Shine wrote:I got to see the car at COTA and listened to it run through the esses from the bridge and it looks and sounds fantastic! But, what I'm most excited about is not the added power of the new engine, but the enhanced handling from the 100 lbs weight loss.

Which leads to:

Clueless1 wrote:Minimum weight? I'D LIKE TO SEE IT SET UP FOR A 240 LB DRIVER.

Wow, only 95 lbs of ballast for me! So much for the Jenny Craig SRF weight loss plan...

That's it! New sponsor: Jenny Craig!

How about 130+?

dave wrote:How about 130+?

Bring the wife. Make it a family thing!

Hey guys,
I have to tell Erik and everyone thank you for having faith in me to develop the SRF of the future. Also I had a great time driving GEN 3 SRF at the COTA event. In short and right to the point...I was driving the most modified SRF in history, at one of the biggest club races of the year, How could it have not been fun...!
The last 4 or 5 seasons I've driven a SRF 2 or 3 times a year...I'm pretty rusty for sure. I have to say the change in the power and the flatness of the 1.6's torque curve was really fun to drive. It was the first track sessions on a new ECU and everything worked out very well.

I worked on cold, warm and hot starting most of the weekend....almost no work on the top line of the map and some mid range tuning that I was never happy with. Idle, starting and top line (full throttle) was really good by the end of the event. It should have been in the mid 120's at the wheels.
I was shifting the engine at about 6400 RPM, using second gear 5 times, fifth one time for about 300 yards on the back straight a lap.
It was a fun dynamic to stir the gear box more driving the GEN 3. The extra power made throttle control more important, even the long triple apex 4th gear right hander was close, but not flat.
I was also using the new rotors and able to brake at about 70 or 80 marker for the tight second gear corner at the end of the back straightaway. My car and I crossed the scales at the end of Q1 session @ 1511lbs....it was kinda of fun watching all the Tech people look at me, then Erik, back at me, at each other and then huddle up. They had no idea the GEN 3 SRF would be that light.
Top Speed on the Wednesday test day was 127 MPH with no draft, it's hard to draft the car in front of you when you close on it 10 to 12 MPH. Top Speed on the pit straight was 116 MPH. Remember it was the first time I've driven GEN 3 SRF on a race track, the improved over all performance hits the target dead center..."GIGGLE FACTOR"
In the near future when we have a field of 20 or 30 GEN 3's racing, it will go back to the same as it's always been in SRF close and hard. The drivers with that better sense of timing and precision are going to be just that much more satisfied. Plus at first people milling around the paddock or standing at the fence watching will be more excited during our sessions by the new racy sound of our class. I hope the lower overall lap times will raise the level of respect that SRF deserves. Last, everything all together should bring some new and past racers back to the class.

Now.... what do you guys really think...thank you for all the "nice work Mike" But what do you really think ? What didn't you like ? I know some have questioned the header....anything else ? I have a reason for everything I've done, but a new or different view point is very welcomed.
I need to finish up most all of the details on the R&D kits pretty quickly. When they are out turning laps I'm sure some new things will come up as well.
I also know from the past 3 years working at Enterprises I'm not going to be able to make 100% of you happy. But I promise I'm doing my best to look at things from as many different views as I can. Making changes or updating details at this stage is much easier than a year from now.

I really look forward to hearing from you and then the guys that get to try the GEN 3 this spring / summer.

Very nice Mike!

Hey Mike, sounds promising, how is the engine braking compared to what we currently have?

I worry a little about the transmission handling more power. I've had to replace 2 trannies in the last 4 years as it is.

I cant wait mike. I envision something between my formula mazda and current specracer....which would be perfect or those toyota spec sports racers they had a pro series for. Does the new combined sportscar series know of the gen 3? We could be imsa lites lites pro series.

Franklin

For reference:
- the 70-80 marker for braking on the back straight - that's WAY later than I was braking, I presume it's partially a weight thing but with the extra speed it might be a Mike thing!
- 127 back straight is about 10 MPH faster than my 1.9L, if I recall, sans draft (data not in front of me)
- 116 front straight is about 12 MPH faster than my 1.9L, if I recall, sans draft

Very impressive stuff.
I love the look, the sound, and the overall idea of the car. As soon as I can pull the financial trigger, I'll be upgrading.

Also, regarding the new rotors, some may think that I'm not being serious but I don't think I ever used them at 100% this weekend. I'm really hyper (too much so for my own good) about ruining my tires so at the slightest hint of lock-up (or even the thought of it), I modulate. As such, I didn't ever optimize them this weekend. That being said, they were great. I ran with pads that were already half gone when I put them on and put 8 (3 wet, 5 hard dry) sessions on them and I loved the feel. I took the pads off tonight and they are way thinner than I would have ever run with the old rotors and I finished Sunday's race with them that way.
I hear that I did have way more wheel drag than others in impound ( ) and I hope that was the reason.
Overall, big double thumbs up from me on the brakes. I'm anxious to get them on a track I know to see if the braking markers change at all from the old rotors.

Mike.....any chance as you work out new transaxle supplies different ratios could be attained? Just a change in the ring and pinion would be good. I suspect fourth will have an even shorter life due to fifth not having much usage.