Spec Racer Ford? Those little Can Am looking things? What are those?

James Chartres has been racing Spec Racer Fords for a while, and asked me if he could contribute to Tracktuned.  We love enthusiastic racers who want to spread their knowledge to other track rats, I of course said "YUP!  Trackday people don't know what Spec Racer Fords are...maybe write about that!"  I've raced in the same rungroups as SRF's many times with SCCA, and they are tiny, hard to see, and fast little buggers.  The thing that strikes me most about them is the incredibly close competition between most of the pack, every race, everwhere.  Its a really cool class, and one of the longest running in the SCCA. Somewhere, every weekend , several hundred of these tiny little cars are battling it out.

James regularly writes on his site, kangamotorsports.com, and we look forward to hearing more from him here!  

Meghan Frolli photo

By James  Chartres

Spec Racer Ford (SRF) is a class suited to racers looking for affordable competitive wheel-to-wheel road racing. Most people think that racing is expensive but classes like Spec Racer Ford and Spec Miata provide a low cost of entry and economical running costs. Spec Racer Ford is SCCA's largest class with over 870 cars built. Large fields ensure that there is always someone to race wheel-to-wheel with whether you are in the middle, back or pointing end of the pack. This makes the class a good place for beginners and hard fought competition at the front to win.

Meghan Frolli photo

History of the class

The class was created to be a low cost competitive sports racing class and it is still very affordable to this day, with a 30 year old chassis still able to run up front with brand new cars. The racecar originally started as a Sports Renault in 1984 using a 1.7-liter Renault engine. In 1994 the cars were upgraded to Spec Racer Fords (SRFs) with a sealed 105 horsepower 1.9 litre Ford motor coupled to a 5 speed transmission. In 2013 the third generation (Gen3) upgrade was introduced to the class with the first official season beginning in 2015. The Gen3 uses a sealed 135 horsepower 1.6 litre Ford motor and reduced the weight from 1670 pounds to 1560 pounds, with driver. The Gen3 and Spec Racer Fords run alongside each other as separate classes until 2018.

Meghan Frolli photo

The Racecar

The Spec Racer Ford is a custom built single seat, open cockpit sports racer with a steel tube frame chassis and three-piece fiberglass bodywork resembling a 1960s and 1970s Can-Am car. The racecar uses a rear engine, rear drive configuration with adjustable lower A-arm and rocker suspension. The braking system features vented discs with specification pads, independent master cylinders and adjustable brake bias. Safety is well covered with roll over hoops, ample crush zones and an integrated fire suppression system. The car uses a combination of Renault, Ford, Subaru and inexpensive custom components. The modular nature of the components allows for fast repairs with a minimum number of parts. An example is the uprights that are interchangeable front left to rear right and front right to rear left.

Meghan Frolli photo

A True Specification Class

The class provides a level playing field for competitors with large fields providing lots of close racing action. The equivalency of cars is achieved by using a strict rule set and specification parts to keep cost down and minimize modifications. This eliminates the need for a motorsport arms race, as each competitor doesn’t need to have the latest go fast or trick part to keep at the front, resulting in a true specification (Spec) class.

Meghan Frolli photo

The specifications components include a sealed engine, transmission, and rebound adjustable coilover Penske or Koni shocks with set spring rates. The drivers seat is also controlled with a centrally located seating position. A movable pedal box assembly accommodates adjustments for different driver heights. Even the location of ballast weight and the weight range of body sections are specified within the rule set.

Loggy Yo photo

Allowable modifications include car livery, data logging system, steering wheel and set-up adjustments within the prescribed limits. By limiting the modifications and preparation costs, this class emphasizes driver ability over spending. Since the cars are so equal it is possible to simply rent a car and still win the race.

Meghan Frolli photo

Benefits of Spec Racer Ford

Spec Racer Ford has many benefits that make it attractive for all types of racers. Although a brand new purpose built racecar can be expensive the large number of cars provide for a great second hand market allowing new competitors to get involved. The cars also tend to hold their value over time with second hand Gen2 cars priced at $10-15k and recently upgraded Gen3 cars in the $35-40k range depending on condition, spares, and data system. The affordability of Spec Racer Fords and low maintenance requirements make them suitable for teams or privateers.

Spencer Seim photo

The Spec Racer Ford and Gen3 have tremendous trackside support with a network of Customer Service Representative (CSR) throughout the United States that attend local and national SCCA events to provide help, spare parts, preparation and even rental cars for drivers. This level of trackside support means you don’t have to scrounge for spare parts and your race weekend won't be ruined because you can’t find a specific part, even at the more remote tracks. The other great thing about SRF is the community always willing to help a fellow competitor and providing lots of new tips for new racers. What are you waiting for?

