The recovery on the second and third spins were CLEAN. It's so important for drivers to learn how to lose control and minimize damage, spin outs are inevitable when learning to find the limits of a car on track. This also makes me wanna reinstall FM7 so I can toy around with the Formula Mazda car.
the guy being so chill about rob spinning makes me feel a lot better about going to the track. ive always been to scared to go cause i thought people would be mad if i fucked up. glad to see they understand mistakes are made.
100 percent what I was worried about years ago. But you realize especially in beginner to intermediate, everyone is sliding and learning. It’s what it takes to learn pushing the car to the limit. Obviously no one likes an idiot but someone putting in simulator time and knowing the course spinning out is not going to upset a single person. Was so thankful how friendly and helpful everyone is
People won't get mad, all those guys have been there and done that in their first times too. It's just track days for them too, it's not like it's a race with points and money. Butttt if you spin out every damn time.....yeah they will hate you. At the end of the day they are there to have fun and hang with like minded people
please don't be afraid to go to the track! it's literally one big learning environment! even all the fast guys at the top are learning every single session. I've been doing motorsports since 2005, and the track is *the* place to go if you enjoy going fast. spinning is just part and parcel with finding the limit. in order to find the limit, sometimes you must exceed the limit. no one there will be upset if you spin, and any instructor/track official worth their weight be absolutely willing to share their knowledge with you to make you a much faster, safer, and overall more competent driver than how you arrived that morning.
As long as you don’t wreck yourself completely and hurt yourself or others, people at the track generally like you to spin out every once in awhile especially if your a beginner because that means your starting to push the limit which every good race car driver has a strong sense of
Random story but I have had to do it one time for some random lady and for all ik she could have been stealing the car I didn't even think twice about it we were on a hill I said let it roll lol worked out just fine but I hope she wasn't stealing the car because I was totally an accessory to the crime being committed smh and that's why ppl don't stop to help now of days
Rob, as a former daily motorcycle rider let me tell you, helmet choice is wayyyy more important than you think. You should shop around and try some on, it shouldn't be able to move around on your face more than an inch or so.
@@SpikeJonesTheCr0oked Exactly, I had a $200 Voss which is a decent helmet but it didn't fit snug enough, so I ended up getting a Shoei for like $700 that fit perfectly, and it was light and balanced even with a gopro mounted to the chin. "Tires are the most important because they're the only thing that touches the ground; helmets are important because they protect the last thing you want touching the ground."
@@crc0889 i found some really good ones around the 150-200 range, it all depends on comfort features and what safety registrations you want. caged racing demands a SNELL, while ECE is what i'd expect for street motorcycle riding. i got an expensive one with a new certification(i can't remember) for 199 because it was in a color nobody liked
The latest full carbon helmets is game changing. If you have the money is a no brainier to buy the best because it the end of the day you only have one spine.
Couple important notes: 1. Try wearing your arm restraints just below the elbow. The straps will be out of your way, you'll have more arm flexibility and that is actually where they are supposed to be worn. 2. Don't jam the gearbox in reverse, EVER. Hewland Mk5 and Mk8-9 gearboxes use 1st for reverse via an idler gear. When you jammed it into reverse it plays havoc on 1st gear, the dogring and the idler gear. The idler is a wimpy thing, tiny teeth on a good day. Engagement of reverse is done by selecting 1st, letting the clutch out just enough to grab a tiny bit so everything is spinning then selecting reverse. You'll find as things wear reverse is the first gear you cannot select or becomes very grindy and difficult. 3. Invest in a open wheel H&N device. I assume the one you use in the RX8 would not work in the Formula Mazda due to its angle. Trust me, I know this pain as I am on my 4th HANS, two for different seating angles in Formula Fords and two for different seating positions in tin top race cars. 4. Buy yourself a carbon helmet. Spend proper money hear, one with fitted cheek pads and aero bits front and top. The FM with its upright seating makes a moder aero helmet a must. As a tall driver I've used aero helmets for years in my open wheel cars and its the only way to go. You are not kidding about the need to build neck muscles BTW, the pain is real! Great stuff, loving the videos on the FM and Indy Car!
Tomorrow video is going to be a treat and next week something with a couple more rotors comes my way. I didn’t expect this year to be so solid. But it’s a culmination of all the prep work recently
Something to always remember, brake in a straight line and as you turn in feather off the brake and as you feather the brake you are easing into the throttle. You wouldn't believe how braking while straight will lower your time even more.
@@johnsnow1355 Two feet driving is so much faster and safer in my opinion. I do it in my daily driver and everyone freaks out when they notice it. The first car I learned to drive was my dad's drag car. Using both feet is mandatory. My best friend also raced karts so I drove them a lot on the street as a kid. Again, both feet are mandatory. My mom almost crashed a kart one time b/c she kept pushing the throttle and couldn't figure out how to make her left foot press the brake. I've never had a problem doing it.
That's a good way to start lowering your lap times but that car loves to be trail braked. You come in under hard brake and as you lose the rear under turn in, get on the throttle to settle the car and stay flat through the rest of the corner.
@@waybous no, not this car, they have a huge amount of camber gain under cornering. You can add more by shortening the upper control rods on the rear. We set these cars at about 1.5 degrees positive camber static, with about 1" of rake to the chassis.
30:00 Almost every time my friends or I have gotten seriously hurt when we are out snowboarding is on the last run of the day right after saying "just one more run" There is something about knowing it's the last run that makes us send it a little harder while exhausted. Now we have a rule where no one can say that because bad things seem to always happen.
Where were y'all when I broke my leg a year and a half ago Lol. On my last lap at a motorcycle track day, had a high speed low side pushing hard for no particular reason. I see now why the experienced riders pack it up before the last session.
Man is so fun seeing Rob and de guys having fun with the cars on track, but i would love to see Rob using a Hans device or other kind of neck bracing. Just for another layer of safety.
@@martindinner3621 No, not talking about the Formula Mazda. The (running?) joke is that Rob has been hoonin' the 4 rotor for years without a proper firewall.
Hey rob, in addition to the weight of your helmet, i think its critical for you sooner than later to upgrade to a helmet featuring anchors for a hans device. Even a small crash, there is nothing right now stopping your head from snapping forward or sideways, whip lash would a a lucky outcome. We want to see you as safe as possible in these wild cars of yours now, especially exposed in an open wheel car.
Another thing, open wheel cars depend on speed to keep you stuck to the ground. You need to be able to turn off the fight or flight sense and feel the car turning in your ass since you're in the center of the car horizontally, kind of like hanging on the center of a merry go round.
Yeah exactly what Jimmy Johnson found out in Indy car. The faster u go the more grip u gain aerodynamically. Probably why he spun out on some slow corners. Going too slow the car lost grip.
