Clive's 520 BHP Super GT RX-8 Race Car

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Clive
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Clive's 520 BHP Super GT RX-8 Race Car

Post by Clive »

Quite a few know by now what I will be building for next season's Nippon Challenge Super GT class so I took delivery of an RX-8 rolling shell from Steve D that’s gone straight into the paint shop I thought we would get a build thread up n running.

Many know I raced various "tin tops" for many years and gained a few Championships and race wins and also that I have used our RX-8 on track for a while, indeed it will be back out again at Castle Coombe (first picture below) in a couple of weeks time but going to the new Snetterton race track refired the passion to race again not that it ever really went away or that I ever slowed down, so here we are, were going racing again !.

Some know that a run in a 600bhp NASCAR Stock Car a year ago where by the 21 one of us were whittled down across three sessions and happily it showed me that by being fastest on the day and I at least have some speed left in me, because if I'm going to race again I need to know I won't be just a tail end Charlie running at the back, especially when you think this car will have Racing Beat, Surf City Garage and Ballistic Race Car Battery’s associated plus my own Mazdarotaryparts company on top of that Hayward Rotary will supply the power needed to get the car at least competitive.

As far as we know there is not one RX-8 currently racing here in the UK on circuits so by racing one I hope to help make not only the RX-8 but also the Rotary engine be taken more seriously than it currently is plus this project my inspire more to get out there and race an RX-8.

Using suspension and brake knowledge gained from the track day sessions I am hoping to put together a competitive RX-8 “kit car” Racer working only from a lock up, which means that rather than the fully equipped workshops I used to run my race cars from this new RX-8 will need to be very much a drill and bolt together “kit car” Racer, i.e. bolt in cage etc, etc.

The reason for picking the Nippon Challenge Super GT class is because the RX-8 complies with very few series and to run in one of the lower Nippon Challenge classes the RX-8 either has too much power or not enough so it’s going to be the top class we will run the car in, hopefully at the sharp end of the field.

The series was also picked because it is a series that uses track day tyres and not slicks because buy using slicks means a whole lot more money going into the suspension and brakes as the cornering speed targets go way up with the addition of slick tyres, bottom line is that this will NOT be some big buck racer as we do not have lots of funds to build this car but hopefully I can show that the RX-8 will be portrayed as a competitive car that’s been easily screwed together without spending lots of money.

The car will be in my old race car yellow and blue colours and may look something like the images below but until it becomes yellow I won’t decide the final paint scheme.

Hoping to have the car out around October for running in and testing and as the weeks go on I will try and update the thread for anyone who is interested both here and on MRC

( BTW Thanks go to Aston for the loan and getting the wheels on so it could be transported to the paint shop)
Attachments
rx-8 cadwell.jpg
rx-8 cadwell.jpg (121.41 KiB) Viewed 10752 times
NASCAR.JPG
NASCAR.JPG (98.82 KiB) Viewed 10752 times
RX-8  before paint shop.jpg
RX-8 before paint shop.jpg (40.64 KiB) Viewed 10752 times
Last edited by Clive on Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:02 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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willberry70 (Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:07 am) • Scotty PZ (Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:11 pm)
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

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RX-8 paint shop 2.jpg
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2013 RX-8.JPG
2013 RX-8.JPG (132.77 KiB) Viewed 10749 times
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by shifty »

Awesome Clive awesome cant wait to see the finished car and also what Carl will stick under the hood
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Harrizone »

Likewise, will be following this with interest and not a little amount of jealousy.

I can see a few of us needing to travel the country to follow Clive's on track exploits.

Think you are also going to be having to produce some 'fan' related products, tee shirts, baseball caps etc. :lol:
Now a distant memory unfortunately.
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by GreySilver Beast »

Can't wait to see the finished car :P
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by chri5 »

Watching with great interest ;)
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by RX8Head »

Great to see you're letting everyone know about this now and it will be great to follow the progress of it here.
As you said I don't think there are any other 8s circuit racing in the UK just a few in Autosolo and Sprint events.
I know there has been a couple of other people looking into racing the 8 even in the Nippon Challenge as well as Time Attack so you never know this might galvanise them into doing it as well it'd be awesome to have more 8s competing in race series.
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Bulldog »

Very interesting. Will be good to see what you do with the suspension set up.
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More info in my project thread

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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Shagrington »

=D> I think we're all more than a little jealous and very interested to watch your progress.
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by exiled-viking »

lets, get some club names made and pay clive to have them put on the car for a nominal sponsor fee :shock: :wink:
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by ch1nny »

wow!!! i cant waitfor the next installment!!! good luck with it and i second the sponsorship idea!!
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

