2001 (was it that long ago!!!) The rules were changed, for our safety! I was there in a Caterham, that year and the year before, we tried all sorts to get around the rule changes, even offering to fit clamshell wings (yuk). Imagine our 'surprise when we went to spectate and saw a (German registered)Morgan trying to qualify....