Radical Belief
Author: Tom Magnay Images: Blendline
About 2 or 3 laps into my average mid morning track session in crisp October and normally I'd just be at the point where my appetite is suitably "whetted". Tyres would be up to a good level of "sticky", brakes delivering an agreeable bite, engine and transmission well warmed and I'm conscious of not reaping too much havoc on the driveshafts and their respective joints. We can start to up the pace to somewhere near the limit and hang onto the coat-tails of another car, maybe a deep lunge or two on the brakes all the while keeping an eye in the mirror for the inevitable fast-mover in a GT3.
Today is different though. Mighty different:
We've just exited Redgate, with lots of exit curb, concrete rumbles reverberating through the entire chassis and forcing every nerve into full-vibrate mode. As we straighten up and start to curve through the long Craners, the drop downhill towards the old Hairpin adds to the sheer exhilaration and feeling of speed increasing. We're now at 125mph with 130 not far away - it doesn't sound that fast, but with your buttocks a mere 6 inches from the tarmac and the Autumn air flying at my visor and roaring around my crash helmet, it feels like 190.
This is our third time round the circuit and now I know the braking is coming, it feels like time stands still as it's even later this time, my high-speed-chauffeur clearly getting to grips with the middle pedal. I'm braced ready for the brutal force to yank me forwards in my seatbelts and even though I'm ready, I'm not ready...
BAM! A quick stab on the brake and it's over before it's started, 50mph scrubbed off in a split second and we're back on the gas, heading uphill past the old Dunlop bridge, the throttle bodies not half a metre away behind me screaming for air, the wonderful sound of an NA engine doing what it does best, drawing half of Leicestershire's air supply in through the trumpets. No sooner is that air swallowed, it's back out through he exhaust, with a pop of flame delivered by the next sequential, flick of the shifter paddle.
We climb up the slope towards the right hand pinch at Mclean's, entering wide and using the downforce to keep the throttle buried. The immediate right hander at Coppice is barely a touch on the brake before carrying that momentum along the straight. Chance to relax for a second. The airflow over my helmet is gently playing with the angle of my head, a force just starting to lift it slightly upwards, a disconcerting feeling to say the least.
Past an M3 and a TVR that felt like they were standing still, there's more fun in store as we turn left, not right, at the end of Starkey's a few more seconds of fun (we're using the extended Melbourne loop) as we head over the crest for the right hand Hairpin, a little unseen but still we're pinned on the throttle. Braking tactfully and back on the loud pedal early, we're using the aero again on the exit to try and carry momentum on a Porsche who has the legs on the straight. Now we're right behind him and approaching Goddards, my muscles down each side of my neck are just starting to feel the strain in the hairpins now...!
We pit, and let the 911 go. Back at sociable speeds in the pitlane I pivot open my visor and let fresh air flow - in my pilot can clearly see I enjoyed it. Amazingly he comments that the brakes were getting too hot, and yelled that he'd had to brake earlier and gentler than was optimal because of that. To me, the performance of the brakes and the forces on my neck were the stand out factor, to think they weren't working 100% was a genuine surprise.
Clambering back out of the cabin (I can't call what I just sat in a seat, really - more a fibreglass bubble with a harness, a head cushion the size of a box of matches, and nothing to hold on to). I step back to admire what we'd just been lapping in. And, a bit of housekeeping, I'm being rude, I haven't introduced my driver yet. It's Mr Mike Chen, a fine peddler of these machines with a good list of race wins to his name, but you may know of him from his commentary on Dakar Rally, World Rally and World Rallycross.
OK, you want to know about the car. It's a Radical SR3RS. Mike, or Chenny as he is normally known, has raced a few different models but this SR3 is his own, and it's just undergone a lot of surgery including engine, gearbox, all the shifter hydraulics and driveline too. A longitudinal, mid mounted, normally aspirated Hayabusa engine does the talking, through a 6 speed, lightning fast, paddle shift sequential manual gearbox, lightweight shafts and 260 section rear tyre, in the case of today, on slicks. It's the aero that really starts to set this Radical apart from the rest when we look at on-track performance. A huge adjustable rear wing, and sleek over-arch wings carry the airflow over the chassis with very little drag and as much downforce as possible. The not-subtle front splitter is the start of an entirely flat floor setup, with carefully thought-out intakes under the nose, and in front of each rear wheel for the cooling pack. The SR3 is capable of cornering acceleration of up to 2G. The car weighs around 600kgs and no matter how hard I try there doesn't seem to be any data on the internet about downforce rates at given speeds. This one has the 'high hoop' which was something brought in to meet FIA safety regs a few years back.
Having never been in anything with significant downforce before, this was quite an eye-opener. As a comparison there was a gentleman on track with a Spire kit car, which was similar in principle, ie a very lightweight, limited production racing car, but it didn't have the same level of downforce as the Radical and this really showed in the high speed corners.
Another session in and we're back out under the skies of East Midlands airport, lapping Donington again at high speed and high downforce. The brakes keep cooking, an issue we've narrowed down to a slightly sticky front left caliper, after a quick bleed of the fluid it's a bit improved but not optimal, and when half of the performance of an SR3 comes from it's brakes, its a shame when they're not at full operating spec. Even so, a good 3 or 4 lap battle behind a Cayman GT4 race car proves interesting, the only car in attendance that put up a proper fight for Chenny and his Radical. The Porsche would pull a gap on the long straights, then we'd reel him back in on the hairpins and tight right handers before the gap would increase. The Cayman is on slicks and being driven well, but it can't shake us off in the plucky Radical. The din of the little four pot engine screaming to just shy of ten thousand revolutions just doesn't get old, I make a mental note to bring ear plugs next time I get in one of these though!
That night the inevitable happened. I was on various car reseller websites looking at the value of used SR3s. There's not alot to them, a well engineered lightweight chassis, some clever aero, a tuned motorbike engine and a very good, hydraulically operated paddleshift sequential. But the German and Italian machinery which was given a real hammering by this British built racing car firm was astonishing, and for less than a quarter of the price of say a 911 GT3 or a 458 - and you can be the king of the track for about £25k.
Big thanks to Chenny for a great day out in the SR3, it's probably cost me a few quid, as in my watch list I've now got 3 Radicals which I'm keeping an eye on...cheers for that! It would have been great to have been able to take the wheel of the lightweight beast for a lap or two, but given the brakes were underperforming it would have been an unnecessary risk. Also, there's no way I would have done the car justice without a full day of seat time under my belt, as one thing is very apparent and that is that the driving style for a downforce car is totally different to the hatchback and saloon style cars I am used to driving.
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Tom Magnay: @tommagnay01
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