Bulldog wrote:Very interesting. Will be good to see what you do with the suspension set up.
Suspension will come from the development I've already carried out as regards parts and geometry settings

The hardware will consist of /

Racing Beat Anti roll bars with adjustable Racing Beat end links / Polybush front bushes with Powerflex bushes at the rear and Tein Mono Flex adjustable coil over shock absorbers

Please don't ask for the suspension geometry settings as these are settings adjusted to suit my driving style and another driver with a different style could get into trouble using them so I would not post them up,
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

shifty wrote:Awesome Clive awesome cant wait to see the finished car and also what Carl will stick under the hood

Carl knows very specifically what I need from the engine to race it how I want to, the engine will be built with capability of 550 bhp then we will run it at a "conservative" 400 plus it will be run in a configuration that Carl and myself have conceived that I don't think anyone has tried before.

This is a project that has taken months of working out feasibility of costs and competitiveness before hitting the "go" button as this will be very much built on a budget,

I even had Ian (hypothermia) out at brands with a stop watch at the first round this year to make sure I felt I could put together a car that "should" produce competitive lap times :D .

We do have one casualty though, our beautiful RX-7 Cabriolet that some of you saw at Brooklands has got to go to free up some money for this project, plus when the "Racer" comes home the Cabriolet that has been garaged all its life will lose its garage and I don't want this car to deteriorate :(
Last edited by Clive on Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Bulldog »

I am about to tackle the suspension on mine but its a road car so I don't want a race set up what I do want is livable when pottering about but sharp on track.

I am thinking about renewing every part of the suspension set up but finding this quite hard to make judgements about.
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More info in my project thread

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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

Bulldog wrote:I am about to tackle the suspension on mine but its a road car so I don't want a race set up what I do want is livable when pottering about but sharp on track.

I am thinking about renewing every part of the suspension set up but finding this quite hard to make judgements about.
Although not cheap the set up I have described is the best I have driven on the road on its soft damper settings.

I will warn you though, that unless your really serious about the track and getting the bushes changed, leave them alone as it is a big job to change most of them because you can't just press the bushes out as Mazda decided to glue them in as well !

One way to sharpen up the feel of an RX-8 if thats what you want is to fit lower profile tyres, this makes the steering feel much more responsive
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by SeanP »

Looking forward to following your exploits in the build, and on track! Best of luck Clive!

Will the engine be RENESIS based, for that power delivery?
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

Thanks Sean,

The engine will be something special that's been devised by Carl and myself that as far as I know has never been done before and will be in keeping with the RX-8 / think Hybrid----------- and no not electric :mrgreen:
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Pettit Racing UK »

Good stuff Clive! Good luck with the project. Good to see an 8 out on track "seriously"
A Pettit charged RX8 was setting lap records in Canada's Time Attack season ([urlw]http://tinyurl.com/RX8win[/urlw]) so no reason to think a well prepped 8 cant do great on track... (especially with Clive driving!)
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

Thanks Robbie,

Never mind time attack one car on a track at a time :lol: , when are we going to see a UK built Pettit car mixing it up with lots of cars :mrgreen:

One of the reasons this series was picked is because I want to race against a field of cars like I used to :D
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Pettit Racing UK »

Once someone decides to campaign one!

I am personally far too scared for "proper racing" but one car at a time is much more my style!
Even then I don't have your driving skills, so I have to leave serious racing to either Cam or Pettit customers!
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Harrizone »

No one said you had to drive it Robbie. Give me the car to drive and we will enter it in the same series as Clive. :mrgreen:

Mines not fast enough to keep up with Clive's current set up :oops: let alone what he is now proposing, but one of the Pettit FI cars might. :lol:

Unlike Autosolo at least on track I can't go the wrong way #-o , well not intentionally. [-o<
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Pettit Racing UK »

I would be worried about going the wrong way cos someone was ramming the c@@p out of me!

Plus I find it impossible to drive fast right up behind someone's bumper...what if they do something silly!

Basically I would be a rubbish racing driver..... Thanks for the offer though Ray! Give us enough money and we will happily make you a great racing car. 9)
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by RX8Head »

It would be Amazzzing(as one of my apprentices at work would say) to have 2 RX8 competing together but unfortunately due to costs I can't see that happening :cry: .
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Re: Clive's RX-8 400 BHP Race Series project 2013

Post by Clive »

Pettit Racing UK wrote:Once someone decides to campaign one!
Don't worry Robbie you should know I was only playing :mrgreen:

Mind you all joking apart, it would be good to see Ray as your "works driver"
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