http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/ Autoblog Comments for http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:12PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:20PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:21PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:29PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:55PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.hookedondriving.com/videos/uploads/video1.mpg]]>Feb 26th 2008 9:45PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:42PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spec_racer_ford

As SRF is the second largest car class in the SCCA it's not uncommon to already find fields of 20-25 cars competing at SCCA events. There is also a reasonable market for second hand cars running in the $16,000 to $23,000 (depending upon age, condition, etc).

There's also good information at http://www.specracer.com for those interested.]]>Feb 25th 2008 12:47PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 12:48PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
Yes, it's similar to SRF, but have you seen an SRF up close... not the most attractive racing car, and the sound is pretty ho-hum. I think these look cool, and the sound is great.

Also, the cost isn't meant to be paid by 1 driver... as this is an enduro-only series with a minimum of 2 drivers, and 3 is usually a great team size. I raced in a team of three for 5 years, and I always had lots of fun. Break it down by 1/3 and you're under $12k for a NEW car. It also means you don't need to "convince" your friends that being on a pit-crew is a glamorous job, because if three guys go away for the weekend then everyone gets to race!

Finally, we're trying to be a little bit green... which isn't the norm for motorsports. All cars run on Ethanol E85, which means we're reducing carbon, keeping the money in the US, and it's even cheaper than race-gas.

In the end we're always going to be compared to the established series, but I think this is different enough that there is a place for it... 175 cars on the grid can't be wrong:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_mj1qyEDRY

Greg.]]>Feb 25th 2008 1:33PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
1) Looks are subjective, I think. I like the way an SRF looks; like a smaller Can Am car from the early 1970's. And it's open cockpit, which to me is way more cool. The Herbie look went out a long time ago. :)

2) I agree that SRF's don't have great sound, but really, if that (or looks) is one's criterion for racing...I think most people wouldn't chose either car.

3) E85 is actually worse for carbon than gasoline in the US because the ethanol is corn based.

I will also admit that within the SCCA I am a strong campaigner for fewer classes of racing; adding more classes of racing with similar performance simply dilutes fields and loses the overall effectiveness of scale that keeps costs reasonable.

And finally, SRF, with over 800 cars built, is here to stay -- meaning that for the foreseeable future there will always be places to race it against large fields of similar cars. Even now, if one prefers longer enduro formats, there are many enduro events run each year where multiple drivers can own/share a single car and compete -- including such races as the 25 hours of Thunderhill.

While I have nothing against the European Fun Cup Series at all, in the US there are already many series which come close to the Fun Cap, with one (Spec Racer Ford) being virtually identical in size, performance, objectives, and cost control. ]]>Feb 25th 2008 1:47PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
> Looks are subjective

True, and I understand why you like the Can Am look. For me, the splitter and huge rear wing on the Fun Cup make it look a lot better than a Herbie.


> And it's open cockpit, which to me is way more cool.

Yes, I used to race Radical's so the open-cockpit is nice... until it rains. A few races like that made me reconsider. Obviously this isn't a real problem in California like it is in England, but I also feel safer with a full roll-cage.


> I agree that SRF's don't have great sound

I think we'd all like to be driving something that screams like an F1 car (or IRL/Nascar, whatever your preference), and even at the entry level the cars should look/sound/smell like a racing car. It doesn't cost any more to engineer a nice note to the exhaust, so that's what I did.


> E85 is actually worse for carbon

There's arguments on both sides of this. Admittedly Corn may not be the most efficient feed stock, but at the moment it's available and abundant. Even using corn we're still better off, and Cellulosic Ethanol will increase the benefits markedly:

http://www.drivingethanol.org/media/2007%20Ethanol%20Fact%20Book%20Final%20Email%20Version.pdf
(It's long, so skip to page 35)

I'm also happy that my cash is going to support the economy in Iowa, as opposed to overseas.


> ...campaigner for fewer classes...simply dilutes fields...

Actually, in Europe the Fun Cup has been responsible for introducing a lot of first-time drivers to the joys of Motorsport. Our focus is on folks that have always liked the idea of racing, but never found the time/expertise to start. We do a lot of hand-holding, and try to make things easy and uncomplicated.

