Switching to Formula cars from Sedan

[EYERACE]

Answer to your original question..........do you want to drive a true racecar, meaning purpose built, full on, handles and corners like nothing else, every part built with the concept of power to weight ratio and a functional efficiency that was no compromise......or do you want to drive a car that started life as a sports car and was then massaged into a racecar?

Either way you'll have fun fun fun

My suggestion is go open wheel - so you'll see how much you like it and if not as much as you'd like or were expecting - well then go back - it's only money and as the expression goes > "ya can't take it with ya"

[924RACR]

How did you find the transition from a 924 to a FF? Did you moved back to end of the grid? If so, how long did it took you to get back to your usual gridding spot?

Actually, I didn't go to FF with the Euroswift; I bought a roller, we cut it up, and turned it into a DSR, now P1, and P2 for next year when I finish mods to down-rate it.

Fields are a lot smaller than in IT; that said, even before the car was worth a damn (reliability and handling, joys of designing a new car) I was able to readily qualify/run mid-pack (in the Things with Wings run group), even managed a podium or two thanks to mixed conditions. Haven't been back to a full-size race since, really; took the year "off" to run at Waterford and debug.

I did prefer to put myself at the back of the grid when starting, to stay out of the way; then I realized I still knew a helluva lot about going fast, and could motor on through.

Bottom line, yes, the skills translate through just fine; only thing is there's a few more you need. Finding the limit, tuning the car, sure, but also you definitely have to speed things up WRT reaction time - so all that seat time in go-karts plays well.

I was shocked the first time I ran in the rain, on slicks, to realize that I was perfectly capable of managing the car. Coming from RWD cars with, excepting the 911, excellent/similar weight balance etc doesn't hurt; you're not used to all the stupid things that are done to try to make FWD $hitboxes handle...

You'll love it.

[EYERACE]

If you haven't got rain tires - call around and find / rent a heated tire grooving tool - take a pair of very soft compound slicks that have maybe a couple of heat cycles on them and groove yourself up some "intermediates" - one time I made the pattern by tracing the outline of an old 33 rpm album....cut as deep a grove as you can estimate based on the depth of the wear holes in the tire......go over the shoulder of the tire with the groove. A lot of work but worth the work. Wet tracks and slicks are not a combination I care to try again.

[Charles A. Toupin]

Bottom line, yes, the skills translate through just fine; only thing is there's a few more you need. Finding the limit, tuning the car, sure, but also you definitely have to speed things up WRT reaction time - so all that seat time in go-karts plays well.


You'll love it.

Great! Thanks for the info. I"m looking forward to race my future racecar. I asked a friend who is in the business to find me a car to test before the end of the season. Hope we can find one.

Regards

Charles

[ayseven]

I know a nice F1600 Kent for sale in MTL. There are a couple on FormulaLibreClub (Ottawa) as well as that one. I am in Libre here in Ottawa in a slow VD Sports Racer, but I get the same vibe as the open-wheeler people. There are all sorts of formula cars and sports racers in our area (QC/ON) to consider. Depends how serious you want to be, I think. F1600 gives a lot of options.

[Charles A. Toupin]

Hi!

I've crashed the sedan I was racing, I'm working on putting it back together, so it slowed down my switching process a bit. A friend of mine who use to work in FF2000 in the USA and after in FF1600 in Quebec is in the process of buying a 1995 VD FF2000 to race in Formula Libre. So I might rent it at Mont-Tremblant next summer, before I make the jump and purchase a FF1600.

I had a conversation with him regarding the Honda cars, and for what I want to do, I might be better off with a Kent. For now. The budget required to race competitively in FF1600 is about 4 times the budget of a 944. So the B-serie would be good for me.

And now they've announced they will be broadcasted on TV so it's even more interesting.

Can you link me with the owner of the car for sale?

Thanks

Charles