Top 5 why open wheel?

I'm a *****. I'm afraid to run open wheel, so I went from GT cars to sports racing cars (open wheel or purpose-built cars with fenders) and never looked back.

1) Sublime driving experience-The car is an extension of me. Doesn't get in my way. Fast!
2) Accuracy of car placement-It's like a scalpel. I can be (and should be) inch-perfect to go fast.
3) Run with better drivers-They have more experience, more skill and more sense... 'nuff said.
4) Ease of maintenance and repair-Nothing on them that doesn't need to be there. Easy to work on.
5) Look and drive COOL!

From this past weekend:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/r14qgu_VMXU?

 

Okay, it's been a while since my open-wheel days, but I would add one more to Peter's list (or perhaps it goes along with his #2, to keep it at five). That is, the ability to actually see what the front wheels / tires are doing under braking. I've always felt that this facilitates getting right on that fine line just this side of lock-up and easing off the brakes after turn-in, with the unloaded inside wheel just at (or slightly over) that limit. Of course, this is all communicated through the steering wheel and seat of the pants, but there's nothing like being able to actually see it happening.

(Fantastic video, by the way.)

 

WELL PUT ! Just look at the in car shots during the 500 , and you can see the heat cycling thru the tires ..... not tha the drivers weally have time to see that as hey are more likely to be looking to where they want the car to go. I ran open wheel modifieds a few years and liked the aspect of seeing the very edge you can take the car to , now the occasional launching off someone eles's tire happened too.

 

The nice thing about a formula car (F. Ford in my case) is that the wheels are directly in one's line of sight when looking through the turn. Unfortunately, my FF days were long before in-car cameras.

 

I would say the biggest difference is the connection you have with the car - it's like an extension of your mind / body, as strange as it sounds.

Any of the conditioned responses you would have from years of driving a road car have to be unlearned - acceleration, braking, cornering, steering - it's immediate and precise.

It's a bit unnerving for me, because I use things like body roll as a way to determine the limits of the car. I've heard about things like the "dead zone" drivers experience when mechanical grip is at the limit, and aerodynamic grip begins to increase - I've never been to that point, but it's a great example of what I am referring to.

I wasn't particularly good at driving an open wheeler, but I must say I enjoyed it.

 

I raced Formula Mazda for the pace and grip of the cars - 1350 lb with driver, slicks and a little downforce. I agree you also need to drive with great precision.

Not sure I agree on driver talent, but I do agree an OW racer is much more respectful of real estate, as a donut on the side of a closed wheel car can easily be an overturned OW car.

I don't race OW currently because I do think the cars are not very tolerant of mistakes and I make some of those.

 

Hello; Watched your "You Tube" video....what kind of car is that?...also motor & transmission?....The motor sounded very nice & the transmission seemed to shift flawlessly!!!!!.....Mark

 

Gonna say Sports 2000 a very cool class that supported Group C back in the day

 

Correct. Sports 2000 Tiga. 2 liter OHC Ford with a Hewland gearbox.

 

Yep!

Sports 2000 came about in 1977, invented by Brands Hatch Circuit owner and promoter John Webb as an answer to declining FIA 2-Liter Group 6 Sports Car grids (Lola T-294/6, Chevron B31/36, Huron, Abarth). 2-liter SOHC Ford, cast iron block and head, four-speed Hewland Mk 8/9 gearbox, straight-cut gears, dog-rings, no synchros. Hardly lift to shift!

My car looks like a little 312PB... <I wish> Click on My Garage to see a side view.

Lola built the first cars, Olympic ski champion Divina Galica won the first race and sports car greats like James Weaver, Jeremy Rossiter (the dad of the F1 tester) and later, Calvin Fish, Jimmy Vassar, Scott Goodyear and others all ran in this series first in the UK, then in the US. Third most popular class in SCCA in the US from 1980-1992 behind Formula Ford and Formula Vee. Now many, many cars in historic racing here in the US.

Lola, Chevron, Swift, Tiga, Shrike, Van Diemen and others built over a thousand cars between them from 1977-1995. The new Lola-Caterham track day car is based on the Lola Sports 2000 car with a Duratec (MZR) Ford DOHC engine in it.

2-bbl Weber carb, 150 bhp, same spec as early English SuperFord (Formula Ford 2000 or Club Formula Continental spec) low running costs but very quick around the corners. Fully aluminum monocoque (boxed sections of aluminum sheet, glued and riveted together, like an airplane fuselage or Can Am car) make for a light, strong chassis. Two-seater requirement.

They're really fun and use the same suspension as the Tiga FF and FF2000 cars, so they drive the same. Plus I can do track days, DE, NASA racing, SCCA racing, historic racing. Even race overseas, if I wish. The benefits of a longstanding and recognized class of race cars.

 

I've run SCCA Club and Pro for 10yrs in FC, FF and S2. I raced karts as a child and tried the PCA DE events with a 911 but found them too limited and the car too goofy. I considered PCA club racing in a 911 cup car but decided SCCA and open wheel as follows:

1) Expense. Dig into it and you'll find that the expense of running a proper racecar is equivalent or less than a converted streetcar. The cars are much better on consumables (clutches, brake pads & discs, rod-ends, etc) b/c they're lighter and use parts designed for racing from the start. Value-at-risk for a total-write-off of a FC/FF/S2 is $35k-$50k which will be less than almost any tin-top (except spec miata); and odds of a write off far lower as bending frames is much more difficult when a-arms and uprights are designed to fail first.

