shikataganai

are you serious? maybe in terms of handling _feel_ the lotus "handles better than the F1 car", but only in a bizarro parallel universe would a street car with no downforce be able to even remotely come close to the cornering ability of a F1 car replete with downforce, feathery weight, and true racing tires (vs. R comps).

jmcadams87

I know you might have been exaggerating, but the Exige definitely does get a lot of down force. Maybe not as much as a 1992 F1 but it pulls .92 g's on a 200ft skidpad...

PedalFaster

Reread my statement. Handling and cornering speed are two completely different things. Handling is a subjective measure of how predictably a car handles at the limit of traction. Cornering speed is an objective measure of lateral traction.

A car can handle very well but have low limits -- for example, a Miata on its stock cheapo tires. Alternately, a car can handle very poorly but have very high limits -- for example, put a Chevy Cavalier on R-compound tires.

It's not inconceivable that the Elise has more predictable, forgiving handling than a F1 car. It is inconceivable that the Elise could beat any competently driven F1 car in any contest of speed.

altiain

iTrader: (3)

Actually, what grip an Exige generates on a 200-ft. diameter skidpad has almost nothing to do with what little downforce it generates. .92G on a 200-ft diameter skidpad equates to a constant velocity of approximately 37mph. An Exige generates roughly 100 lbs of total downforce at 100mph (from published data). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that what minimal downforce it generates at roughly 1/3rd that speed doesn’t contribute much at all to the skidpad number you cited.

In reality, the Exige’s skidpad numbers are due almost entirely to the fact that it comes from the factory with pseudo R compound tires that generate significantly more mechanical grip than the tires found on typical mass production cars. In that light, it isn’t all that impressive.

Ophitoxaemia

to a properly driven F1 car, im sure the extige and a geo metro would be pretty much indistinguishable if either was trying to race it.

tmak26b

haha what an idiot

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

if that is an F1 car it is quite old becasue his shoulders are sticking out of the cockpit., downloading the vid now, looks exciting.

L8APEX

now that was pretty damn cool. Add that too my collection of track vids.

I don't know what I would do if I looked at the sign in sheet at my next event, and saw an F1 car from any year, signed up in the same group as me. I think I would be looking for it so much, I would forget to drive.

I have only seen in person an F1 car once, and it was at the Walter Mitty Challenge this year at Road Atlanta, it was very, very loud, and very very fast. it was newer than the one at your event, it was a Mild Seven car, not sure which number or who the original pilot was. But it was really cool to see it rip down the back straight, sparks flying. It lapped everyone in it's class...in IIRC a race of less than 10 laps.

AlexCisneros

any one else wonder who the genius was that let an open wheel car on the track with production cars?!?

I hope the open wheel car driver had good life insurance.

L8APEX

good point, NASA does not allow open wheel cars at all, much less on track with the street cars.

shaunv74

I know this is a little old but you should youtube.com that video it's awsome. I can't believe how well you can hear the F1's engine. Love it!!

rotarygod

The 3rd generation RX-7 could do .98 stock.

shaunv74

That FD was so incredible...Nothing better than having your vision blurr as you go around an on-ramp at twice the posted limit. I miss that car...

tmak26b

The G's around the skidpad comes from time. Downforce comes from aerodynamics. Gosh, Lotus drivers just love their little cars. They really need to drive some real cars.

shaunv74

And you can't push on a rope...