The instinct to brake is very hard to get over. These cars pretty much can start braking between the 2 and 1 corner markers, which feels just stupid compared to street cars. Downforce means more traction which means at speed you can brake very heavily and then slowly taper the pressure off as the downforce becomes less effective. I've found that putting quick pause between initial heavy braking (up to tire threshold) then easing back into braking again works really well, plus helps rotate the car.
Formula Mazdas don't generate a ton of downforce, especially at the speeds Rob was going here. Preheating the tires and driving faster will do wonders for his comfort in the car and his laptimes.
I bought a Mazda RX-2 in 1973 ... I loved the idea of a ICE engine with so few moving parts ...I did have the typical problems with blown seals and low mileage just as the gas crisis ran the prices up, but that thing could fly and I've never gone faster in a car since ... you guys gave me more justification that I wasn't totally crazy buying what was such a dramatically different ICE concept for the day, and your little racer gave me lots of joy to watch! Stay safe.
Helmet twisting is from the camera mounted on the side of the helmet. Might also try adding more rear wing angle for rear end grip on high speed turns. could see the car unsettled in that high speed section before your spin. Awesome vid. Thank you!
Definitely if there is a wind tunnel around this car would be great to get data on wind angles and downforce to help set it up. But it's a spec race car and maybe no adjustments are allowed?
@@RobDahm the hardest thing about driving a mid engine vehicle is learning never lifting off the throttle when the back end gets light. I learned this on auto cross racing a mr2. The only way to keep the rear tires gripping is to hold the throttle steady and brake and steer the car in the slide. If you let off the gas suddenly all the weight gets moved forward and u spin. If u don't fully let off the throttle the weight stays over the rear tires and u can generally drive out of the slide by keeping the center of gravity in the rear keeping the rear tires gripping. I know it's crazy but by lifting you instantly loose the weight over the rear tires so by actually throttling through a slide the rear tires won't loose all there grip because the cars staying planted on all 4 instead of the weight getting dumped on the front tires picking the back ones up.
As a track driving instructor, and after watching this, I have one piece of advice - get an instructor. Running as a novice in the novice group with a car that's far more capable than your peers is incredibly dangerous, not to mention open wheel mixed with closed. I'm shocked the event coordinators didn't put a stop to it, as that wouldn't fly at any event I've ever attended (or would consider attending).
Hell yes. We need more formula car content! The POV camera, though cumbersome, gives the best view of what it's like to drive. Feels like I'm behind the wheel and it shows in how you describe the cars behavior. Keep it up!
I've been following you for years now, but don't comment often. The reason is your openness in admitting what you don't know. This episode is my favorite kind where you experience something for the first time and take us along for the ride. I'll never be in a position to experience the things you do and live vicariously through your adventures. Thank you. Keep doing what you do, and I'll keep watching.
That was awesome Rob, really happy that you get to experience something like this. These cars definitely force you to become a better driver and I'm sure that experience will translate to your other much more powerful cars as well.
Good start for your first track day, just don’t ever be scared to be on throttle, these cars respond extremely well to throttle input and as you learnt they will bite you with snap oversteer hard (the spin through the high speed chicane was purely from lifting) I used to race karts competitively in Australia (not shitty indoor ones, real 2 stroke things) Just like racing a kart you have to be 100% committed for the chassis to work properly, but also don’t be scared to let the chassis, aero and suspension do it’s job on the corner entry! (A coasting period after braking in a straight line and before getting on throttle again)
No greater driving education than a few days in shifter karts or junior formula cars. Nothing like the pucker factor after upsetting the balance of Kart mid corner after a less than delicate stab of the brakes. Then realising that aero grip and mechanical grip are two very different things and having testicular fortitude to trust each of them. After all that body abuse the ride home in the car feels like mushy sofa on wheels. Everything else feels slow. Love seeing the excitement in Robs eyes. Respect brother.😊
I would like to think that Rob, in the back of his mind, remembered me sending him an ad for a Formula Mazda via Facebook messages about a year and a half ago, as I thought it would be a perfect stepping stone to his Indy car. Good going Rob.
I must be old (I’m 62 so I guess that’s old) but when you opened the trailer door and the guy said “holy cow you bought a Radical” I laughed because you had to explain what it was and that they actually raced those things! I’ve been a race car fabricator for over 40 years and remember when that series started and was the stepping stone to Indy car. You went from them to Indy lights then to Indy cars if you were either ridiculously fast or you you had a ton of $!
If you start being serious about lap time on these, you should invest in a tire temperature probe. That would help you maximize grip, and also prevent destroying the tires. Slicks age and wear very fast when overheated.
He barely got any heat into those tires. They were running waaay too much pressure (18-19psi hot is correct) and the wear pattern was awful. You don't need anything fancy a temp gun from harbor freight does the job just fine, you need to scan the tire right as you come off the track and adjust by where the tread temperature is at.
Add more camber to the rear so when it wants to spin you have a bit more contact patch with tires. I would also drop a pound or two in the rear tires so with the camber added the tires can roll a bit to help with the contact patch.
Negative sir, rear tires actually require positive camber on this car static and you're aiming for an even wear pattern, the wing angle will effect that by loading the rear end. The rear sway bar blocks should be approximately 2 from the end end of the bar for baseline, but even 1/8" adjustments change car balance. Looking at his car in this video of give it more wing, some rear brake bias, and maybe loosen the sway bar 1/8". Then if it plows at speed add front wing, around corners less rear sway bar.
Dude, Thank you so much for covering single seater stuff. I hope you get a chance to try an old F1 car one day. Good job too man, been following you since like 40k and you were in Michigan by me!
Rob, its really awesome to see your progress as a driver, especially with this driver-centric videos. I am at what seems to be a similar place developmentally. One thing someone told me that stuck with me: "I am KILLING you on corner entry". Im sure its super hard to do in a small indy car, but once the confidence is there, try scrubbing less speed before each turn. That is one of the areas that can find you "magical" time on the track. Keep up the growth. Favorite thing to watch on youtube.
Sick! I always love seeing you guys having fun. Honestly im hooked on your Videos. Its so rare to find someone on RUclips that keeps real to himself. Seeing you guys have fun honest makes my day each and every time.
Hey, Rob, quick suggestion on the new car… consider stepping BACKWARDS to high performance street tires during the time when you’re “tightening the lose nut behind the steering wheel” (aka: the driver). A street tire will (1) give up grip at the limit more gradually and (2) talk loudly (tire squeal) when it approaches its limit. A slick tire has more grip but lets go more abruptly and most slicks are surprisingly quiet when they approach their limit.