Meghan Frolli photo

About our Author........James Chartres

Age: 34  

Born: Adelaide, Australia

Lives: San Jose, CA

Track days experience =2010-2012 Datsun 240z

Road Racing

2013 Skip Barber Race School for Competition License

2014 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford - Rookie Season

2015 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford

2015 Racing Drivers Club - 4hr Illgen Enduro

2016 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford racer

Kangamotorsports youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/kangamotorsports

Safety on track=one compromise or another?

                                                          By Christian Shipp , Photos supplied by author 

Everyone loves a Type R a little.  I think Christian has had 3 of them....

Perry Bennett photo  

Before we get into the meat of the content here, an introduction is needed.  Who is this guy?  I'm just another automotive dork who's too dumb to completely quit motorsports.  If you're on The Forum That Shall Not Be Named or a couple other car forums, you've probably seen me posting during my ~15 years of autoX, DE, and club racing experience.  I'm not a TrackTuned "contributor" in the classic sense of the word but I regularly harass Adam with ideas for articles/shows and occasionally an analysis of what gets posted; this is one of those times... think of this as a counter-point and expansion to his Harness Bar Article. 

A personal favorite of mine was Christian's ground-up build of a '91 civic EX ITA car. I desire to own this car so much. -Adam

The problem with on-track safety equipment and the key item to be mindful of is that it's ALL a compromise.  Every single thing you change, add, remove, or revise is a compromise.  Added a roll bar to your street/track car?  Awesome... except now it's a risk or a hassle on the street.  Added 5 point belts?  Awesome except how's that work with your airbag?  Removed your airbag? Well, did you get a H&N Device?  Left your airbag in?  Well, how's that work with a helmet?  Went Full Retard with a 6+ point cage, harness, H&N, and a window net?  Well, how's that impact your speed of getting OUT of the car and what about that fire suppression system?  My point is that on-track safety becomes a balancing act of improving your odds of not getting hurt, meeting the sanctioning or organizing body's requirements, as well as doing it in a way that leaves you with enough in the bank to actually get to the track.  It's a dizzying array of variables so where do you start?

My recommendation is that you start with analyzing what you're driving (top speed, cornering potential, and existing safety items), figure out what you'll be using the car for most of the time (street, DE, autoX, TT, wheel to wheel, etc.), and then start trying to identify what sort of crash is most likely.  Try to play a game of "what could go wrong" while anticipating the potential outcomes.  If this is primarily a street car that sees occasional DE use then it's likely that the stock 3pt belt and airbag are going to be the best blend of track and street safety equipment.  If you've got a car that's more or less a dedicated TT or wheel to wheel car, then a full cage/seat/belts/H&N/ fire system is the direction you should target.  

Here's the hypothetical breakdown for *me*:  I've car hopped quite a bit the last couple years but I'm unlikely to have a top speed at most tracks more than ~130mph unless I'm at Daytona.  Cornering is relatively high with ~1.2g on street tires.  Given the speed and g-loads, this is shaping up to be a case where a full compliment of safety gear may be on the table... except it's predominantly a street/autoX car with occasional track use thrown in. Layer that with an on-track approach that I refuse to do 10/10ths in an un-prepped street car and it means, to me, that I'm perfectly fine with stock safety gear.  The multi-point harness that I use for autoX gets left behind as does my fire suit, gloves, and H&N because I simply don't feel I need it for casual lapping days. Unless I'm running a wheel to wheel prepped car in a race, the most likely crash is me versus a concrete wall, tire wall, or dirt berm.  Car to car contact is possible but unlikely if I'm paying attention.  A rollover is possible but I like to think that I've got enough experience to straighten the car out before I go off track.  

Racecar engine. Cavalier dashboard .  Christan and his regular Co driver Nelson Antunes took this zo6 to solo nationals last year for his first trip there. 

Where things get murky is in between area.  What if you, like many motorsports enthusiasts, have The Track Car.  It's a car that's still registered/tagged, driven to events, and maybe even used to commute periodically or on nice weekends.  With only track safety in mind, a full-tilt cage approach makes the most sense... but what about on the street?  I can't speak for everyone but having a cage near my head on the street scares the hell out of me and can easily turn a fender bender into a brain blender that results in substantial head trauma.  The solution here is, in no small part, dependent upon your appetite for risk.  Are you more willing to take additional street risk in exchange for less on-track risk?  Perhaps it's vice versa?  It's my opinion that there's no easy answer here but splitting the difference between street and full-tilt track by going with a 4 point rollbar, harness, & H&N is probably the smart move.  If the rollbar is behind the driver/passenger, it keeps you reasonably safe on the street while enhancing safety on track with only a minimal impact to egress time.

Mr Shipp has driven with the ultra successful Hong North Lemons/Chump teams many times in their MX3s

b16, ac, and too big of tires.   