2) Safety. Proper racecars are on-the-whole safer than a converted streetcar. A tin-top is at least 2x heavier than a FF/FC/S2 and usually on equivalent tire size (and with tires that have far less grip). The lower weight and higher grip of FC/FF/S2 means spins/offs usually end in the gravel/run-off and not at the fence. If you do end up hitting something it is usually at less or equivalent speed as a tin-top and with 1/2 the energy b/c you're starting with 1/2 the weight. Also seats and seat-belts are usually safer in proper racecars as are roll hoops. While I haven't, I've seen many open-wheel guys end up on their head and all walked away with no injury other than to their wallet.

3) SPEED - the fun part. Look at lap times for FC and S2 at most tracks and you'll see them on par with Grand-Am DP class and far faster than the GT class. Given they have 1/5 the HP its all about cornering speed. 1200lbs, 140hp, 600lbs of downforce and proper racing slicks makes for a great ride. 2.2 lateral-g is the norm and at places like Watkins Glen 110mph apex speeds are seen. You simply can't replicate this in any converted tin-top.

As for open-wheel vs. sports-racers it is really a matter of personal preference. I loved S2s but was never comfortable with the safety of the aluminum tub and didn't want the expense of the bodywork. I know a couple of guys with the Lola-Limp from S2 wrecks and I didn't want to risk it. That said, in a FC wreck I had a puncture wound that broke my heel-bone due to the steering rod entering the foot-box; this was down to bad failure design of the components and is not typical. I've raced on-and-off FC since but am seriously considering only running carbon tub cars going forward.

Presently F1600 series looks to be the best bang-for-the-buck racing out there. Cars run $20-50k (used vs. new); the Honda runs forever; the gearbox runs forever; tires are limited to 6 per weekend in competition sessions and last for testing at the next race and all weekends are doubles so you get 3hrs+ of track time in 3 days.

 

S2000 is a great category, but the OP was asking about open wheel, no? As Peter has said, the first S2000 cars were Formula Ford suspension tied to an expanded space frame with all-enveloping bodywork and 2L Ford engines. Great concept. A friend of mine races a 1977 Royale S2000. Beautiful car!

 

FBB, remember, real race cars don't have doors.

Dale

 

Not nearly the car of S2000, but my current choice is SRF. True spec cars, large fields, and safe for an open cockpit.

And pretty inexpensive to own and drive. So f'in ugly you don't mind beating the crap out of them either

 

Yes and no.

Yes because skill execution is more easily evaluated because the car doesn't get in the way of what the driver does in it.

No because the capabilities of these cars for drivers new to them takes a leap of faith before they realize how competent the cars are and they really begin to push.

 

Because the only real race cars are formula cars.

The S2s are cool and fast, but require too much driving talent for my taste.

 

Hahaha! You'd be just fine, Will...

Hey, I break down and buy thousands of dollars worth of CDS software and now you sell the car! <big grin>

 

I have FF, F Mazda experience plus a short session in a CART car. Peter's post #2 is pretty much my opinion. I may still be racing OW if I'm still more seriously and frequently racing. Once in a while, I still think about doing some vintage racing in a FF, F Jr but I'm not sure how safe it would be relative to production car racing.

 

3) Run with better drivers-They have more experience, more skill and more sense... 'nuff said.

Peter, I thought about this. IMO the most dangerous, reckless race group in SCCA club racing is the faster of the two wings and things groups. I speak from extensive experience in the group in several cars. Test days are often worthless as black and red flags eat up session time. I can't tell you how many times I've attended special stewards' meetings with the group to listen to stern lectures beginning with something like, "you guys are supposed to be the best drivers in SCCA." Some of the drivers are indeed experienced and have good sense, but as many others are not. I think the big speed differentials, and resulting frustration, contribute to the problem. I wish SCCA would cut the number of nationals, and hold separate national weekends for wings and things, and the rest of the club.

I miss open wheel, and may end up back in it (likely F2000), but probably not in SCCA.


To your list, I'd add ease of set up changes. Many formula cars have cockpit adjustable sway bars, most have adjustable brake bias, most have adjustable shocks. I have been racing my Challenge car and in the rule writing period was amused to hear the argument, supposedly from an experienced Challenge series crew chief, that adjustable suspensions are too complex for club racers. Maybe he's right, maybe there's no point putting a decent suspension on bumper cars. On formula cars, everything you need to adjust handling is within easy reach and quick changes generally can be made in the pits. Including aero, a tool that gives most newbies too much rope!

 

In a fixed spec Formula car like FM all the cars are basically the same. The reason you are not going (or are going) fast is because of that guy in the mirror. Not because of the Top 100 excuse sheet supplied with each Production car.
This can either be a brutal or freeing mind set.

 

Hahaha! So true, and why my business is booming...