Such a great job Rob, the lines to carry the most speed will take some learning, no idea what they are to be honest, but might I suggest you use a HANS device, that might help with your neck.
Have you thought of going to a race school? 15 years ago I went to the Skip Barber Racing School, which used a Formula style car, and it helped me leap ahead in my understanding of driving Formula. I came from auto crossing 1st gen RX7, and that was my frame of reference for how to drive a car. I can not begin to stress how much instruction from professionals helped me recognize bad habits and start developing my skills. Best $4k mod I ever bought.
rob idk how similar to motorcycles this is but a trick I have heard works when racing bikes is, when you enter a corner braking, never increase braking. What that means is essentially you can continue braking in a corner but as you release the brake don't reapply more then what you released too. This helps keeping the weight distributed properly and gives you good grip throughout the turn. Also another thing that's a bike thing, but always accelerate out of a turn. Hopefully this helps, I feel like because of the weight to power ratio it may
its downforce more in an open wheeler at high speed, smoother cornering , smooth back onto the throttle carrying speed is the key as you will turn harder
Glad to see Rob is getting serious about seat time. He has some great cars for track weapons. I really like this content to get excited for autocross and track days this coming summer!
Wise words in the end. Most people have couchconclusions about races driven with real racecars. There is no comparison possible with streetcars, it needs total dedication an exploration beyond day-to-day driving. Very well done Rob, like you said: It's a whole different world.
Feel free to reach out… that’s a old star Mazda series car and I was a tech on them new.. they where all run out of the same shop. A pay to drive set up. So you have to run a leaded low octane 2 stroke fuel designed for pre mix. VP C9 or some of the power mist stuff.. it’s not about power it’s about keeping the carb clean. It also sounds way rich.. we used to run different heat ranges on the leading and trailing plugs. If you run pump CA emissions gas it will load up the plugs and carb with junk. I’m betting you have to take the carb apart and just clean it. You should be running more oil because the jetting on the race cars was for that with a leaded race gas and nothing that has ethanol it in. It’s not going to make any more power but it’s going to run right and stay that way for a long time. Don’t use a castor oil 2 stroke oil btw. It will clog the carb. Valvoline normal boat oil is what we ran.. but I’m betting the plugs are junk.. the carb is getting a film from the ca gas not waning to mix with the oil.. do the plugs right and clean out the carb.. run more oil and a some VP C9… it will run way better
at the 20 min mark you can see just how much more comfortable rob is already. which may be a little too comfortable as shown after the 21 min mark lol. love it. if your not messing up your not pushing hard enough
I used to race these things! They’re great fun, and one of the most affordable ways to go formula car racing. People underestimate how much you can learn from driving a purpose-built race car where the car is not the limit, it’s YOU. The best way to tune the tires on these is with a pyrometer, otherwise you’re just guessing. Also pay extra attention to the ride height differential front vs rear as that will have a huge influence on the car’s static balance. Also shock rebound and compression damping. There’s a lot of time left in the car but you’ll get there.
This was super awesome to watch. Seeing someone just start their learning curve with a machine like this is special. It's giving me all sorts of ideas. Thanks for sharing both the downs and ups.
Before track day: "We'll turbo it, what if 3 rotor, maximum go-fast, etc." After track day: "Shit, this thing is already fast enough!" Can't wait to see how you'll shed seconds as you get some more seat time. I wish SCCA would run SoW CW so we could see what a comparable lap time for Formula Pro Mazdas would be. Excellent work!
this is one of the videos ive been waiting to watch. what a awesome machine. seems so reliable. congratulations on the opportunity to get to drive on a track, you did awesome! a lot of valuable data from just one day at the track, good job rob!
On reading your tires: Despite the outer edges looking unused, they do contact the road in moments of high lateral force. You definitely want that buffer zone there, because stepping over the line where the tire rolls over and starts acting like it has positive camber is gonna cost a lot of grip. Not to mention predictability. Positive camber on the fronts isn't so bad - understeer can be quite good information that you're overdoing it, but as a novice you never want to waste time in frustration because the rears suddenly give out - so I'd say be careful about reducing negative camber especially on the rears.
The closest i felt like this is when i was trying a lotus elise. Very close to ground with little metal between, naturally aspirated fun, light car. One corner i was letting of gas getting ready to brake, and dude tells me to floor it. Wild experience
You might want to adjust the rebound in the shocks so when you go over a crest you don't lose all the weight at once so you can keep the speed and weight even and keep the down force so you don't spin it out.
@@RobDahm I know this is old but it fits, practice makes perfect. Make sure you're not gripping the wheel because that will tighten up your forearms and it's harder to make smoother turns. You'll get it because you're pushing the car faster than someone that has never in an open wheel car.
Looks like there was a lot of cross wind there too, I kno for F1 and Indy cars that cross winds can affect the aero in open sheet cars. Idk if formula Mazdas deal with that same effects tho. It looks fun as hell to drive!
Been there, done that. When it comes together you are in another zone. You become physics, time is different, the course becomes a puzzle that you are actively solving. There is nothing like it.
after some inspiration smoke, from the front to just where the engine sits the paint abruptly stops to bare fiberglass or whatever its made out of just like Dahm's vids (or make a replicate shell for the engine housing but make it see through (doubt thats racing legal).
Rob i am so happy you get to experience an open wheel car and a downforce car. its a feeling thats hard to describe. it may be something as simple as a formula mazda but its unreal to drive stuff like this. great driving too, good recovery on the spins, driving these on the limit is hard to keep in control and you are getting there, love to see the progress
Great driving and great video, it's very cool that you can learn on a vehicle so amazing. That said, you also have a lot of driving and racing to learn still, I would recommend taking an instructor or someone to teach you that riding because you cannot learn decades of racing knowledge just by yourself. Also, to get better you should look into the weight balance of the car, the reason why you span the second time is because you lifted the gas by fear and that transferred weight out of the rear and to the front, that combined with the going down made the car spin. Keep pushing and learning, we want to see you do unimaginable things with the 4 rotor !
I wouldn't skip through the sponsor bits so much if they didn't spam every good channel at the same time AG1 is literally blanketing every channel from sports, automotive, and even documentaries on historical items or places...... It starts to get really old really fast there is such a thing as to much of a good thing!
It bums me out when I feel like the only one doing ads with them then I see others doing it who don’t actually use or authentically appreciate it. It’s funny as a creator watching people’s ads as I cringe when they read the script suggested to a t you know they don’t actually use it.
Oh please don't take it as I don't agree with the product because I do. I still remember commercials from the early 80's because unlike today's they were actually trying to entertain you and get you to remember the product for the next time you went to the store and saw it, it was not just HERE IT IS BUY IT!
