Track day toy?

[out_in_front]

The WR450 engine?

It's a dirtbike engine, they probably handle it better than any car...

[Uncle]

How well does that engine cope with oil surge?

[Nero]

pffftt!...here: drive to the track and driven home and 1:19 at sandown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ0m7BIHliA

[Ben Wilson]

pffftt!...here: drive to the track and driven home and 1:19 at sandown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ0m7BIHliA

Excellent - You get me one and i'll give you the $27k...

[12arx3]

Looks like a glorified go-kart to me.
You may be able to run it at sprints, but I doubt most would let you out with normal cars, they may let you out with clubmans, but probably not even that. It really would be so hard to see for people in normal cars, especially given it would be faster than them all and constantly overtaking. It would only be a matter of time before someone chopped them off entering a corner.
As for the Lotus - nice car, but not cheap! You could buy a 911GT3 and drive it to the track and back and be very quick, but that's out of the budget for most, so kind of misses edo's point.

[ALLMTR]

ICV?

[buzz]

Still not seeing $27k worth in it....

[Spammy]

I ran my Formula Vee at an OP supersprint. Started out with the Clubmans and a cple of Formula Fords ...which was cool then some clown official put me out with the commodores...not a lot of fun. This was despite the clear instructions in the drivers breifing that open wheelers would not be allowed out with the tin tops.

To be honest that thing would be zero fun at a sprint. No overtaking on corners and heaps of slower cars means you will get sick and tired of being a mobile speed hump.

Buy a Formula Ford 1600 for $15k and spend the rest on doing a year of state rounds of real racing with real racing cars and real racing drivers.

A lot of the challenge of racing is getting the best lap time from a slow car...drive a 40hp Formula Vee around OP and you will learn a lot more about carrying momentum, braking points and cornering lines than you will in just about any car you care to mention. Keep in mind a 1200cc Formula Vee does the same lap time as a V8 Brute Ute.

Too many punters here spend hours days and weeks speculating what would make a good track toy,....FFS at the last sprint I did there was a guy in a 180B datto that was having the time of his life.

[Gammaboy]

fuck i just read the website and it is a yamaha, my bad.

you'll get 500 race kms minimum before the valves need adjusting, probably closer to 1000kms. Then 5000kms before piston & rings.

They're trashing rods and cranks in a weekend. The motorcross engines don't cope well with sustained high rpm/high load. They're just a shit idea for a track bike/car (in reference to the idea that they'd make a good beginner road race class). A 600 sportbike motor would be a better idea.
The sumps on bike engines are renowned for not coping with lateral G - dry sumping is pretty much a must.

[GTV]

I run a Clubman Sports 1300 at the Qld Supersprint Series. Lots of dedicated race cars run that series, from sports sedans, a Nascar (no shit, its as funny as fuck to watch too), historic open wheelers etc.

A small light car with a fuck-off power to weight ratio is the way to go.

I reckon you can't beat a proper racing Clubman for value for money speed...but thing an old formula ford with a kent engine and supercharger could be a good laugh too.

[fly510]

They're trashing rods and cranks in a weekend. The motorcross engines don't cope well with sustained high rpm/high load. They're just a shit idea for a track bike/car (in reference to the idea that they'd make a good beginner road race class). A 600 sportbike motor would be a better idea.

sorry mate, can't back you on that one. The yamaha 4 bangers are solid and I know this from personal experience (used own one) and that of my mates.

Even the 250's last really well. The local bike shop was sponsoring a bloke on a YZ250f in motocross and that engine was doing the full season without a rebuild, just valve adjustment.

The hondas have more grunt but don't last like the yamahas and for the most part the KTMs are even better.

[morerevsm3]

They're trashing rods and cranks in a weekend. The motorcross engines don't cope well with sustained high rpm/high load. They're just a shit idea for a track bike/car (in reference to the idea that they'd make a good beginner road race class). A 600 sportbike motor would be a better idea.
The sumps on bike engines are renowned for not coping with lateral G - dry sumping is pretty much a must.

that is plain wrong, my son races his '08 WR 450 with ebay cams and Ti exhaust, + aftermarket ignition and a slipper clutch on dirt (flat track) and bitumen road racing, in thumper class, he is at the pointy end in both and zero engine dramas, 1 guy dropped a valve on his CR450F at winton, the only blow up I have seen so far

[Mini]

Hondas go bang http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=37238

I hope John Crooke's latest marketing ploy handles better than his last effort. He is trying to do a Phil Ward but he really has nowhere to race the thing. He wanted to race it in superkarts from all reports but that won't fly. BTW I have it on good authority that Aussie cars are in deep shit.

[AndyMac]

I ran my Formula Vee at an OP supersprint. Started out with the Clubmans and a cple of Formula Fords ...which was cool then some clown official put me out with the commodores...not a lot of fun. This was despite the clear instructions in the drivers breifing that open wheelers would not be allowed out with the tin tops.

To be honest that thing would be zero fun at a sprint. No overtaking on corners and heaps of slower cars means you will get sick and tired of being a mobile speed hump.

Buy a Formula Ford 1600 for $15k and spend the rest on doing a year of state rounds of real racing with real racing cars and real racing drivers.

A lot of the challenge of racing is getting the best lap time from a slow car...drive a 40hp Formula Vee around OP and you will learn a lot more about carrying momentum, braking points and cornering lines than you will in just about any car you care to mention. Keep in mind a 1200cc Formula Vee does the same lap time as a V8 Brute Ute.

Too many punters here spend hours days and weeks speculating what would make a good track toy,....FFS at the last sprint I did there was a guy in a 180B datto that was having the time of his life.

Great Post Mate.

If I can even add, for the $27k spent on this, you could buy a complete Rotax Max Sprint Kart, Trailer, shit box commodore to tow it and race for 3 years.

Race/Practice any time
Cheaper
Easy Storage and Easier Transport
Alot more accessible.

[charged]

I got offer a drive this year in a spare one. Pick whatever rounds you want he says and just pay the entry fee. It is $3500/round. I'm not doing any.

My nephew just bought one, he has only raced dirt carts before and wanted to get into circuit racing. I tried to steer him towards a more affordable class but in his words " wants to race in front of huge crowds " The entry fees are rediculous and the catergory owner has plenty of stipulations where engines, shocks etc can be rebuilt. Definetley not a cheap class to run in:knock: