Page 123 - Paddock Life Issue 13 ADRENALINE

carry through an apex is quite amazing. Even working our way safely around other traffic we are lapping very fast, I’m reading the digital speedo on the centre of the dash and as we run through Maggots and Becketts we are just over 200kph, there is a Ferrari 458 GT4 car on track and we are gaining on him as if he were parked. I am beginning to understand how the LMP cars must feel as they come up on the GTE class at Le Mans. The car feels so solid, obviously my works driver knows his weapon well but there doesn’t seem to be any drama, we are just nailed to the racing line taking a bit of curb here and there. We put in about six laps before peeling off into the pit lane. As I pull of my helmet Graham gives me that look... I am buzzing.
The next one we took out was the SR1 Cup car, not quite as fast, but still great fun and the road tyres gave a bit more slide in some of the corners but still very very impressive. Whilst I was waiting for a driver to take me out in the red Ford powered RXC I had a chat with Nigel Land, Radicals Marketing Director who
explained the ethos behind Radicals approach to their customers. Basically its all about racing and support, they run the UK based SR1 Cup Championship, a race series aimed at the amateur driver offering accessible, affordable racing – probably the most exciting novice race series around for prototype style race cars. As the name suggests it’s a single marque series for the Radical SR1 and an excellent (and very affordable) way of getting into racing. The next step is the Radical Challenge Championship, which is the natural progression and open up to the SR3 cars. Both series are well supported by the factory and see good grid numbers and some close racing.
Graham calls me over as we are about to take the supercharged Ford V6 powered RXC out, climbing into the closed cockpit of this 650bhp monster it feels like an LMP2 car, strapped in tight, the first thing I notice is the very different sound. We rocket out of the pit lane and up to race pace in seconds, I can feel this car trying to break traction as our works driver really puts her through her paces, even the faster cars on
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