Don’t you just ‘love’ Facebook. I’ve been waiting (and waiting) for it to go the way of every other media flash-in-the-pan (MySpace anyone?) and be replaced by the next big thing……’whatever that might be.’
Instead, through a combination of what appears to be astute management & marketing, luck, and some good, solid feature ideas, Facebook appears to – like fellow tech sector behemoths Google and Twitter – be here to stay.
Which, on balance, is a good thing. Take, for instance one of those ‘looking back’ posts they do on a regular basis.
I can’t remember now (which when you think about it is rather ironic, but I can certainly recall the effect it had on me) whether I shared it or not. But the guts of it was that it was 11 years (I think) since I first posted the pic of my good self aboard a Suzuki Hayabusa taken at the official opening day of the Tony Roberts/Chris Watson-developed Hampton Downs motor racing circuit in the Northern Waikato.
At the time I was still immersed in motorcycles thanks to my then ‘day job’ running what I will simply call ‘New Zealand’s biggest motorbike mag.’ And though the big ‘busa was not the ideal two-wheeler to lap the then brand spanking new ‘National’ circuit on it was what was ‘in the garage at the time’ so was what I took to the opening function.
Fast forward (a figure of speech which you can take literally as well as figuratively when you are talking about Suzuki’s ultimate 1340cc, DOHC/16-valve in-line 4-cylinder 147kW/139Nm/299km/h (197hp/102lb-ft/185mph sports touring bike) almost exactly 11 years later and I was back at Hampton Downs on Hayabusa business, albeit this time on four wheels.
The ‘occasion’ this time was the official ‘media’ launch by newly minted importer Radical New Zealand, of Cambridgeshire (Peterborough), UK-based ‘bike-engined sportscar pioneer,’ Radical Sportscars Ltd’s latest Suzuki Hayabusa-engined two-seater sports racing/track day ‘car’ the SR3XX.
Plenty of (usually) farm shed or garage-based fettlers – here and around the world – have cottoned on to the suitability of the big (for a bike) Suzuki’s powerhouse for four-wheel applications.
Not only can even a bog standard original 1299cc (Hence the bike’s model designation, GSX1300R) plucked from a bike wrecker for chump change still produce close to 130kW (or 173hp in the old money, of peak power and up to 135Nms of peak torque after 30-40,000 hard kms before its rider finally ran out of talent, they were built strong from the outset, meaning you can easily extract even more power and torque from them without seriously compromising reliability.
By simply increasing the stroke of the pistons (via a new, longer throw crankshaft) by 2 mm, for instance, Suzuki themselves found an extra 10kWs of peak power and another 3 Nm of torque when it upped the capacity to 1340cc for its second-generation model, released back in 2008 and still a current model to this day.
Radical founders Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott were early adaptors and now – through their wholly-owned engine-building subsidiary company Radical Performance Engines (RPE), are arguably one of the Suzuki Motor Corporation’s biggest customer for Hayabusa engines.
Since hanging out their shingle back in 1997, Hyde and Abbott have made and sold more than 2000 of their distinctive open-top, two-seat sports racing cars, the vast majority – of their top seller, the seemingly ever-green SR3 at least – powered either by RPE-modded 1340cc or an even longer stroke 1500cc version.
Even though it retains the standard Hayabusa engine’s swept capacity of 1340cc the basic RPE engine package (which includes a bespoke dry sump system, aftermarket Individual Throttle Bodies (ITBs) and a special DOHC chain tensioner by RPE) produces an impressive 148kW of peak power (measured at the crank no less) and 168Nm of peak torque.
Hold that thought because if that sounds like a bit of you then the 1500cc version fitted to the SR3 XX I got to drive is more of the same but even better.
With a forged aftermarket crankshaft and set of rods adding the extra capacity and a set of Cosworth pistons peak power is now quoted (again this is directly off the crankshaft) as 168kWs (226.2hp), peak torque 182Nm (134.3 lb/ft).
Again, these are serious figures for any ‘built’ normally-aspirated -say – 2.0l litre/4-cylinder ‘car’ engine, let alone a dimensionally much more, er, ‘compact’ bike one.
But that, as I worked out fairly quickly as the time finally came for me to swap my summer ‘uniform’ of shorts, T-Shirt, and Bucket hat for my black Alpinestars race suit, boots, ‘no brand’ white full-face helmet and Stand 21 HANS device for ‘a few laps round the 3.03km national circuit at Hampton Downs is both a key part in any Radical’s DNA, it is also part of the appeal of owning and driving one.
“That’s right,” says Radical Sportscars Ltd marketing manager Will Brown. “Our original brief – 20 years ago now – was to build a lightweight sportscar that utilised superbike technology. It is this combination of lightweight construction, superbike engine and aerodynamic downforce which delivers models faster than a supercar, totally driver-focused and rewarding to drive.”
To which all I can say is’ he’s right.’
Before I get into what the new SR3 XX is ‘like’ I think at this juncture I should fill you in on the plans the man behind Radical New Zealand, Greg Brinck, has got – both for the company and the marque.
Most people will know the name Greg Brinck these days thanks to his long-term role with Auckland luxury and sports car dealership Independent Prestige.
In theory the former Motocrosser, Wind Surfer, Touring Car ace, Power Boat racer and most recently Targa competitor retired from his role at ‘the dealership.’
Instead Brinck decided that he would soon get sick of playing endless games of golf and put his mind to finding opportunities combining business AND pleasure.
Keeping an eye on the interests of those who want to race Aston Martins here was one. Acquiring the rights to import, distribute and generally grow the Radical brand and business here in New Zealand another.
I say ‘grow the brand and business’ intentionally too, because though the Hayabusa-powered SR3 XX and 310kW (425hp)/515Nm (380 lb ft turbocharged Ford powered SR10 are bona fide race cars Brinck reckons there is a real gap in the market for dedicated Track Day cars and believes either (or both) would be perfect here.
“The Radical is certainly a track focused car and I believe it can provide the ultimate driving experience for drivers of all skill levels,” is how he put it to me.’
Which, in a nutshell explained why he and two of his first shipment of cars were either on display or being belted around the track by a bunch of eager (but if I’m anything to go by, rather ham-fisted) journos at a Track Time-run Track Day at Hampton Downs on Tuesday December 08.
Ultimately, says Brinck, he would love to have enough keen Radical owners dotted around the country so that he could run a dedicated one-make racing series.
To that end he is putting together a support package for existing Radical owners contesting this season’s NZ Sports Car Championship series.
He will also shortly move to a dedicated Radical showroom/workshop space at Hampton Downs; a spot he no doubt will be spending a lot of time at over the next 18 months to 2 years at as word gets out about how much fun you can have in a new Radical.
“The Hampton Downs and Highlands GT Membership model provides an ideal platform for Radical owners, which is why we will be offering complementary GT Membership with any new Radical ordered through us in 2020.”
I rest my case.
Next week. What waiting until 95000rm to change up sounds like. And why it was Aaro Slight in the passenger seat – and not me, this time?
Comments