Spec Racer Ford
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Spec Racer Ford is a class of racing car used in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) road racing events. The Spec Racer Ford, manufactured and marketed by SCCA Enterprises (a subsidiary of SCCA, Inc.) is a high performance, closed wheel, open cockpit, purpose-built race car intended for paved road courses, such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Road America, Watkins Glen, and many other tracks around the country. With more than 862 cars manufactured, it is second only to Spec Miata as the most popular amateur road racing class in the United States.
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[edit] History
Spec Racer was first conceived as low-cost sports racing class by a director of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Ted Cronin, in the early 1980s. The car was developed and originally manufactured by Renault/Jeep Sport USA in Livonia, Michigan under direction of Vic Elford. The car, designed by Roy Lunn, was introduced into SCCA Club Racing in 1984 as "Sports Renault." After Renault bowed out of the program in 1989, and the car was renamed "Spec Racer (SR)." The original Sports Renault/Spec Racer is no longer an SCCA class, although a few Renault powered cars still compete in National Auto Sport Association (NASA), Midwestern Council of Sports Cars Club (MCSCC) and Eastern Motor Racing (EMRA) events. By 1994, the supply of rebuildable 1.7-liter Renault engines was drying up in the United States. The SCCA made the decision to replace the original Renault drivetrain with a 1.9-liter engine and five-speed transmission manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. This change gave the SRF an additional 10 horsepower to 105 - enough to push the cars along at speeds up to 135 mph (217 km/h). Ford Motor Company started to provide a new drivetrain in 1994 and the cars with the Ford powertrain renamed "Spec Racer Ford (SRF)." For a period of time, both Spec Racers (Renault powered) and Spec Racer Ford (Ford powered) both raced in the SCCA. Other more recent changes to what is now called "Spec Racer Ford" include the now-standard "tallman kit", which is an extension of the original rear roll hoop (which was designed too low) Penske shock absorbers in addition to the original Konis, Butler Built driver seat, alloy wheels, rear wheel well cutouts, engine coolant recovery system, a safety modification to the brakes and an optional, smaller alternator. During the life of the car, there have been some incremental changes in various parts to increase durability. Tires have recently been changed to a Goodyear bias-ply racing tire from the previous Yokohama DOT radial tire due to a new sponsorship arrangement. The SRF still uses the original Renault brake rotors, calipers and suspension knuckles.
[edit] Technical
The SRF rules dictate that no performance enhancing modifications other than suspension adjustments within described parameters can be made to the car. This effectively eliminates the never-ending need for design enhancements and associated large cash outlays necessary in other classes of racecars to remain competitive and puts the focus on driver skill, rather than financial and technical investment. Every Spec Racer Ford weighs the same using ballast that can accommodate drivers who weigh up to roughly 225 pounds, uses the same engine, the same transmission, the same fiberglass body, the same chassis, even the same tires. The idea is that all of the cars are meant to have identical performance, so the only way to go faster is to be a better driver. The SRF's engine, transmission, and shock absorbers are sealed with tamper-proof devices that make it impossible to modify these components undetected. In addition, many parts of the car, including suspension arms, fiberglass, and sheet metal are marked for compliance checking with special holographic tamper-evident stickers bearing the Spec Racer Ford logo. SCCA Enterprises periodically deploys compliance officials to conduct surprise inspections of Spec Racer Fords at SCCA National and some SCCA Regional events across the US.
Specifications:
- Tube Frame Chassis
- Ford 1.9L fuel-injected, water cooled, SOHC 8-valve Hemi-head inline 4 cylinder
- Ford 5-speed manual transmission
- Custom exhaust
- Electronic engine management system
- 92" wheel base
- 1670 lb (757 kg). including driver
- 3 piece fiberglass body
- 105 hp (+/- approx. 3 hp)
- Fuel Capacity: 7.75 gallons (US)
- Fuel: commercial pump fuel only, usually 93 to 100 octane
- 135 mph (217 km/h) top speed
[edit] Other Information
A major strength of the class is the network of Customer Service Reps (CSRs) around the country. The CSRs sell, service, and rent cars.
They are the contact to order a new car and to assemble it if the buyer would like. They are also a source of information about available used cars in the area.
They will do major or minor repairs, suspension setup, and stock and sell parts for the cars. They can also supply complete race services where the car stays at the race shop, is delivered to the track ready to race, serviced during the weekend, taken back to the shop at the end of the weekend, and prepped for the next race weekend. This reduces the time needed to race the car and is a boon to those owners who lack the space or skills to maintain the car between races. Makes the experience like being a pro racer, except the money flows the other way.
The CSRs also rent cars to people who want to get their racing license, try out the car before buying, or just don't want to own a car. This can also be used by owners who may want to race at tracks that are distant from their home areas. Instead of transporting their own car halfway or all the way across the country, they can just rent a car for the weekend.
The CSRs attend virtually every race weekend to provide parts, advice, and help for those owners who normally work on their own cars. This reduces the need for a car owner to tie up large amounts of money in spare parts and provides a source of experienced help when needed.
[edit] External links
- Manufacturer's Website
- Sports Car Club of America Website
- Official Spec Racer Ford Owner Registry
- Spec Racer Ford Discussion Forums