Thing need lectron itb carbs! I'm serious rob , metering rod carbs are pretty much at fuel injection levels. I'm sure lectron would join on this project. Please don't go fi! Keep it simple
Take Care Bro this is wy F1 drivers are the best ..you need to be soo precise with your inputs .. you have to grab the wheel firmly this is precision driving Just the oposite of drifting🙏👊 take care
As your confidence builds, you’ll see that the key to driving that car, is to be aggressively smooth with all of your inputs. There should always be some sort of loading on the tires and suspension, weather it be braking,acceleration or steering input. Have fun, you did great!
New carbon fiber car Large, close fields are common in Formula Mazda racing Original tube-frame car Formula Mazda is a class of relatively affordable open wheel formula racing. Formula Mazda has its own class in SCCA club racing, and there is a North American professional series called the Indy Pro 2000 Championship (formerly the Pro Mazda Championship) that is part of IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder system. The cars are very popular; seeing a field of 40 or more cars at a race is quite common. Many drivers aspiring to the top classes of racing use the pro series to hone and demonstrate their talent. In 2006, the 2004 Formula Mazda champion, Michael McDowell, drove in the American Champ Car series, and Scott Speed, won in Formula Mazda in 2002. In terms of both cost and performance, Formula Mazda lies between Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, that is, close to a Formula Three and a Formula Renault 2.0. A full season in the professional Star Mazda series costs around US$200,000 - US$300,000 in 2005
This was actually spot on in timing as Ill be going to streets on the 2nd so ive been watching other people footage, racing it on GT7 then this video popped up and was like hell yeah!
“I should not be allowed to own this.” - the one man who deserves to own this bc he willl take the most car as he relearns driving a piece of art but also shred the asphalt with
I love formula Mazdas so much.... I might have to try to own one of these at some point in my life... congrats Rob, this is sick AF, totally on brand, and a great drivers training car for your more wild Rotary adventures to come!! Enjoy!!
Things to think about, tires are capable of 100% traction, split between acell/braking/turning. So try practicing this in the simulator and while you are driving. Brake straight, ease off brake as you applied steering, hit your apex, roll on throttle as you straighten back out. Also, have a temp gun or contact temp sensor to check the tires outer/center/inner for alignment guide. You're looking for a even temperature across the tire, or slight bias inner or outer depending on track condition or layout.
I'm so late to your channel, only discovered it today. Absolutely love it. I'm a huge rotery fan since the late 70s That mini if you still have it had very little balance issues, you bearly had to correct the steering at all. Love the channel
The recovery on the second and third spins were CLEAN. It's so important for drivers to learn how to lose control and minimize damage, spin outs are inevitable when learning to find the limits of a car on track. This also makes me wanna reinstall FM7 so I can toy around with the Formula Mazda car.
There's also no telling how old those tires are and he probably didn't have enough heat in them until quite a ways into his track day.
I've literally been racing the formula mazda on fm7 for the past week lol
So annoyed you can't buy the game anymore. No good torrents of it either. I'll just have to wait for 8.
@@natorious314 wait what, why cant you buy the game anymore? why would they do that, every sale is money in their pocket.
@@socks2441 Pretty sure it's something to do with the car licenses expiring.
the guy being so chill about rob spinning makes me feel a lot better about going to the track. ive always been to scared to go cause i thought people would be mad if i fucked up. glad to see they understand mistakes are made.
100 percent what I was worried about years ago. But you realize especially in beginner to intermediate, everyone is sliding and learning. It’s what it takes to learn pushing the car to the limit. Obviously no one likes an idiot but someone putting in simulator time and knowing the course spinning out is not going to upset a single person. Was so thankful how friendly and helpful everyone is
People won't get mad, all those guys have been there and done that in their first times too. It's just track days for them too, it's not like it's a race with points and money. Butttt if you spin out every damn time.....yeah they will hate you. At the end of the day they are there to have fun and hang with like minded people
As long as you go and get checked by the flagger. Dont just gun it down the straight like rob did
please don't be afraid to go to the track! it's literally one big learning environment! even all the fast guys at the top are learning every single session. I've been doing motorsports since 2005, and the track is *the* place to go if you enjoy going fast. spinning is just part and parcel with finding the limit. in order to find the limit, sometimes you must exceed the limit. no one there will be upset if you spin, and any instructor/track official worth their weight be absolutely willing to share their knowledge with you to make you a much faster, safer, and overall more competent driver than how you arrived that morning.
As long as you don’t wreck yourself completely and hurt yourself or others, people at the track generally like you to spin out every once in awhile especially if your a beginner because that means your starting to push the limit which every good race car driver has a strong sense of
Okay that reverse bump start was impressive. Nice job Rob! This car is phenomenal, I'm looking forward to seeing you push it further.
Honestly impressive, not even sure I have seen that before. (on a racetrack)
for real his ability to think on his feet was shown there
Random story but I have had to do it one time for some random lady and for all ik she could have been stealing the car I didn't even think twice about it we were on a hill I said let it roll lol worked out just fine but I hope she wasn't stealing the car because I was totally an accessory to the crime being committed smh and that's why ppl don't stop to help now of days
@steeleemedia I remember thinking at the time, did he throw it in reverse?
That was the smoothest recovery I’ve seen.
Rob, as a former daily motorcycle rider let me tell you, helmet choice is wayyyy more important than you think. You should shop around and try some on, it shouldn't be able to move around on your face more than an inch or so.
If you have a 5 dollar head, buy a 5 dollar helmet...
@@SpikeJonesTheCr0oked how much do you spend on a helmet?
@@SpikeJonesTheCr0oked Exactly, I had a $200 Voss which is a decent helmet but it didn't fit snug enough, so I ended up getting a Shoei for like $700 that fit perfectly, and it was light and balanced even with a gopro mounted to the chin. "Tires are the most important because they're the only thing that touches the ground; helmets are important because they protect the last thing you want touching the ground."
@@crc0889 i found some really good ones around the 150-200 range, it all depends on comfort features and what safety registrations you want. caged racing demands a SNELL, while ECE is what i'd expect for street motorcycle riding. i got an expensive one with a new certification(i can't remember) for 199 because it was in a color nobody liked
The latest full carbon helmets is game changing. If you have the money is a no brainier to buy the best because it the end of the day you only have one spine.
