Moving foward--Mazda Sports Racer

[dalz]

If you didn't know--in addition to the proposed FM/FE merger, the sports racing category is almost destined to become SR1, 2, and 3. In trying to be more positive, could the FM with the handsome SR bodywork be a contender in SR2? How would a MSR lap time compare to the other cars considered prototype SR2 cars, the FE sports racer and S2000? Aging open wheel drivers tend to migrate to sports cars anyway.

[farrout]

I think it is very possible given that one put a 3 second hurting on a couple of other P2 at Roebling this weekend.

[fastopelgt]

Who, if anyone, is currently make a sports racer body (or body kit) for the FM?
Thanks.

[wannabe]

Moses would be the one to ask...but why would the same car be faster with more weight?

[FrankRizzo]

One of the groups that I run HPDEs with here in Portland wouldn't consider letting me run with them in an "open wheeled car". Whereas, they allow "sports racers" without a 2nd thought.

Yes, I know it makes no sense. And, FWIW, don't try to show them lap time comparisons either. They don't care about that.

So, if you could slap a body on your FM, you could run it with groups like that.

[mstephenson51]

Moses would be the one to ask...but why would the same car be faster with more weight?

While I don't know what the exact lap times are, here is how is would be possible....

The aero effect of the body greatly reduces drag over the car. Specifically the tires. If you take a surface and move it through the air, the "friction drag" on that surface increases exponentially with speed. So, if you think about a patch of tire on top of the wheel, when you are going 100 mph in the car, that patch of tire is actually moving 200mph. (IE, the wheel hub compared to the ground is 100mph, the contact patch with the ground is zero; thus the top has to be 200mph, otherwise the tire just came apart.) In comparison to the full body car, if there is a cover over that tire, then the cover is only going 100mph just like the rest of the car. As a result: Our example tire patch on top has 4X the drag on that surface than a cover over it would.

Then we can get into other aero effects, like having more surfaces to smooth flow, make more downforce, etc. BUT, yes the drawback is more weight. So its possible it would go faster, depending on the track.

[dalz]

Plus--in P2 trim a MSR is, I believe, allowed a "street port" 13B rotary at about 240hp.