The car raced one season in the now defunct Formula TR series here in the States. Paladin Motorsports was the importer of these cars back in 2004, and the series ran for a few years. These are great basic single seater cars. Lightweight, safe, and not too much hp.Pretty crazy for me, yes, but I could not pass up on this car. I got a great deal, and have gotten great support from Paladin in terms of getting me comfortable. Got my seat fitting, ordered a new Bell GP2 helmet, got all the radio equipment together, new set of tires, etc. Slowly getting ready for my first test day next month. Super excited!
Here are some specs of the car:
-Carbon Fiber tub, and body panels, built by Tatuus/ATR
-Renault 1.6L street engine, 126 hp, runs on 91 octane
-5 speed sequential gearbox
-AiM MXL Pista dash and electronics
-960 lbs (all fluids except gas)
Here is a link of some pics of the car:
http://www.paladinmotorsports.com/pmformulatr.asp
http://www.paladinmotorsports.com/05_pm_photos.asp
http://www.paladinmotorsports.com/med_dwn.asp
This is a much bigger challenge than the Atom was, but I am up for it. I have always wanted to own and track a carbon tub racer, but did not want to deal with constant maintenance of an engine and gearbox. The FR1600 has a street motor and bulletproof gearbox, so the powertrain maintenance is not any more intense than the Atom(at least for track days). Not saying that maintenance will be easy, as checking over the entire car before each track day will be a chore, but I know the rewards will be great.
The Atom has been a great way to learn most tracks here in Southern California. The Renault is just the next step. I plan to track the FR at least 4-6 times a year, as much as my schedule allows. I have no plans to race the car at all. Now that I have the Renault, I will be driving the Atom mostly on the roads.
Will post more pics and feedback in a month or so.
fiesty