Couple important notes: 1. Try wearing your arm restraints just below the elbow. The straps will be out of your way, you'll have more arm flexibility and that is actually where they are supposed to be worn. 2. Don't jam the gearbox in reverse, EVER. Hewland Mk5 and Mk8-9 gearboxes use 1st for reverse via an idler gear. When you jammed it into reverse it plays havoc on 1st gear, the dogring and the idler gear. The idler is a wimpy thing, tiny teeth on a good day. Engagement of reverse is done by selecting 1st, letting the clutch out just enough to grab a tiny bit so everything is spinning then selecting reverse. You'll find as things wear reverse is the first gear you cannot select or becomes very grindy and difficult. 3. Invest in a open wheel H&N device. I assume the one you use in the RX8 would not work in the Formula Mazda due to its angle. Trust me, I know this pain as I am on my 4th HANS, two for different seating angles in Formula Fords and two for different seating positions in tin top race cars. 4. Buy yourself a carbon helmet. Spend proper money hear, one with fitted cheek pads and aero bits front and top. The FM with its upright seating makes a moder aero helmet a must. As a tall driver I've used aero helmets for years in my open wheel cars and its the only way to go. You are not kidding about the need to build neck muscles BTW, the pain is real! Great stuff, loving the videos on the FM and Indy Car!
These last couple months have been the peak of Rob Dahm content
Tomorrow video is going to be a treat and next week something with a couple more rotors comes my way. I didn’t expect this year to be so solid. But it’s a culmination of all the prep work recently
@@RobDahm 👀
@@RobDahm There is power hidden in planning 📈
Head twisting to the right side on the straight I would put money was because of the go-pro being on that side of your helmet catching the air flow
Definitely, I know the exact feeling from the motorbike and the times I had a GoPro on it
Exactly what I was thinking too.
Correct
Exactly why my helmet will never have a go pro on the motorcycle
@@kriston667 You can get custom mounts to fit to the front of your helmets. Much better
getting 1:19s in completely shot tires is downright impressive, you have done a good job,now...
*open the engine*
I genuinely laughed out loud when I clicked more on your comment. You are the devil on my shoulder. You know I want to 😂😂😂
🤣
basically with winter tires as well..
There are very few channels that I will not skip ads for. Rob's is one of them. He deserves every advertising dollar possible.
The overhead recording from the built in camera at 13:34 was sick.
much better than the helmet cam, you can actually see what’s going on!
He needs to use that and ditch the helmet cam. To relieve the stress on his neck. Probably should buy a proper helmet for the car also
I loved seeing the speed and the wide angle of both front tires was awesome
Something to always remember, brake in a straight line and as you turn in feather off the brake and as you feather the brake you are easing into the throttle. You wouldn't believe how braking while straight will lower your time even more.
I hope he was two foot driving it not just bracing his left foot on the side.
@@johnsnow1355 Two feet driving is so much faster and safer in my opinion. I do it in my daily driver and everyone freaks out when they notice it.
The first car I learned to drive was my dad's drag car. Using both feet is mandatory. My best friend also raced karts so I drove them a lot on the street as a kid. Again, both feet are mandatory. My mom almost crashed a kart one time b/c she kept pushing the throttle and couldn't figure out how to make her left foot press the brake. I've never had a problem doing it.
That's a good way to start lowering your lap times but that car loves to be trail braked. You come in under hard brake and as you lose the rear under turn in, get on the throttle to settle the car and stay flat through the rest of the corner.
@@demonikelectronik Not sure if it would the way it's set up now. Add some camber to the rear and I think that would work.
@@waybous no, not this car, they have a huge amount of camber gain under cornering. You can add more by shortening the upper control rods on the rear. We set these cars at about 1.5 degrees positive camber static, with about 1" of rake to the chassis.
Might want to check those tyre for flat spots after all those flat spins... Great job Rob & team
You could see them in the video, looked like he wore most of them back off
These are some old heat cycled tires he bought the car with. There is more speed with fresh rubber to be had for sure
Time to build ya own killer keg some EfI hardware Throttle bodies on a peripheral port
@@floridarx7 they'll go away in about half a hot lap.
He could probably feel them lol
I cant imagine how the cosworth is going to do if the rotary indy car does that good .
FIA will ban it if he tries to do international racing.
@@vipervidsgamingplus5723 Not sure if intentional joke or not.
I just hope his smart enough to know that he has no business racing the Indy car, I can't figure out why he even took possession of it.
30:00 Almost every time my friends or I have gotten seriously hurt when we are out snowboarding is on the last run of the day right after saying "just one more run" There is something about knowing it's the last run that makes us send it a little harder while exhausted. Now we have a rule where no one can say that because bad things seem to always happen.
That’s a DH biking rule as well. Took my buddy to the hospital with a bad concussion after “one last run.”
for me it's always "one more". Not "just one more" not "last one"
edit: or "another one?"
Our mantra is "two more, skip the second"
we do this too. if someone says one more we say nah lets keep going and when we get to the bottom we say alright im done. its a curse
Where were y'all when I broke my leg a year and a half ago Lol. On my last lap at a motorcycle track day, had a high speed low side pushing hard for no particular reason. I see now why the experienced riders pack it up before the last session.
Man is so fun seeing Rob and de guys having fun with the cars on track, but i would love to see Rob using a Hans device or other kind of neck bracing. Just for another layer of safety.
Safety? Like a firewall? 😛
@@Henkiepenkie56 if you're talking about the formula Mazda, it has one. It's the bulkhead that the motor mounts to.
@@martindinner3621 yup with the fuel tank right between you and the motor lol. These things have a fire suppression system for a reason.
MANDATORY. @robdahm
@@martindinner3621 No, not talking about the Formula Mazda. The (running?) joke is that Rob has been hoonin' the 4 rotor for years without a proper firewall.
Hey rob, in addition to the weight of your helmet, i think its critical for you sooner than later to upgrade to a helmet featuring anchors for a hans device. Even a small crash, there is nothing right now stopping your head from snapping forward or sideways, whip lash would a a lucky outcome. We want to see you as safe as possible in these wild cars of yours now, especially exposed in an open wheel car.
Another thing, open wheel cars depend on speed to keep you stuck to the ground. You need to be able to turn off the fight or flight sense and feel the car turning in your ass since you're in the center of the car horizontally, kind of like hanging on the center of a merry go round.
Yeah exactly what Jimmy Johnson found out in Indy car. The faster u go the more grip u gain aerodynamically. Probably why he spun out on some slow corners. Going too slow the car lost grip.
The instinct to brake is very hard to get over. These cars pretty much can start braking between the 2 and 1 corner markers, which feels just stupid compared to street cars. Downforce means more traction which means at speed you can brake very heavily and then slowly taper the pressure off as the downforce becomes less effective. I've found that putting quick pause between initial heavy braking (up to tire threshold) then easing back into braking again works really well, plus helps rotate the car.
Formula Mazdas don't generate a ton of downforce, especially at the speeds Rob was going here. Preheating the tires and driving faster will do wonders for his comfort in the car and his laptimes.