To increase the popularity of motorsports, we need to make it more accessible and attractive to those outside the "knowledge circle". SRF does that, and I'm confident that the Fun Cup will appeal to a different audience and increase the overall number of people that when asked what they did on the weekend, can say "I raced my car at..."

Regards.
Greg.
http://www.fun-cup.com]]>Feb 25th 2008 3:11PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/---------------------------

Really???

------------------------------
"When William Lapp, of US-based consultancy Advanced Economic Solutions, took the podium at the annual US Department of Agriculture conference, the sentiment was already bullish for agricultural commodities boosted by demand from the biofuels industry and emerging countries.

He added a twist – that rising agricultural raw material prices would translate this year into sharply higher food inflation."
__________________________
"The United Nation’s agency responsible for relieving hunger is drawing up plans to ration food aid in response to the spiralling cost of agricultural commodities."
---------------------------------


If you race E85, people starve....

]]>Feb 25th 2008 4:35PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/ If you race E85, people starve....

Actually that's not entirely true. I remember the story about the price of a Tacos in Mexico going up because of the Ethanol industry... but the largest contributor to the cost increases was the price of Oil. There's only maybe 2c of corn in a Taco:

http://www.foodandfuelamerica.com/2007/08/general-motors-food-price-increases-not.html
http://www.foodandfuelamerica.com/search?q=urbanchuck

We have to remember that the "waste" from the corn sent for processing into Ethanol is used as a high-protein cattle feed. Only the starch in the kernel is converted, and the rest is left for other uses...

Sure, the price of corn has gone up, and nobody will argue with that. This has resulted in a revitalization of many rural communities in America, that are tooling up to meet the extra demand. I like the fact that someone in the US has a job farming, instead of someone on an oil-rig. The cash stays here and benefits the balance of trade, and that the moment we need all the help we can get.

Can we run the entire USA on corn? Absolutely not... which is why cellulosic ethanol is starting to gain ground. There are several plants doing this now, and as the process is developed and refined, more will come on-stream.

Is there enough biomass to run the entire USA? You bet!

Greg.
http://www.fun-cup.com]]>Feb 25th 2008 6:05PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 25th 2008 9:26PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
Once the series is established in the West, we will start on the East coast. You've got some amazing tracks on your side of the country, so it would be a shame to miss out!

Greg.
http://www.fun-cup.com]]>Feb 25th 2008 10:18PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
I almost forgot... they are available for rent, so you could always come and visit sunny California, spend some time at Disneyland, and then pop up to Buttonwillow or Willow Springs for a weekend of racing.

Greg.
http://www.fun-cup.com/]]>Feb 25th 2008 10:31PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/Feb 26th 2008 9:28AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
It may just be the audio on the clip, but from the cabin, that may be the worst sounding vehicle I've ever heard. Some sort of mixture of air whistling in through the cabin ventilation ducts, nails on a chalkboard, and a coffee grinder. It's a shame too, since air cooled VWs sound so very beautiful to my ears. Other than that, it looks like a lot of fun. I wonder what they would charge for a one day class with everything, including car, provided.]]>Feb 26th 2008 12:21AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/budget-bug-grassroots-racing-reborn-with-the-fun-cup/
Yes, the g-Force Sport tires are excellent... but as you noted they aren't racing tires. This is a decision that achieves lower running costs (cheaper than "R" tires, and last longer), and allows the car to move around a little so that you really have to DRIVE the cars. It also keeps the stress out of the drive-line, and saves us having to step up to a specialized (i.e. Expen$ive) racing transmission, clutch, etc.

I understand your point about the cost vs. a go-kart, as I loved my time in karting. With the Fun Cup, however, you get a full-sized car, which allows you to have a gearbox, and needs a different technique, such as heel-toe. The skills developed in the Fun Cup car are applicable to any other circuit racing car, so a lot of people use it as their first step onto the long circuits.

As for the sound... we've dispensed with the air-cooled VW, and are running a 4-cyl water cooled engine from the VW Golf/GTI, etc. In the cockpit it's certainly loud, and ear-plugs are always recommended. I think the "nails on chalkboard" is a combination of the cameras, and a *very* windy day at Willow Springs.

Regards.
Greg.
http://www.fun-cup.com/]]>Feb 26th 2008 12:55PM