M&M Makes And Models Magazine - 'Radical Road Test'

September 2004

More than just a name, Radical's Extreme SR3 Supersport and SR4 Clubsport racers are the closest thing to formula one. Take a test drive on track day and you'll agree these cars truly are Radical.

With track day and major club events taking place across the country on the great tracks from Homestead to Fontana, the race car building company, Radical has found a niche market for their outstanding "mini prototypes", the Radical Extreme SR3 Supersport and SR4 Clubsport racers. The Radicals have already won more SCCA D-Sports races than any other manufacturer and take part in races throughout England and Europe.

Radical Motorsport of Florida official distributor Barry Smith hosted a Radical Test Day on July 22nd at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach. The test featured two of Radical's latest examples with customer drivers Stephen Bartkiw and Mark Minkin in for a full day of testing on the South Florida circuit. The test, meant to give Bartkiw and Minkin experience at the wheel of their brand new Radicals was a full day shake down, getting drivers comfortable in the cockpits and experimenting with ride heights and a full multitude of other adjustments.

The Radicals resemble miniature Ferrari 333-SPs especially with their "Stradale stripes" painted down the center of the body. The size of the Radicals hide their true, built for racing lineage and the four cylinder motorcycle engined prototypes prepared by the long time Ferrari Club of America participant Barry Smith, who sees the miniature prototypes as the perfect club track day vehicle costing a fraction of popular Ferrari racing examples such as 355 and 360 Challenges to operate.

Performance of the Radical rivals that of the top racing equipment of the day weighing in at 1100 pounds and an output of over 200HP, the power to weight ratio along with a highly developed, aerodynamic chassis and race bred engineering provides the same thrills of the multi-million dollar factory racing car.

"There is nothing much outside Formula 1 that will give you the same sensation of speed and handing that you'll get in an SR3 and unlike a Formula 1 car, a passenger can come along for the "ride" states former Formula One driver Martin Donnelly.

"If you've never driven a Radical, you owe it to yourself to experience this incredible racecar that is the talk of the Industry"

"I was so impressed that I joined the Radical Enduro Championship this year in an SR3 Supersport, my first full-time racing program since my Formula 1 career was brought to a premature end," say Donnelly

Radical test day driver Stephen Bartkiw reports the car "A joy to drive" while making pedal and seating adjustments in the Moroso paddock under the auspices of Smith and his expert crew. The hugely popular Radicals, which are relative newcomers to the American club track days, are catching on with gentlemen (and lady) drivers with a taste for racing on a budget. The Radicals deliver with speed and handing characteristics similar to that of cars costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, a new Radical SR3 Supersport comes fully loaded and ready to go racing for $90,000.

Smith's contagious enthusiasm for the Radicals is telling. The cars taking part in the private test at Moroso being 1300cc 205bhp and 1500cc 252bhp were put through their paces by drivers Minkin and Bartkiw throughout the day. The cars were able to cut loose after seeding in brakes, making adjustments and scrubbing in tyres during the morning sessions, the Radicals began lowering lap times and the smiles on the drivers faces were clear indication as to how much fun the cars are to drive.

According to Smith "If you've never driven a Radical, you owe it to yourself to experience this incredible racecar that is the talk of the industry". Radical drivers and passengers alike agree, some stating that it is so fast that the effect is similar to that of full blown LMP or GTP car, some finding it blindingly fast through the turns.

The Radicals feature full ground effects and wings just like their much more expensive competition but drivers report the cars to be far more forgiving of slight driving mistakes. The responsive Radical chassis are highly adjustable from wing angles, suspension, brake settings and ride heights, the lightweight car s are highly controllable to drive, the thrill of speed and handling are just as high as any full blown racing machine.

Throughout the full day test at Moroso, the Radicals were fully reliable with no major mechanical breakdowns and according to Smith, "They will run all day and what is even more impressive is how much less they cost to operate per day than a Ferrari, there is no way to go faster for less money".

The Radical testing program titled "Totally Unfair, Totally Radical Feeling!" is introducing the car s to drivers who like to take part in club events such as the Ferrari Club of America, SAFE or Performance Driver's Club where drivers will sign up on their own for the event and Radical will deliver a fully race prepared SR3 Supersport for either a day or a full weekend.

Radicals new transporter will be the base of operation and drivers are pampered by the expert pit crew providing full driver track support, coaching and valuable assistance. If the driver decides to purchase a Radical within 14 days of the test drive 50% of the base vehicle fee will be put forwards a new SR3.

