Cheap Race Car - Spec Racer Fords - An odd day | Everyday Driver
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- When a friend of the show invited us to a testing session of Spec Racer Fords, we took the opportunity to do something totally different. Having never driven on Thunderhill or in a Spec Racer, there was a lot to learn. But, getting the chance to go flat out, and even too far, is a rare opportunity we always enjoy.
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0:43 - Hello Sunglasses! 1:27 Bye Sunglasses!
I was going to comment the same😁🍻
And now it is "Buy Sunglasses."
Glad someone else caught that. I was like "noooooooo!" XD :( Poor dude.
Its aerodynamic testing
0:20 hopefully cheap gas station specials
This is a recurring theme among automotive and motorcycle journalists: they always have more fun in/on lighter vehicles with less power, running closer to the limits. And yet production cars keep raising the numbers to stupid levels. My first gen Mazda RX-7 weighed about 2300 lbs and had 101 hp... and that felt like a lot of fun back in the day.
Also see " On track with a Formula Ford 1600 | How to Drive - Episode 5 " on the channel " Motor Sport "
@@bobroberts2371 Thanks-- that is awesome! ruclips.net/video/sNudREeVTws/видео.html
there is something to be said for a car that you can stand on the throttle just to get to highway speeds. it sounds crap on paper but there is some fun to running up near redline and shifting without the worry of being pulled for 50 over.
Yep, Jay Leno has lots of high HP cars and tends to have more fun with really low HP stuff, like even down to sub 50 !
Middle aged men buy sports cars for numbers, and very few will ever actually see a track. For those who do, they get a shock when the tires are gone in one day. Road cars are not track cars and are not dragsters. Used racing cars are the best way to spend on a track car.
A light weight, low cost track specific car like this makes a lot more sense than modifying a heavier road car for track work.
I'm a big fan of these, but recently bought an S197 mustang I aim to turn into a track day toy. And I couldn't agree with you more. more than 2x the weight, spending gobs on parts to try & offset that, which I never will. I'll be into it for at least the upper range of 1 of these. I guess the upside is I have car that's streetable to go take the kids to things on sunny days, and the horsepower is fun. But this would certainly be a great time at a reasonable cost.
@@MrJrFish would the cost of modifying the Mustang for the track pay for one of these, and a trailer?
@@JakobusVdL Well, I haven't really figure out what the budget will and like all things, depends on how far (fast) I want to go. Dropping $10k into a used mustang (not counting wheels & slicks) seems like it will go a long way into making a fun track warrior that is still fairly steetable. You could spend much less than that if you chose. However it's still gonna be way over 3k lbs.
I think the SRF compares more directly to a Spec Miata. If your intent to one day maybe race a spec series, if it you want light weight fun that is more like a true race car, if you want to chase your own PB times and work on technique and racecraft...1 of these is probably more suited, but it's a dedicated track car. I'm just trying to have some fun and see if I really have the budget & time to do it regularly.
Just my opinions..I am just starting this endeavor. I had always thought I would start with a Miata. An SRF is comparable to that, and not sure which of those 2 would be the most fun.
Cheers@@MrJrFish, sounds good. Hope you have a great time with the Mustang and you do have budget and time for regular track days and street fun.
I have an AW11 MR2 (33years old now) that is getting a bit fragile for track days, and hard to find bits for when they break.
So something simple and light(er) that doesn't require much maintenance sounds good atm.
Hey Todd. Thanks for showing the times you went off track. It’s good to know that even experienced track drivers can have an off.
For 10K, I'm in, this is one of the best driving test that I have seen on any vehicle. This looks fun!
I haven't followed SCCA racing in YEARS. I had no idea anyone was still running Spec Fords. TERRIFIC!! Thab-nk you.
Still has a huge field at every race
Me too. Forgot all about em. I was around when they started the class
Great job guys! You seemed to capture the fun of driving a properly set up car on track and how it just blows away struggling to get a road car to behave, no matter how good the road car. And all for less than $30k! AccelRaceTek is a great outfit as well for either dipping your toe in the water for a day or two rental or supporting you in getting fully immersed in racing.
The sun glasses 😆
Spec Fords are fantastic to learn in once you get bored with Karts! We have track days here at PiR and run with them on the same day, not same flights. Great cheers all around. Loads of laughs. The Spec guys are a little more chill than us kart nuts :)
This class is awesome! I worked with a team that rented these and did arrive and drive packages for car owners. SRF2/3 cars are incredibly reliable and quick. Usually minor setup changes at the track.
