Radical West Racing News
February, 2005
First Radical SR8 with V8 Engine Arrives in the USA !
February 2, 2005 was a momentous day at Radical West Racing….after the car had cleared through customs, our Radical West staff drove out to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up the newly flown-in Radical SR8 from British Airways cargo. A crowd gathered in the warehouse as the Radical V8 powerhouse was gently removed from the trailer in perfect condition. This is the day we were all waiting for….the first V8 Radical in the US has arrived and it is ready to race!
When we toured the factory in England last July 2003, the V8 was no more than a model engine on the conference room table. After more than a year of development and testing, the V8 is not only a reality, it far exceeds the expectations of all who have been involved with the project. Anticipating its popularity, orders were placed early with deposits for several of our key Arrive & Drive clients, and we have guaranteed production slots lined up for the first and second quarter of 2005.
The SR8 is quoted as being the “greatest trackcar in creation, no question” by Autocar magazine in a recent test. Top journalist and racer Mark Hales tested the SR8 recently at the Bruntingthorpe Proving ground. Mark who writes for various magazines was extremely impressed.
He managed to lap the Bruntingthorpe circuit in 1:06 secs in very slippery conditions, which is only a second shy of Radical’s tester Michael Vergers best lap ever in a SR3 Turbo, in the dry!
Mark enthused about the power and the smoothness of the Powertec RPA motor and was hugely impressed with the driveability and grip of the SR8 chassis. In his article, which appears in Circuit Driver magazine this month, Mark writes:
“The SR8 attacks the track in a style that only a light car with a powerful engine can affect. The flat out twitch and slither in fourth which tugs your head in all directions as you sear onto the puddle-strewn main straight is the stuff of a proper prototype and yet once above tickover the engine is as refined as any in the best road cars. Unlike the DFV which tickles every part of your anatomy, the SR8 feels utterly, completely smooth at all times. In addition to the balancer shafts inside, the engine is rubber rather than solid mounted like its four cylinder brethren and it’s quiet too; the silencer had by then blown out most of its stuffing but the V8 howl was still sufficiently muted that the Bruntingnoise police felt no need to intervene. Not that you need to wind it past 10 in every gear unless you want to, because the spread of power is wide. The engine pulls smoothly form as little as 2000rpm, then grows ever stronger all the way through the range to 10. Which, without wanting to damn with faint praise, is exactly what the standard Hayabusa does, and exactly what Radical is trying to harness in double measures.”
A few photos of the fabulous Radical SR8 - up close and personal
Last weekend, we are pleased to report, John Morris, our own Radical West CEO, during SR8 testing at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, broke the track record at 1:35.5, and bested the previous SR3 Turbo lap time by 3.4 seconds!
Congratulations to our good friends at Radical Motorsport in Peterborough, for building a TOTALLY RADICAL new extreme sports car. All who have driven it here in the States so far were, as you say in England, completely “gobsmacked.”
For additional information and pricing for the fabulous Radical SR8, please contact us TOLL FREE at 800-391-6891 or send us an email info@springmountainmotorsports.com
Meet Mr. February - Elliott Brainard
It’s time to turn the page of your 2005 Radical Men of Spring Mountain 13-Month Calendar. Our Calendar guy for February is none other than Elliott Brainard.
Elliott Brainard, from Mammoth Lakes, California, is a renowned architect who designs residential, commercial and industrial projects throughout the region. Elliott, in addition to being an extreme sports car driver, is the lead architect in charge of the new developments on the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch Project. Pictured here on the right posing in front of his Radical, Elliott is looking relaxed and ready for the track.
Mr. February is lookin’ GOOD
Each month of this wall-sized calendar features an eye-catching photo of one of our Radical Owners that you’ll be proud to share with your family and friends. The cost for each calendar is $15.00, and all of the profits from our promotion will be forwarded to the Make a Wish Foundation.
There are still calendars left for YOU to purchase so why not give us a call to order a few copies today. Call us TOLL FREE by phone to order - 1-888-SPEED-RW (888-773-3379) - we accept all major credit cards.
Radical West Racing Registers the FIRST Street Legal Radical in the U.S.