I bought a Mazda RX-2 in 1973 ... I loved the idea of a ICE engine with so few moving parts ...I did have the typical problems with blown seals and low mileage just as the gas crisis ran the prices up, but that thing could fly and I've never gone faster in a car since ... you guys gave me more justification that I wasn't totally crazy buying what was such a dramatically different ICE concept for the day, and your little racer gave me lots of joy to watch! Stay safe.
Helmet twisting is from the camera mounted on the side of the helmet.
Might also try adding more rear wing angle for rear end grip on high speed turns.
could see the car unsettled in that high speed section before your spin.
Awesome vid. Thank you!
or if posible some slight more droop in the rear just about 1/8 to 1/4inch would do alot when the car unloads over the crest.
Definitely if there is a wind tunnel around this car would be great to get data on wind angles and downforce to help set it up. But it's a spec race car and maybe no adjustments are allowed?
Great advice!!
@@johnsnow1355 even spec cars have limited adjustment to cater to driver preferences
@@RobDahm the hardest thing about driving a mid engine vehicle is learning never lifting off the throttle when the back end gets light. I learned this on auto cross racing a mr2. The only way to keep the rear tires gripping is to hold the throttle steady and brake and steer the car in the slide. If you let off the gas suddenly all the weight gets moved forward and u spin. If u don't fully let off the throttle the weight stays over the rear tires and u can generally drive out of the slide by keeping the center of gravity in the rear keeping the rear tires gripping. I know it's crazy but by lifting you instantly loose the weight over the rear tires so by actually throttling through a slide the rear tires won't loose all there grip because the cars staying planted on all 4 instead of the weight getting dumped on the front tires picking the back ones up.
As a track driving instructor, and after watching this, I have one piece of advice - get an instructor. Running as a novice in the novice group with a car that's far more capable than your peers is incredibly dangerous, not to mention open wheel mixed with closed. I'm shocked the event coordinators didn't put a stop to it, as that wouldn't fly at any event I've ever attended (or would consider attending).
Hell yes. We need more formula car content!
The POV camera, though cumbersome, gives the best view of what it's like to drive. Feels like I'm behind the wheel and it shows in how you describe the cars behavior. Keep it up!
I've been following you for years now, but don't comment often. The reason is your openness in admitting what you don't know. This episode is my favorite kind where you experience something for the first time and take us along for the ride. I'll never be in a position to experience the things you do and live vicariously through your adventures. Thank you. Keep doing what you do, and I'll keep watching.
"I am a leaf in the wind" of course Rob is a Firefly fan. Love it
This dude has some of the sickest cars on yt and still keeps it 100% authentic and real, huge respect
That was awesome Rob, really happy that you get to experience something like this. These cars definitely force you to become a better driver and I'm sure that experience will translate to your other much more powerful cars as well.
31:55 textbook snap oversteer on the mr-s lol, amazin video as always
Good start for your first track day, just don’t ever be scared to be on throttle, these cars respond extremely well to throttle input and as you learnt they will bite you with snap oversteer hard (the spin through the high speed chicane was purely from lifting)
I used to race karts competitively in Australia (not shitty indoor ones, real 2 stroke things) Just like racing a kart you have to be 100% committed for the chassis to work properly, but also don’t be scared to let the chassis, aero and suspension do it’s job on the corner entry! (A coasting period after braking in a straight line and before getting on throttle again)
No greater driving education than a few days in shifter karts or junior formula cars. Nothing like the pucker factor after upsetting the balance of Kart mid corner after a less than delicate stab of the brakes. Then realising that aero grip and mechanical grip are two very different things and having testicular fortitude to trust each of them. After all that body abuse the ride home in the car feels like mushy sofa on wheels. Everything else feels slow. Love seeing the excitement in Robs eyes. Respect brother.😊
I would like to think that Rob, in the back of his mind, remembered me sending him an ad for a Formula Mazda via Facebook messages about a year and a half ago, as I thought it would be a perfect stepping stone to his Indy car. Good going Rob.
I must be old (I’m 62 so I guess that’s old) but when you opened the trailer door and the guy said “holy cow you bought a Radical” I laughed because you had to explain what it was and that they actually raced those things! I’ve been a race car fabricator for over 40 years and remember when that series started and was the stepping stone to Indy car. You went from them to Indy lights then to Indy cars if you were either ridiculously fast or you you had a ton of $!
If you start being serious about lap time on these, you should invest in a tire temperature probe. That would help you maximize grip, and also prevent destroying the tires. Slicks age and wear very fast when overheated.
He barely got any heat into those tires. They were running waaay too much pressure (18-19psi hot is correct) and the wear pattern was awful. You don't need anything fancy a temp gun from harbor freight does the job just fine, you need to scan the tire right as you come off the track and adjust by where the tread temperature is at.
Add more camber to the rear so when it wants to spin you have a bit more contact patch with tires. I would also drop a pound or two in the rear tires so with the camber added the tires can roll a bit to help with the contact patch.
Really appreciate all of your comments man!
Negative sir, rear tires actually require positive camber on this car static and you're aiming for an even wear pattern, the wing angle will effect that by loading the rear end. The rear sway bar blocks should be approximately 2 from the end end of the bar for baseline, but even 1/8" adjustments change car balance. Looking at his car in this video of give it more wing, some rear brake bias, and maybe loosen the sway bar 1/8". Then if it plows at speed add front wing, around corners less rear sway bar.
possibly the worst advice since you know none of the conditions, rob pls dont listen to these clueless people lol.
Dude, Thank you so much for covering single seater stuff. I hope you get a chance to try an old F1 car one day. Good job too man, been following you since like 40k and you were in Michigan by me!
Crappy day at work, come home to a new Dahm video and instant smile on my face when that car fired up.
Love it! Finally Rob's getting Laps in a circle not just drag races
Where have you been lol robs been doing mostly all track racing
Rob, its really awesome to see your progress as a driver, especially with this driver-centric videos. I am at what seems to be a similar place developmentally. One thing someone told me that stuck with me: "I am KILLING you on corner entry". Im sure its super hard to do in a small indy car, but once the confidence is there, try scrubbing less speed before each turn. That is one of the areas that can find you "magical" time on the track. Keep up the growth. Favorite thing to watch on youtube.
Sick! I always love seeing you guys having fun.
Honestly im hooked on your Videos. Its so rare to find someone on RUclips that keeps real to himself.
Seeing you guys have fun honest makes my day each and every time.