Radical Motorsports is based out of Margate, Florida and their services include trackday preparation, chassis set-up, custom fabrication of exclusive line of Radical SR3 enhancements, vehicle storage, transportation and of course full track support.

Along with trackday events, Smith is buzzed up about an exciting new Radical Challenge Series being formed in South Florida. According to Smith, "This one make series will offer gentleman racers a chance to test their skills behind the wheel of a race prepared SR3 at the best venues in Florida. Points will be awarded to find the champion Radical driver in the East Coast, our first race should take please by the end of the year!"

A Radical Past

Formed in 1996 by Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott, Radical Sportscars have progressively developed from its original concept of a low cost one-make sports racing car to a world player in the burgeoning extreme sportscar market.

The original idea of putting a superbike engine in a sportscar was Phil's who had the technical savvy to get the first prototype from an idea to the finished item.

Mick, whilst also a qualified engineer brought twenty years of marketing expertise to the table along with some firm ideas on what a car should look like and where it should race.

By mid-spring of '96 Mick and Phil had one prototype up and running. Following a few short runs at Bruntingthorpe, the Leicestershire Proving Ground. Mick was on the starting grid at Brands Hatch in a 750 Motor Club Sports 2000 race. Driving from sixth to third, to the gravel trap and back to eleventh Mick's first Radical race was shall we say eventful.

By summer two Clubsports (as the car was known to be) were built and Phil won the car's first race at Pembrey.

January 1997 saw the official formation of Radical Motorsport Ltd. The first race of the season saw ten Radicals on the grid in a Radical class within the 750 Motor Club Sports 2000 series. Mick finished first from pole and Phil came a close second after a long battle with several front runners.

The success of the Radical class provided a stepping stone to Radical's first one-make Championship in 1999. Run under the auspices of the BRSCC, twenty-seven cars started the first race at Donington and the championship has never looked back since.

During the year Radical developed its second car, the Prosport with a Suzuki engine. Formula 3 tyres and a new aerodynamic package. The car was hugely successful winning a number of events and claiming several lap records.

In 2000 the two driver Radical Enduro Championship was launched for Prosport cars. This unique one-make endurance series ran alongside the highly successful Radical Biduro sprint series.

The Prosport was also an export but with a 1000cc version being exported t the US where the Prosport is still the most prolific SCCA D-Sport winner ever. Export markets throughout the world started to show interest in the Radical brand.

The next most important Radical landmark was the launch of the all-new two-seater SR3 in early 2002. The SR3 raced alongside the Prosport in the Radical Enduro Championship and also became the car to have in the burgeoning Trackday scene. During 2003, the SR3 was sold to eighteen countries around the world and new race series were planned for countries including Australia, South America, South Africa, Malaysia, Bahrain as well as Europe.

2003 also saw the launch of a turbo version of the SR3, which smashed the lap record around the Nürburgring Nordschleife on its maiden outing.

With sales still on the up Radical launched the all-new SR4 in January 2004 to race as a separate class in the Radical Biduro Championship and received universal praise in the Trackday scene. The dramatic styling amazing performance and competitive pricing of the SR4 should ensure the car is as big a success as the original Clubsport, the SR4 replaces.

Radical SR3 Awards & Accolades

Royal Automobile Club 'Simms Medal' award for genuine & outstanding contribution to motoring innovation

Six Radical SR3's in the top eight places at 4000km de Magny Cours (12 hour race) inc. 1st, 2nd & 3rd places

Fastest ever qualifying time, fastest ever racing lap time plus third place finish in the 'Overall' class of the prestigious 'Merdeka Millennium 12 hour Endurance Race 2003' in Sepang, Malaysia (Radical SR3 1500)

Winner of the 6 hour endurance race by seven laps at Tocancipa, Columbia (Radical SR3 1300)

Evo Magazine - 'Trackday Car of the Year'

Car Magazine - 'Track Car of the Year'

Fastest car ever around the Top Gear's test circuit (SR3 Turbo)

Holder of production car lap record at Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit (SR3 Turbo)

DSR 'Manufacturer of the Year' 2002 (Sports Club of America')

Exports to seventeen countries worldwide

Radical Enduro Championship - Fastest single-make sportscar championship in the world

Lap record holder at Bedford Autodrome (SR3 Turbo)

SR3 Tracksport - Lapped Silverstone as fast as a Rizla Crescent Suzuki works GSX-R1000 super bike, ridden by Niall Mackenzie