This could happen to you…. you’re driving down the street in your residential neighborhood or on your local freeway, or even in a restaurant parking lot. Suddenly, you see it. Your jaw drops, you stare, it’s nothing like you’ve ever seen before on the road…. it’s a TOTALLY AWESOME RADICAL and it’s driving on the STREETS!
We are pleased to announce that we obtained the first registration in the United States (this one was in Nevada) for a Radical to drive on the streets. Since we obtained a license to drive a Radical on the streets, crowds gather in awe every time we take it out into the community. If we can do it - so can you!
The street legal Radical is equipped with lights, hand brake, horn, turn indicators, smooth edges on the wing, and special fasteners, ensuring a pleasant experience out on the road. Regulations vary from state to state with regard to vehicle registration, and we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly and easily we were able to obtain the license through the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. The Radical will proudly display personalized license plates RAD1 and can now be seen cruising throughout the region.
And the big question: “How does it drive?” “Like a dream,” according to John Morris, who keeps it in his garage and cruises down to Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove on an occasional Saturday morning to show off the car and to enjoy the camaraderie with fellow exotic sports car drivers. “The Street Version of the Radical is an amazingly smooth ride, with perfect control on the corners and especially on the freeways. I’m going to have to watch myself carefully with this one or I’ll be heading to traffic court.” As for the crowds that gather wherever he goes in the Radical, John says, “You just get used to it.”
For additional information on how you can own your own Street Legal Radical, please contact us TOLL FREE at 800-391-6891 or send us an email info@springmountainmotorsports.com
Coming soon to a neighborhood in your area!
News from U.S. Racing Club
U .S. Racing Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Autumn James. Autumn joined the Company last month as our Event Coordinator and she is looking forward to meeting you all at the track!
Autumn will soon be graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with a major in Visual Communications. Originally from Oregon, Autumn moved to California in 2002. She worked as a Valet and an office assistant with various clerical responsibilities before coming on board here at U.S. Racing Club. Smart, responsible, wiith excellent people skills and an efficient nature, Autumn will make a great addition to the team.
U.S. Racing Club, Radical West and Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch have been receiving quite a bit of press of late, having recently been featured on CNBC’s Sqawk Box with Jane Wells. We will have DVD copies available soon for anyone interested. Also, look for upcoming articles in Vegas Magazine and the Orange County Register in the near future.
Our Arrive-and-Drive Program is “going on the road” this month. We will be renting the Radical School cars to past Radical School graduates at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from Feb. 11 through the 13th. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday.) While Saturday is already Sold Out, we do have a few cars still available for Friday and Sunday. Call Kent Broussard, President of U.S. Racing Club, for details at 714.779.5700.
We are also beginning to finalize our summer schedule for taking the Radicals on the road for Arrive-and-Drive purposes to other tracks. Look for more information in upcoming Radical Newsletters.
Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch Price Specials!
Major Discounts on Spring Mountain Motorsports Schools if you book in February!
Reservations are now being accepted for the Level I and Level II Corvette School and for the Radical Racing School, and the event calendar is on display on Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch’s website. As a special incentive, we are offering a low, low price of $150.00 off the price of ANY SCHOOL if you register for your class in January or February. Your class can be scheduled for any time in the future - - you will receive the discount as long as you have registered before February 28, 2005 — call for more details. To sign up for the Corvette School, call us TOLL FREE at 800-391-6891. To book the Radical Racing School, please contact Kent Broussard - 714-779-5700.
FIRST Radical West Racing Series Held at Laguna Seca Raceway
Last month, we announced that the premier motorsports event companies Speed Ventures and Touring Car Club will both be working with Radical West Racing to offer the team our own run groups and mini-series at events in 2005. Both Speed Ventures and Touring Car Club offer timing and races at each event, complete with trophies.
Our FIRST series event was held on a sunny and beautiful Friday, January 21, 2005 at Laguna Seca Raceway, and the event was a huge success.
Attending the event were the following Radical Team Members….John Morris, Marc Futterman, Bob Majorino, Jim Diepenbrock, Larry Schnur and Paul LaHaye.