One of my favorite pieces I have seen you guys do because it was so authentic and felt like we were right there with you. Todd I have coached myself thru corners like that many of times!
Hey you left your sun glasses on the fender of the car!!! The report is awesome.
This class is known as wreck Ford racers as they are very much entertaining to watch as usually 70 plus start only half finish and normally most get wrecked on lap one
I forget the chassis constructor,but there was also a Spec Racer Toyota.
It was powered by the old 4v 4AG,but I don't think they were tuned to Formula Atlantic level.(245bhp)
I started racing in 1990 at Skip Barber in Formula Fords. Same basic car with 110hp at 1100 lbs. Would crush Porsches and Vettes. Perfect first time racecar to learn racing technique. I found the most important part is the schooling and coaching. Take the 3 day class and you will have 100x more fun when you fly solo. 'Theres a lot more there. Just trust it...'
YESSSSS! YOU SPUN!!!! Welcome to the club, that's the only way you lean the limits of grip. Did you feel the rear tires unload all the sudden and your brain scream "oh shit"! Exhilarating isn't it 😀
Any chance for a follow up video with the other car on track?
Also love these videos of really new experiences. You really nailed how driving a racecar doesn’t compare to anything on the road
Looks like a cool experience! Thanks for sharing!
Calvin. Kool.
Also see " On track with a Formula Ford 1600 | How to Drive - Episode 5 " on the channel " Motor Sport "
Fun video, makes me want to go to the track. Keep up the great work!
You should go
I've done the racing school at PIR (Portland, OR) in this car and a bunch of lapping days. I Can't say enough good about the school (great people!) and the car is an absolute blast! These days I get my thrills online with iRacing's super accurate replication of the car along with a really fun group of racers.
Just a historical fact these cars were first produced with a Renault engine and the class was known as Spec Renault. I don't think the body work has changed since the introduction of this car.
Man I wish there was a track even somewhat close to me
There is a really good track very close to me, but you're not getting into dirt racing for cheap at all anymore.
Wow good save !! great stuff !
The sunglasses! lol 🤣
I had more fun in my 2006 MINI Cooper than in anything with more power. I always could drive it at 9/10 on the street!
My 1974 VW Bug with 1600cc engine, you had to drive it 100%, 100% of the time. After my friends drove it they actually said; "hey, that car is fun"!
Same experience with my 1974 Pinto, on the back roads of upstate N.Y. Even though I had to watch out for over steer.
@@stankygeorge i daily a 69, with a cammed 1776, i hit 90 on the freeways. Loads of fun. Lol
This is pretty cool....poor man's/baby Porsche 908/03. I want one now.........
Bruh your sun glasses 😂
Nice OAKLEY touch.....see ya!!
im looking at buying one now! Freaking sweet!
Thunderhill is pretty great, right?
0:34-0:46 he left his sunglasses no the hood lol
Thunderhill is such a great track.
Those engines sound savage.
Thunder Hill! Been there in a Radical...hella fun!
This looks ridiculously fun
< love tap >
Great track, great video - and now I want a spec Ford!
Definitely worth a test day. Find a CSR and run one for a day, you won't regret it.
That looks like such a fun car/track combo
@EverydayDriver, if you're missing a pair of sunglasses check @0:38
someone lost a pair of sunglasses !
Soemone has got to do a 2.3 Eco Boost swap and add a rear wing...
A really tall wing like on Can Am cars. Would complete the look.
Looks like a Modsport car that raced in the UK back in the 1980 / 1990 based on a Formula First.
these are spacefram built from the ground up by the SCCA dedicated to its own series. not modified from another car
This looks like a blast
Cheap Race Car=Oxymoron.
The common nick name for this car class in SCCA is Spec Wrecker. Also, if you run a Spec Class in SCCA and you want to run up front you better be really good at cheating.
Looks like a blast!
Some one their sunglasses that day lol
I’m only 40 seconds into the video and all I’m worried about are the sunglasses on the hood.
Anyone in iRacing knows these well ... plenty of sim racers cut their teeth in the virtual version of this car ...
Iracing this yesterday at brands hatch. The rear on this car is always ready to kill you. Very hard to get it back once it’s sliding. I don’t like it very much as you can’t slide at all
Well Iracing is an amazing amazing sim, but it does feel like they tend to exaggerate losing the tail end of the car. My 1991 stock Na miata irl tends to feel more stable and easy to counter steer than the brand new spec miatas on the game.
Missed it in the video- how much are these as a complete package?
