Project F1 Car

[Clueless]

I've always thought it'd be cool to build one of these from scratch, not to the F1 level, but good enough to actually race with. I've seen people make chassies and drop in the busa motor, run auto-x and win. I was thinking of building from scratch(aluminum), but was wondering if anybody done this kind of thing before. How hard can it be? What do I need to fabricate a complete racing car to meet organization standards? What clubs do I need to look into for this kind of racing? I've beern wanting to get into racing whether it's motoGP or this sorta thing. I suppose something like this is closer to the F3 cars then F1, but you get the idea. Here's some sample pictures to show what I'm talking about:

 

[JDMMA70]

if you build one i want to be the test driver :biglaugh:

 

[SWD Fredester 3]

I would start by contacting the Sports Car Club of America-SCCA- to see
what open wheel racing they are currently sanctioning. They can provide
you with the car specs.
It's been a while since I have been around this but Formula Ford was always
a good starting point. Depending on your budget it can offer good experience
and you can be fairly competitive at a reasonable expense.
Ideally the Toyota Atlantic series would be good if you have the funds to support the racing. Toyota Atlantic has a number of chassis available,
Renard being one of them. As usual the engine performance is in direct
proportion to your budget. The racing is very fast and very competitive. I
think it is still used as a stepping stone into F3,2,1.
For experience there are driving schools around the country that provide
classroom and seat time. Bertle Roos has one at Pocono that I did a few
times, it's good. Great instruction and driving experience to let you see if
you really want to invest in this. They also offer a racing series in their cars,
fairly affordable, very competitive that is a good way to learn before you
commit to building and running your own car.
As a guess, these days I'd figure $50,000.00 as a decent budget to get started. You can also shop around for used cars, they are available.
As I remember looking at 2 different cars, they were in the $25,000 to
$30,000 range to buy. Those were both Toyota Atlantic set ups.

 

[Clueless]

I would start by contacting the Sports Car Club of America-SCCA- to see
what open wheel racing they are currently sanctioning. They can provide
you with the car specs.
It's been a while since I have been around this but Formula Ford was always
a good starting point. Depending on your budget it can offer good experience
and you can be fairly competitive at a reasonable expense.
Ideally the Toyota Atlantic series would be good if you have the funds to support the racing. Toyota Atlantic has a number of chassis available,
Renard being one of them. As usual the engine performance is in direct
proportion to your budget. The racing is very fast and very competitive. I
think it is still used as a stepping stone into F3,2,1.
For experience there are driving schools around the country that provide
classroom and seat time. Bertle Roos has one at Pocono that I did a few
times, it's good. Great instruction and driving experience to let you see if
you really want to invest in this. They also offer a racing series in their cars,
fairly affordable, very competitive that is a good way to learn before you
commit to building and running your own car.
As a guess, these days I'd figure $50,000.00 as a decent budget to get started. You can also shop around for used cars, they are available.
As I remember looking at 2 different cars, they were in the $25,000 to
$30,000 range to buy. Those were both Toyota Atlantic set ups.

Very good info....I'm kinda confused with all the different classes and cars setup.

 

[MassSupra89]

Have you ever thought about or driven a shifter cart? It would be a much smaller budget, and a good starting point. You can buy or build a chassis if you're looking for a fun project, the set-up is very simple and you can find an engine out of a 125 or 250 dirt bike for very cheap. It would be a great learning experiance before going big.

 

[TurboFreak]

Have you ever thought about or driven a shifter cart? It would be a much smaller budget, and a good starting point. You can buy or build a chassis if you're looking for a fun project, the set-up is very simple and you can find an engine out of a 125 or 250 dirt bike for very cheap. It would be a great learning experiance before going big.

As a former kart racer, I'll add a couple things.
1. 100+ Mph top speed
2. Couple inches off the ground

 

[SWD Fredester 3]

As a former kart racer, I'll add a couple things.
1. 100+ Mph top speed
2. Couple inches off the ground

I would really have to agree with TurboFreak and MassSupra on this. Karts are
a great place to start, they are fast and great fun and very competitive. Much
easier on your budget especially since you also own a Supra! I would still
recommend doing at least one driving school, they are great for driving
fundamentals. The fundamentals also cary over to everyday street driving.
If you look at some of the current drivers history you will usually see that
they started in carts.