Hey, Rob, quick suggestion on the new car… consider stepping BACKWARDS to high performance street tires during the time when you’re “tightening the lose nut behind the steering wheel” (aka: the driver). A street tire will (1) give up grip at the limit more gradually and (2) talk loudly (tire squeal) when it approaches its limit. A slick tire has more grip but lets go more abruptly and most slicks are surprisingly quiet when they approach their limit.
Such a great job Rob, the lines to carry the most speed will take some learning, no idea what they are to be honest, but might I suggest you use a HANS device, that might help with your neck.
Have you thought of going to a race school? 15 years ago I went to the Skip Barber Racing School, which used a Formula style car, and it helped me leap ahead in my understanding of driving Formula. I came from auto crossing 1st gen RX7, and that was my frame of reference for how to drive a car. I can not begin to stress how much instruction from professionals helped me recognize bad habits and start developing my skills. Best $4k mod I ever bought.
Danny McKeever's school is very conveniently located right there at Willow.
rob idk how similar to motorcycles this is but a trick I have heard works when racing bikes is, when you enter a corner braking, never increase braking. What that means is essentially you can continue braking in a corner but as you release the brake don't reapply more then what you released too. This helps keeping the weight distributed properly and gives you good grip throughout the turn. Also another thing that's a bike thing, but always accelerate out of a turn. Hopefully this helps, I feel like because of the weight to power ratio it may
its downforce more in an open wheeler at high speed, smoother cornering , smooth back onto the throttle carrying speed is the key as you will turn harder
That is a nasty habit of mine I can see on the 4 rotor brake pressure sensor
@@RobDahm thats why you get cool cars like this to practice one!! i just wanna see you be great tbh lol good luck!!
Glad to see Rob is getting serious about seat time. He has some great cars for track weapons. I really like this content to get excited for autocross and track days this coming summer!
And like that Rob became a real racer chasing lap times ...
Looking forward to seeing them tweak the race car now and start entering events, maybe ...
A real racer has other cars racing against him.
Wise words in the end. Most people have couchconclusions about races driven with real racecars. There is no comparison possible with streetcars, it needs total dedication an exploration beyond day-to-day driving. Very well done Rob, like you said: It's a whole different world.
Feel free to reach out… that’s a old star Mazda series car and I was a tech on them new.. they where all run out of the same shop. A pay to drive set up. So you have to run a leaded low octane 2 stroke fuel designed for pre mix. VP C9 or some of the power mist stuff.. it’s not about power it’s about keeping the carb clean. It also sounds way rich.. we used to run different heat ranges on the leading and trailing plugs. If you run pump CA emissions gas it will load up the plugs and carb with junk. I’m betting you have to take the carb apart and just clean it. You should be running more oil because the jetting on the race cars was for that with a leaded race gas and nothing that has ethanol it in. It’s not going to make any more power but it’s going to run right and stay that way for a long time. Don’t use a castor oil 2 stroke oil btw. It will clog the carb. Valvoline normal boat oil is what we ran.. but I’m betting the plugs are junk.. the carb is getting a film from the ca gas not waning to mix with the oil.. do the plugs right and clean out the carb.. run more oil and a some VP C9… it will run way better
at the 20 min mark you can see just how much more comfortable rob is already. which may be a little too comfortable as shown after the 21 min mark lol. love it. if your not messing up your not pushing hard enough
21:20 That was some quick thinking with the reverse bump start.
I’ve had to push start my old fc years ago. I’ll take momentum any way I can get it 😂
As an SCCA member and competitor, I am very excited about this.
This thing is sick! Super cool to see Rob improving as a driver. Can't wait to see the indy car ripping like this too.
@@computiNATEor fixed haha
I used to race these things! They’re great fun, and one of the most affordable ways to go formula car racing. People underestimate how much you can learn from driving a purpose-built race car where the car is not the limit, it’s YOU. The best way to tune the tires on these is with a pyrometer, otherwise you’re just guessing. Also pay extra attention to the ride height differential front vs rear as that will have a huge influence on the car’s static balance. Also shock rebound and compression damping. There’s a lot of time left in the car but you’ll get there.
You should use that TV cam more often. That bumb start in reverse was perfect haha
This was super awesome to watch. Seeing someone just start their learning curve with a machine like this is special. It's giving me all sorts of ideas. Thanks for sharing both the downs and ups.
Before track day:
"We'll turbo it, what if 3 rotor, maximum go-fast, etc."
After track day:
"Shit, this thing is already fast enough!"
Can't wait to see how you'll shed seconds as you get some more seat time.
I wish SCCA would run SoW CW so we could see what a comparable lap time for Formula Pro Mazdas would be.
Excellent work!
this is one of the videos ive been waiting to watch. what a awesome machine. seems so reliable. congratulations on the opportunity to get to drive on a track, you did awesome! a lot of valuable data from just one day at the track, good job rob!
So sick and so happy for Rob. Like he said, this is going to spur so much growth
Glad to see Rob out there having fun and learning.
Seeing the MR2 spin out was so satisfying, like confirming an urban legend😹
beat me to the comment! It looked like he had it then, got the fish tail.
Looked like he touched the brakes mid corner, then let off, then touched them again. Easy way to spin out in mr2 this way 😅
On reading your tires: Despite the outer edges looking unused, they do contact the road in moments of high lateral force. You definitely want that buffer zone there, because stepping over the line where the tire rolls over and starts acting like it has positive camber is gonna cost a lot of grip. Not to mention predictability. Positive camber on the fronts isn't so bad - understeer can be quite good information that you're overdoing it, but as a novice you never want to waste time in frustration because the rears suddenly give out - so I'd say be careful about reducing negative camber especially on the rears.
Arm restraints not hand restraints. Apex. U did great. Great video 👍 👍
So glad you showed your first spin out! Solid first outting
A HANS device is a worthwhile investment if you're going be on the track. Be safe, have fun. Btw the 2nd spin recovery was all pro!
I believe one came with the car!
They need to paint those chicanes. Very freakin nice ride Rob.👍🦅
The closest i felt like this is when i was trying a lotus elise. Very close to ground with little metal between, naturally aspirated fun, light car. One corner i was letting of gas getting ready to brake, and dude tells me to floor it. Wild experience
More than the car, more than the driving, more than the 1:19, I'm impressed by Rob's Firefly reference
You might want to adjust the rebound in the shocks so when you go over a crest you don't lose all the weight at once so you can keep the speed and weight even and keep the down force so you don't spin it out.
I was so confused watching the footage over. I could feel it let go but I honestly didn’t have enough experience to understand what I did wrong.
@@RobDahm I know this is old but it fits, practice makes perfect. Make sure you're not gripping the wheel because that will tighten up your forearms and it's harder to make smoother turns. You'll get it because you're pushing the car faster than someone that has never in an open wheel car.