10-30 grand, he said it like 5 times
@@supersevenn - I sold my Gen3 2 years ago for 30k. Well set up, no trailer and a few spares. New is maybe about 50k now, but chassis #1 can be completely competitive with chassis #900 (new), so there is no need to buy new unless you want to.
Very fun car - and a fun class. I kind of miss it.
@3:34 Certainly not any high horsepower car is faster than a Miata on the race track, unless it is a performance car.
Did u lose those shades?
I felt the exact same way about mr vfr400
Do you guys play any online driving sims? Are you ever on GT Sport?
There really is nothing like a super lightweight track car, and Thunderhill's a great place. The only downside is the car's not road-legal, so you do need a truck and trailer - and that adds to the hassle factor. One option is something like the Elise, but I prefer an older and even lighter model of Lotus: ruclips.net/video/gklocKmjqm8/видео.html (this particular car isn't road-legal, but my daily driver is, and it's mechanically identical)
Basically, that's a Formula Ford for Americans
well...your handle says it all. at least you are clear about that
supersevenn you don't seem to get it. The Brits invented Formula Ford in the late 60's as a low cost racer, " A thousand pound car for a thousand pounds." The SCCA invented SR ( Spec Renault ) as an analog to this.
Wow! Only 100hp! Goes to show it's all about power-to-weight ratio!
*slap turbo on it
*slap wing on it
Racier race car
This is a SCCA spec car sold new through SCCA Enterprise. If you put a wing and turbo I'm not sure you'd have anywhere to race it.
@@tombrewsaugh1399 but if its not scca spec you cant race then its just normal race car just for track days not any events
EverydayDriver Spec Racer Ford race team next season?
RIP them glasses
Sequential shift with paddles or h pattern?
I think h pattern. They mentioned heel and toeing.
5 speed H pattern
Take it to Orland Raceway
Poor sunglasses
Honda K24 would be perfect in that thing
too much power would destroy the balance. then you need more tire, then more brakes, etc etc...
@@supersevenn yup, very true.....
It would be cool, but then it wouldn't be spec. And it would be hard to find a class for it -- there are much lighter cars with K24 motors, and more grip and you'd have to run with them.
Lost your glasses 😂
Cheap Racing is an oxymoron
I was talking to a guy that runs this series, and he was spending $30k a weekend.
Seems impossible unless he was buying a new car every weekend.
That doesn't sound right at all. No way.
@@meekrab9027 Or to be competitive, new tires for all runs.
It's difficult to put a exact number on a weekend. If you just show up and drive (crew, towing, etc) for a 3 day weekend (test/practice day, 2 day race weekend) and you don't crash ~$4.5k is a fair number. That counts $1000 for a new set of tires (one set will do the races, plus a practice day) and $800 for test day + race entry fees. Renting is more expensive but not massively in the grand scheme of things, AccelRaceTek has their rates posted.
Actual milage may vary was if you crash, bend, scrape, burn thru, or generally blow it. You will have additional bills but not 30k.
he lied to you OR he uses drugs, strippers & hookers at night during the race weekend
The Accel guys are my competition, Bruce and Perry are great! If you want to give SRF a try, definitely talk to them.
Can't resist plugging my own race footage, if you want to see what racing in SRF is like: ruclips.net/video/gaeo96GF5Dw/видео.html If you think you can do better, I'd love to see you out there!
Lol i got a car that came with 74 horsepower new and you really can just floor it everywhere
Rode shotgun with a bud who lost his ass on turn 3 hahaha those things look awesome. Want.
rip sunglasses
You left your dun glasses on the hood
The video was good, but the running commentary was absolutely horrible. I could handle about 7 minutes before I quit and gave it a "thumbs down".
if i were younger (and once was) and had some disposable income (which i once had), well....
This what racing was all about in the old days. Americans can get more fun than Europeans.
flat...flat....lifts...YES
Man I really wish there was something local to me like this.
in the U.S. there probably is and you dont know about it. wher do you live?
@@supersevenn eastern long island. So it takes two hours to just get through nyc, nearest track i think is limerock and thats closing in on a 6 hour drive each way i think.
@@nicholasarceri6613 I don't know the area but did a quick search. New Jersey Motorsports Park might be closer. You could also get in touch with people in the New York Region of the SCCA, which seems to be the region that would cover Long Island. Also check out Pocono in Long Pond PA. And if you're willing to drive 6 hours, Summit Point WV seems to fit in that range.
Be glad you don't live out West. Imagine how far you're have to tow if you lived in Idaho or Arizona.
@@nicholasarceri6613 Monticello and NJMP are closer.
doesn't look like California. you guys gotta move back south.
cheap for who
1300lbs, rear engine, rear wheel drive, those things love going backwards.