The Radicals performed well on the challenging Laguna Seca track, and the Radicals dominated the top positions in the results. For the results from the first series at Laguna Seca Raceway, click here! (Click on Laguna Seca - January 21, 2005 to view the results.)
Radical West Teammates at Laguna Seca Raceway
L-R - Larry Schnur, John Morris, Paul LaHaye & Joe Zammuto; Jim Diepenbrock & Bob Majorino;
Marc Futterman; Larry Schnur & Paul LaHaye
The next events planned for the 2005 series are the following:
TCRA - February 11-13 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Big Oval and Infield)
TCRA - March 26-27 - Willow Springs Raceway
TCRA - April 8-10 - California Speedway
RADICAL WEST RACING will be keeping you posted with race and time results on our website as the series heats up this season. Good luck to all the participants - we’ll see you on the track!
Radical West Racing’s February 2005 Inventory
Radical West Racing recently took delivery on THREE NEW SR3’s and two have already been SOLD. In addition, we maintain a selection of new and demo Radicals on the floor of our showroom in Anaheim Hills. Come on down today and we’ll show you this racing phenomenon.
Or, one of our sales consultants can assist you with ordering a Radical from the factory, where your new Radical will be custom built to your own specifications. Order your Radical NOW in time for delivery for the 2005 season.
Don’t miss your chance to buy a Radical! For additional information about pricing and options on any of our Radical Extreme Sports Cars, please call us at 1-888-SPEED-RW (888-773-3379).
Radical West Racing Welcomes New Members to the Team
Radical West Racing is pleased to announce the addition of our two newest members of the team - Larry Schnur and Paul LaHaye. Larry and Paul will be participating in track events and races along with the rest of their teammates this season. We look forward to spending time on the track with our latest Radical owners. Welcome, Larry and Paul!
Larry Schnur, from Los Angeles, is a veteran of the recorded music and computer software industries. After 10 years of road racing motorcycles Larry turned to cars and competes regularly in the SCCA Formula Russell series. Larry bought his bright red SR3 to stay sharp between races and to experience the variety of race tracks available through Radical West´s “Arrive and Drive” program. Married to Beverly Schnur, the couple resides in a hilltop home in the Hollywood Hills.
Paul, originally from New Orleans, has been in California for the last 22 years. He practiced Neurosurgery in Santa Rosa for the last 17 years, with Neurosurgical training at UCLA in 1987. Paul’s racing experience began with Skip Barber about 12 years ago, then resumed with Jim Russell three years ago. He raced the entire season in the Formula Mazdas for the last two years and looks forward to a full season. Paul was introduced to the Radical at Spring Mountain Raceway by a friend and fellow Russell racer - Larry Schnur - in October. Two track days at Spring Mountain and he had to have an SR-3 with the 1400cc engine option. Paul is looking forward to lots of track time in the Radical to supplement his monthly Russell races.
For additional information about ALL of our Radical Owners, visit our website.
Radical West Shop Happenings
by James Vaughn, Jr.
Radical West Racing is currently putting the final touches on a retail store, to be located at our Radical West headquarters in Anaheim. We will be carrying some of the best racing apparel and merchandise including, MOMO, SPARCO, Redline, RACETECH seats and much more. We will also be providing these items and much more at the track for our “race Series” participants from TCRA and SPEED VENTURES. We are working with WILLWOOD to provide brake products to all the Road Racing Corvettes, Vipers and Porsches in Southern California. The shop should be stocked and running as of the first of March.
Looking forward to seeing you sometime very soon in our new retail store.
Radical West Racing - February 2005 Event Schedule
February 11-13, 2005 - Touring Car Club Event
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
February 18, 2005 - Speed Ventures Event
Streets of Willow
March 5-6, 2005 - Pantera Club Event
Willow Springs Raceway
For additional information about Radical West’s Event Schedule for 2005, please feel free to consult our Event Calendars, or call us TOLL FREE at 800-391-6891.
Thank you for reading the February Issue of Radical West Racing News.
All of us at Radical West sincerely appreciate your business and support,
and look forward to seeing you out on the racetrack!
