I had a great tour of the Radical R3,4 factory from the jigging of the frames to final sanding before painting.
There factory has grown in recent years, and from what l can see it will grow again if the US eats these cars up as quick as l think they will.
Not to mention the new 2.6 liter V8 that will pack around 400hp...Holly snikie thats going to be quick.
Maybe 7:05-7:10min around the ring with that motor.
It's total engine weight is around 90kg and thats with gear box as well.
I managed to get my first session in the Radial and this one was the 1500cc 250hp version, no slow poke.
I first get in as a passenger and get some quick laps or thats what l thought were...but little did l know for what was going to happen.
Boy it was hard at first to get used to not using the clutch on up shifts and then getting back onto the clutch for down changes.
It took a few laps to get any sort of speed out of the car as it felt so different to anything I've ever driven, and l mean anything.
My instructor was yelling at me to do this and then do that...not easy to think and drive l must say.
As laps ticked by at a quicker pace l found it pretty easy even at less then max power to pass any car out there, l now started to feel what this car could do and l was running it at 4/10ths
So my break in lap is are over and l'm feeling a little more comfortable in the car now, but l can't get over how this thing wants to take off if you give it an inch of throttle.
So I'm back in the pits and I'm set free for some solo laps.
OK think "forward is to slow and back is to go"
I was told to do my breaking before my down shifts and the shift the clutch each time l'm shifting lower, then get on the gas for most of the corners, say what!!!
Now l'm totally happy will full throttle in the Radical on the straights and l'm watching for the flashing xmas tree of lights that flash all sorts of colors at you every few seconds.
I'm now passing most of the cars out there with absolute ease, and l'm still pretty tentative around the bends and running the car at around 5/10ths.
I had one difficult issue and that was that my open faced helmet had a screen that wanted to pull down too low for decent vision at speeds past 110mph, so l had to drive with my nose in the air on the back straight from 110-130mph.
My helmet was being shaken by the wind at those speeds like l was holding a jack hammer and now I'm less then a few 400 hundred feet from the left hander that needs 3 down shits...gez that was pretty tricky on every lap to get the timing right from 130 back to steady helmet speeds at less then 100mph, but this car can wash of 50mph in no time
Now l'm pushing the car a bit more then the last lap and l've come to some sort of rhythm, considering this a totally new animal to me.
I feel like l've got all the accelerating sorted in a straight line, but everything else is slow, but l'm still all over the other track/street cars out there.
This car has so much sting in a straight line that very few street cars could keep near this car to 100mph, l can't think of any less then the best super cars out there for 5 X the price, and not to mention it's 1500cc NA.
The change ups to the next gear are only a few seconds apart.
You need ear plugs to run this thing so close to the back of your neck, it so addictive though.
You look at the taco, change gear, look at the road and then your back at the taco again checking for the final green light and tapping the lever for another time, each tap is only .5 an inch for the next cog.
I pull up into the pits and all l can think of is the word Holly sh-t, it was the only two words that could come from my mouth...no one other time in my life has those words seemed more appropriate.
I get an offer to go out in a hot lap with my instructor...ok thats sounds like a good idea.
Off we head full blast out of pit exit to the 1st corner and l'm thinking that it's time to slow down and set it up for the corner, but no he's going into it on the wrong racing line, as soon as l sense this we've come out of the corner plenty quicker the our entry speed.
I think we've not really warmed the tries up yet and he's on this car like fly's on a rib roast.
I look and see 130mph on the dial and l see 3 slow cars doing nothing more then 60mph half way through the bend and he's well past the 200 marker...all l now can think of he's crazy, as we will smash into them if he' doesn't adjust our direction right now, that thoughts gone and now we are doing 50mph right on their ***, what happened to the last few seconds, did l pass out?
They move out of our way like their scared and the torquey 1500cc motor pulls us away from them with easy and we head for a dipping right hander and he's on the gas again and my thought number 235 says we can keep this up for another 100feet as we'll head off to visit Mr Laws of Physics any second.
No l'm wrong again, and now my neck is straining to keep my eyes at the normal adjusted functional level to see what part of the track l'm at.
Now we are back in a straight line heading for the final very slow kink that takes us onto the front straight...NO not another slow car thats growing so dam quick in my eyes that it looks like l'm going to end up kissing the exhaust valve in seconds.
We whip through that 2nd gear kink and now he's looking for 5th gear....what happend to 3rd and 4th?..am l passing out, or is this just happening way to quick for my slow golfer brain?
No, he's got a full head of steam up into 1 and this time l'm sure we can't make the right hander, l'm at the 200 marker and l can't see the bend yet and his foot is in the Radicals *** big time...now the 100 marker gets right by us and he's punched the brakes for the shortest amount of time and he's back on the gas, whats he doing to me.
I look across with my bobbing head and l see 110 mph on the speedo, you've got to be kidding, l thought l was moving along for me and l wasn't near 90mph. what the hell is happening out here.
Well l get this some treatment for a few more laps and l'm worn out.
My body was calm because it was totally drained of any stimulants that the human body can produce.
I've downloaded as much as my brain can handle in 10mins.
The radical felt like it was the biggest Internet file on this earth and l was a 28k connection speed trying to deal with it...no chance.
I get out of the car slowly and think, "What just happened"
My run was over and it was time to head back for the final 2 hours of my 5 hours in cars and trains back to London.
I must say if you see a Radical on the track go and beg the owner for a passanger ride, you'll send me a PM thanking me.
It's closer to a F1 experience then a BMW 530 is to the M5.
All l need to do is find 65-85K and l've found a new toy.
I've gotta run and have a wet dream.
Enjoy the pics.
If you want to see some more shots of the trip or larger versions of the ones l've put up then click on my imagstation address below and click forward for all the Radical pictures
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291168709&idx=16
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