How many of us have sat watching the F1 racing or the BTCC while screaming at our favourite drivers to drive as fast as we would if we were behind the wheel of the car? I’m hoping that it isn’t just me. We all of us get hooked into the sports we watch whether it’s leaping out of your seat while watching England score a penalty during the football or acting like a line-judge during Wimbledon.
The thing with those sort of sports is it’s easy to get involved yourself. You just need to pop along to a large supermarket and you can pick up a tennis racket or a football for next to nothing. They are affordable indulgences.
But what of motorsport? That’s expensive to get into right? Well, yes it is in many ways, but there are ever increasing ways in which it is becoming affordable.
You could, for example, buy yourself a track-day car for a few grand and then take it on a variety of track days. An old MX-5 can be picked up for as little as £750, a Honda S2000 for about £3,500, a Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R for about £9,000, or of course the track day choice of many people, the Caterham 7 which you can pick up for around £15,000. Then for a few hundred quid you could select a few tracks to go and have a bit of a blast around, plus some more money for running costs, tyres, fuel and probably repairs too. While red-lining your Honda S2000 at 9,000 RPM or sliding your Caterham 7 around a race track corner is undoubtedly fun, it’s not exactly motor sport is it?
To address the gap that sits between people who like a bit of track day fun and those involved in a serious sponsored motoring series, Radical have just launched a brand new race series specifically designed for the novice racer wanting to get involved in motorsport. 2013 sees the launch of the SR1 Cup for which Radical have put together a very attractive package. £37,500 will buy you the new entry-level sportscar; the Radical SR1, an Alpinestars Radical race suit, and a full training and race series programme.
The SR1 is a two-seater sports car powered by a 1340cc RPE-Suzuki engine which throws out 185bhp in a car weighing as much as a feather. Well, a 480kg feather that is. It gives the car a pretty immense power-to-weight ratio and is generally enough to put most supercars to shame. If you ever see the Radical SR1’s on the same track as an SLS or a 458 then you’ll see the Radical cars making the supercars look a little bit silly and slow, especially into the corners. With a 0 – 62mph time of 3.6 seconds, 50 – 100mph time of 6.1 seconds, and a maximum speed of 138 mph, the Radical SR1 is nothing short of a phenomenal sports car.
While not producing as much downforce as it’s elder brother, the SR3 RS, it’s LMP inspired styling is not merely cosmetic and it does have a level of aerodynamic grip – just like a real race car should have. The SR1 will run on Dunlop road tyres for the series and only two sets will be allowed, to keep running costs down for the novice racers.
The Radical SR1 Championship starts with an ARDS test (Asssociation of Racing Driver’s Schools) at Bedford Autodrome. Two seminars will then thoroughly go through the process of what to expect during a race weekend, circuit driving theory, advanced driving techniques as well as how to prepare both yourself and the car for a weekend of motor racing. Engineers from Radical will be on hand throughout the entire series and will hold your hand if necessary. They want to keep everyone as safe as possible while giving them the adrenaline rush of their life as they experience the reality of driving a race car in a motor sport series.
Following the basic training at Bedford will be two practice track days, one at Snetterton, the other at Brands Hatch. Instructors from Radical will be at the circuit to bring you up to speed and get you out lapping at pace and enjoying your very own race car. Once you have been appropriately trained and have had a bit of practice, it will be onto the race series itself. The race event will follow the locations of the Performance Direct Clubman’s Cup series which will mean racing such circuits as Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. This ensures that the full Radical team are on hand for support, advice, and to get you out there racing.
The entire race series, the car, tyres, everything you need to compete in the race series is supplied for you for the price of £37,500. At the end of the series the Radical SR1 sports car you’ll have driven around some of the UK’s best and most historic circuits, and probably have become quite attached to, will be yours to keep. The winner of the series will win a works drive in the 2014 Performance Direct Clubman’s Cup in an SR3 RS to allow them to continue their motor racing experience.
Radical expect the series to fill up very quickly so if you’re interested in the SR1 Cup, and owning your very own race car, contact Radical today to sign yourself up to the series.
Contact Amanda (Championship Co-orindator) at Radical:
+44 (0)1733 331616 ext.201
[email protected]
For more articles like this, receive our weekly e-newsletter, including partner deals and all things motoring, register your email below.
Please note: You cannot subscribe to Smart-Motoring unless you put a tick in the checkbox below to indicate have read and agreed to our privacy policy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.