That track marshall was awesome, good safety checks, good advice! Love it!
you need to be wearing that HANS device man... all the gear all the time
Will do. Not time to get lazy. I’ll have to get an adjustable one to fit the cars and my body better
The like button needs to be bigger.
That little car is so bad ass. There's no way you can run more power in that chassis right now.
Looks like there was a lot of cross wind there too, I kno for F1 and Indy cars that cross winds can affect the aero in open sheet cars. Idk if formula Mazdas deal with that same effects tho. It looks fun as hell to drive!
Been there, done that. When it comes together you are in another zone. You become physics, time is different, the course becomes a puzzle that you are actively solving. There is nothing like it.
imagine painting the whole thing in Mazda Soul Red w/ weird rob dahm meme livery
after some inspiration smoke, from the front to just where the engine sits the paint abruptly stops to bare fiberglass or whatever its made out of just like Dahm's vids (or make a replicate shell for the engine housing but make it see through (doubt thats racing legal).
I really enjoyed watching especially when you overtook other vehicles like they are standing still.
that thing looks like alot of fun to drive. am curios what kind of mods do you plan to do on it? change to fuel injection? turbo?
Id add injection, skip the turbo
Seat time first then I pray for the motor to blow so I have an excuse to do wild things with it 😂
Living the dream my guy. Congrats, all your hard work is paying off.
bump start in reverse was impressive.
I was about to say this
This is why I was so worried about you getting the Indy car running. I'm so glad you're learning.
Looks so so fun! Need a proper Dahm Racing livery asap
Rob i am so happy you get to experience an open wheel car and a downforce car. its a feeling thats hard to describe. it may be something as simple as a formula mazda but its unreal to drive stuff like this. great driving too, good recovery on the spins, driving these on the limit is hard to keep in control and you are getting there, love to see the progress
Enter it into the Cleetus spectator drags if you can, it would be quite competitive :)
that would be a super cool video, maybe also bring the 3 rotor and that would be one hell of a video
It would be cool but spectator drags is for road cars only. The 4 rotor would be insane though!
@@someingonewrong3639 the 4 rotor is a road car tho
Great driving and great video, it's very cool that you can learn on a vehicle so amazing.
That said, you also have a lot of driving and racing to learn still, I would recommend taking an instructor or someone to teach you that riding because you cannot learn decades of racing knowledge just by yourself.
Also, to get better you should look into the weight balance of the car, the reason why you span the second time is because you lifted the gas by fear and that transferred weight out of the rear and to the front, that combined with the going down made the car spin.
Keep pushing and learning, we want to see you do unimaginable things with the 4 rotor !
I wouldn't skip through the sponsor bits so much if they didn't spam every good channel at the same time AG1 is literally blanketing every channel from sports, automotive, and even documentaries on historical items or places...... It starts to get really old really fast there is such a thing as to much of a good thing!
It bums me out when I feel like the only one doing ads with them then I see others doing it who don’t actually use or authentically appreciate it. It’s funny as a creator watching people’s ads as I cringe when they read the script suggested to a t you know they don’t actually use it.
Oh please don't take it as I don't agree with the product because I do. I still remember commercials from the early 80's because unlike today's they were actually trying to entertain you and get you to remember the product for the next time you went to the store and saw it, it was not just HERE IT IS BUY IT!
Love to see it i have a single seater formual vee myself. Teaches you so much about your driving. Awsome car love watching you drive
He doesn't miss
The simplest both mechanically and electronically of all your cars just gave you the most fun. 👌
Use your “clutch foot” (left foot) for braking!
That will take some habit changing but the seat fits me tight enough that I can stop bracing myself with it and use it
Seeing the improvements throughout the video is awesome
Thing need lectron itb carbs! I'm serious rob , metering rod carbs are pretty much at fuel injection levels. I'm sure lectron would join on this project. Please don't go fi! Keep it simple
The evolution of Rob Dahm 🐛🦋 bro I'm pumped for you watching this was refreshing to see to see you push yourself in that pocket size f1
Take Care Bro this is wy F1 drivers are the best ..you need to be soo precise with your inputs .. you have to grab the wheel firmly this is precision driving Just the oposite of drifting🙏👊 take care
Great driving, great camera work. Love you guys❤
I like pancakes
With or without eggs?
No you don’t. You only think that you do.
I like nancakes
Me too bud
Waffles are better though. Facts
As your confidence builds, you’ll see that the key to driving that car, is to be aggressively smooth with all of your inputs.
There should always be some sort of loading on the tires and suspension, weather it be braking,acceleration or steering input.
Have fun, you did great!
Please just refer to it as “Formula Mazda”….
New carbon fiber car
Large, close fields are common in Formula Mazda racing
Original tube-frame car
Formula Mazda is a class of relatively affordable open wheel formula racing.
Formula Mazda has its own class in SCCA club racing, and there is a North American professional series called the Indy Pro 2000 Championship (formerly the Pro Mazda Championship) that is part of IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder system. The cars are very popular; seeing a field of 40 or more cars at a race is quite common. Many drivers aspiring to the top classes of racing use the pro series to hone and demonstrate their talent. In 2006, the 2004 Formula Mazda champion, Michael McDowell, drove in the American Champ Car series, and Scott Speed, won in Formula Mazda in 2002.
In terms of both cost and performance, Formula Mazda lies between Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, that is, close to a Formula Three and a Formula Renault 2.0. A full season in the professional Star Mazda series costs around US$200,000 - US$300,000 in 2005
This was actually spot on in timing as Ill be going to streets on the 2nd so ive been watching other people footage, racing it on GT7 then this video popped up and was like hell yeah!
“I should not be allowed to own this.” - the one man who deserves to own this bc he willl take the most car as he relearns driving a piece of art but also shred the asphalt with
I love formula Mazdas so much.... I might have to try to own one of these at some point in my life... congrats Rob, this is sick AF, totally on brand, and a great drivers training car for your more wild Rotary adventures to come!! Enjoy!!
21:15 massive send....wow!!
Things to think about, tires are capable of 100% traction, split between acell/braking/turning. So try practicing this in the simulator and while you are driving. Brake straight, ease off brake as you applied steering, hit your apex, roll on throttle as you straighten back out.
Also, have a temp gun or contact temp sensor to check the tires outer/center/inner for alignment guide. You're looking for a even temperature across the tire, or slight bias inner or outer depending on track condition or layout.
I'm so late to your channel, only discovered it today.
Absolutely love it. I'm a huge rotery fan since the late 70s
That mini if you still have it had very little balance issues, you bearly had to correct the steering at all.
Love the channel
wooooO! Lets go! love it. You soo needed to do this. getting some quality track time is going to help so much. AND its great fun!