Sorry guy but they are mid engine,and has usually the largest field at any SCCA event. FV has about the same size field if you want to go open wheel.
@@mokeimusic I got bad news for you....
@@mokeimusic Somebody has been lying to you...
@@mokeimusic I'm aware, just confused as to how you think they're mid engined. Oh well, good luck with that I guess.
@@Ammothief41 - the CG of the engine is ahead of the centerline of the rear axle so I would say that makes it "technicall" a mid engine, as opposed to true rear engine cars like 911s. But I guess it would be up to how you define the two terms.
These motors sound horrible. Miata engine sounds better
3:26 It is not faster. U r very slow in corners and u brake way too early
Lol. Did you really get passed by a Miata? No open cockpit, or open wheel dedicated race craft should ever get beat by a spec Miata. And be careful when you say “Porsche who?”, why? Because you obviously don’t frequent tracks very much, as there are a significant number of Porsche’s running on track days, and much more than any other exotic or sports car out there (plus, if your getting passed by a spec Miata, your going to get smoked by a GT3RS). And don’t forget, many of us drive Porsche’s, not because it replaces our race cars, but because many of us only get to the track a 2 to 3 times a month with our real race craft, while we drive our road cars everyday, and some of us want to feel just a little bit of that joy when we are either driving to work, ready to face a day full of drama or driving home from work after a long day. So it isn’t always the replace our race cars (because a road car on road or even cup 2 tires generally can’t dream of pulling 2-3 Gs and stop on a dime or give near the feedback and put your throat in your chest so hard that it takes a straight away before you can get a breathe that real race craft can) but provide a little bit of that same sense of excitement in a more civilized way, on a more frequent basis and provide a little sense of reward as we drive to and from work everyday. Now the Lambo guys? That’s another story, they’d rather go to cars and coffee or drive and rev the hell out of their cars up and down PCH while a bunch of low life’s kiss their butts and beg to be their friends (and rarely if ever at the track, at least the dudes we see on RUclips and the Cc events). Keep practicing in your race cars to the point where you are extremely excited when you start shaving .5 of a second off your lap times, then take it to the next level and do some actual wheel to wheel racing, that’s where the real fun begins, because while someone in a Lambo might think it’s cool to run around town on the street and take off at every stop light, only to realize they are basically racing a soccer mom full of 4 kids in a minivan, the real joy begins when you start racing and beating actual race drivers who are in very similar race cars. That’s driving and the joy of racing and that’s what determines if you are actually a good driver or a poser in a fast car.
We suspect you may not have seen our work before this piece, and your response seems to get into things we don't discuss here, but we'll hope to clarify a couple things. First, we didn't get passed by a Spec Miata while in this car, but we've been at track days where stock Miatas took out everything. Secondly, Paul saying "Porsche what?" is an inside joke, as he is a known Porsche fan and longtime owner. We've both tracked Porsches on many occasions, and made the feature film "50 Years of a 911" which you might enjoy. We don't believe there was any mention of Lamborghinis here, but we're thrilled to hear you like your Porsche. Ultimately, we want people to have a car they love. and driving experiences they enjoy. Thanks for watching!
Wait - are you seriously telling me that a guy in a 150k Porsche can beat a guy in 30k car with a 100hp ford engine? If I was that guy in the Porsche I would be so awed by my driving by my own driving talent!
Racecar Vs road car. One of them has to have AC, radios, airbags, meet certain safety standards, etc, etc. want to hear another secret. A cheap used $2,000 sport bike will beat pretty much any exotic as well in the capable hands. Comparing race craft, bikes and road cars is pretty lame as a road car will always cost more and perform the least. (HP means nothing if we aren’t using weight in the equation)
Even in a gen 2, you should be able to blow the doors off a spec miata -- it does take some seat time though. It's not going to happen on the first day in one, unless you're already a genius behind the wheel. Compared to a street car, it's a raw and visceral experience, and it is off-putting at first. Gen 3, it's no contest -- if you can run a "race pace", you pass almost everything that shows up to a track day, except other race cars. Like you say, the real fun is wheel-to-wheel racing, and for that you need a proper race car. SRF is wonderful for that -- maybe not the lowest running costs possible, but damn near, and a lot more reliable and easier to deal with than anything else. Big fields, and most drivers running within 1-2 seconds of pole.
A question I get a lot after a session: "how much downforce does it have", to which I reply "none", or "negative 60 pounds" if I'm feeling snarky.
The sun glasses 😆