One final item, and please understand I'm not jumping on the Jabaay Bandwagon here, but harness bars:  They're truly awful.  Seriously, don't run one if you ever plan to crash into something.  There are way too many pics and stories out there of folks who've run a harness bar and had it fail in a crash.  I'll also make a shout out against the use 4 point harnesses in applications where you can hit stuff.  I've seen and heard of too many folks submarining under the lap belt and either being seriously injured or killed.  As someone who uses a 4-point belt for autoX, I'd never consider running it at the track.  The risk there for injury/death is simply far too great.  Do yourself and your family a favor, if you've got this stuff take it out of the car or be very careful when and how it's used... you don't want to wind up being a cautionary tale for novices during next year's Driver's Meeting.

I understand and appreciate that this isn't the stuff that we all want to spend our time thinking about and it sure isn't as sexy as new suspension (hat-tip to my buddy, Marc Osgood, for working small miracles and getting my MCS' into the mail yesterday) but we should all be evaluating our safety gear and risk appetite annually. By acknowledging the risks and planning for their eventualities you place yourself in a position to influence their outcome!

christian's current mode of money disposal, "the Roller Pig" STI. 

Harness bars without rollbars, and a trackday organizer's thoughts on them.

I'm not a fan of these things, sorry

As an organizer of trackday events, time attack events, and the Motorsports Director of the Gridlife series, I get a lot of tech questions.  Many emails per day go out  through my phone (adam@grid.life, or adam@tracktuned.com ) with my thoughts on fuel cells, rollbars, rollcages, harnesses, battery tie downs, etc.  I'm also a racer myself, and have hit things with track cars and racecars, while on an extremely tight budget, so I know all about the plight of the young poor track enthusiast.  They want to wring all the speed they can out of every green dollar they earn.

ITS GONNA ROLL.    well. Maybe not.   Luis Villalobos photo 

 Just minutes ago, I responded to a Gridlife participant's email of why he thinks he should be able to run his high-quality harness bar, 5 point harness, and head and neck restraint without a rollbar.  I commend him on wanting a head and neck restraint device, certainly, but this is a weird and slippery slope.  Below is some of what I sent him .  This is why I don't want you to have a harness without a QUALITY rollbar or rollcage. 

The current trend in HPDE safety is either "OEM'' safety (3 point belts), or "rollbar/rollcage and 5+ point harnesses" safetly.  That leaves harness bars in a no-zone.  The roof can come down, and you are pointed straight up and down between that fancy 5 or 6 point harness.  These two things don't mix well.  (Those  harness bars are known to bend/distort/fail in various ways as well)

I totally see where you harness bar guys are coming from...yeah, we dont see many rollovers, you want to use a Hans/etc device...but here is a story......

Way back in 2005, we (Chris, Luke, and I) were hosting our 2nd ever track day, West michigan honda meet 5! It was super fun....what a great weekend!  We were on top of the world.   Second to last session, this CRX in advanced group goes out.........after bleeding his brakes.  Turbo d16 engine, big brakes, etc, and it had been running pretty fast all weekend.  I was behind him as I rounded turn 1, and he was in the blend line entering the track. 

CRX dude hauls ass down the turn 2-turn 3 straight...and I see brake lights.  I also see zero slowing down.  His pedal had gone to the floor .  Not good.  CRX dude's  Russell's Speed Bleeders had been not-tightened enough or something, and that end-of-the-day "I got this" took over.  He had never pushed the pedal down in grid, in the blend line entering the track,  etc.  A  FREAK coincidence.   Straight through the giant sandtrap he went, and it didn't do much. 

I saw that car go , 80 MPH or so, through the sand trap at turn 3, and LEAVE the track area, through a fence.  I saw him hit the berm back there, and leave my sight, as I rounded 3, when he was aimed straight down , rear bumper aiming straight up, end-going-over-end.  About the time I went through the kink at 4 it dawned on me that that dude was probably dead, because he had a harness bar and no rollbar (and crxs are pieces of shit without rollcages... trust me...they crunch easily!)

Thankfully, he wasn't dead though, because, as the story goes from him (this is 11+ years ago and I remember it like yesterday)....

"I was looking straight at the ground after I hit the berm head on, and thought "this roof is going to come down on me", and i'm going to die.  so I unclipped the harness and tried to lay to the side" ..

I'm not making this up.  Still give me shivers over a decade later.....

The roof of that car was at the top of the doors.  

So...... this stuff means something to me.  A lot actually.  I don't want to lose someone, ever, because this is a silly track event, and we all have a lot of people that love us. 

Also, I realize I want you to wear a Head and Neck, badly....  so I also want you to have a rollbar. 

Your car will pass tech if you have an OEM seatbelt in it.  Tell me or the other tech inspector "I'll just use the oem belt"...   

There are no free lunches in track days and racing... rollbars and cages make things safer, but they make cars harder to live with and more expensive.   I realize this .  I don't think ANY modern cars would crush like that CRX..but it still is a line we need to draw....

luis VillaLobos photo

Be safe out there everyone.  Drive within your limits.  Keep it on the track.  And NEVER underestimate a cars ability to find a place to crash and an odd thing to hit.  

-adam

she might not be pretty, but our old lemons beast has a lot of roll cage.  Haha