My Spec Racer Atom is Finished
06-02-2012, 08:02 PM
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My Spec Racer Atom is Finished
Some of you may recall that I decided to purchase an Ariel Spec Racer Atom. With my wife Irene co-driving the Pawxster so much we thought it was time to add a second car to the track stable.
The Spec Racer Atom (SRA) is a 1350 pound non-street legal Atom that has a K24 Honda 4-banger that makes 200 hp. The racing series is currently only at VIR running on the various track configurations. I haven’t committed to entering any of the races but I think it’s likely at some point. For now, the car is going to become a Northerner.
At the David Murry event this year, I met up with Mark Swain at TMI on the grounds of VIR. Mark is the head of marketing and sales for TMI that manufacturers the Atom. He took me on a tour of the factory which was really cool. All of the structural components of the Atom are made at this factory.
While I was there I drove one of the Ariel Atom Experience cars (basically an SRA) on the Patriot course and had perma grin afterwards. It’s like an F1 car with ¼ the grip and ¼ the power! It does not have power steering which will mean I get to burn more calories on track. It also does not have ABS. I could induce under and oversteer in it which were both easily managed. I think I am going to love the thing.
My car is Black with RS Orange (of course). There aren’t many options but I did decide on a passenger seat, an adjustable slider for the driver seat, and a Racetech data logger. The car comes with a Racetech digital dash, brake bias adjustment in cockpit, and video.
It is being picked up on June 4th at VIR and I will drive it for the first time at Group 52 or perhaps MMC if I can swing it.
And now come pics….
My baby!
Shots from the factory:
My Chassis being built (#25)
My first drive in an Atom. I have sh*t eating grin under helmet.
The Spec Racer Atom (SRA) is a 1350 pound non-street legal Atom that has a K24 Honda 4-banger that makes 200 hp. The racing series is currently only at VIR running on the various track configurations. I haven’t committed to entering any of the races but I think it’s likely at some point. For now, the car is going to become a Northerner.
At the David Murry event this year, I met up with Mark Swain at TMI on the grounds of VIR. Mark is the head of marketing and sales for TMI that manufacturers the Atom. He took me on a tour of the factory which was really cool. All of the structural components of the Atom are made at this factory.
While I was there I drove one of the Ariel Atom Experience cars (basically an SRA) on the Patriot course and had perma grin afterwards. It’s like an F1 car with ¼ the grip and ¼ the power! It does not have power steering which will mean I get to burn more calories on track. It also does not have ABS. I could induce under and oversteer in it which were both easily managed. I think I am going to love the thing.
My car is Black with RS Orange (of course). There aren’t many options but I did decide on a passenger seat, an adjustable slider for the driver seat, and a Racetech data logger. The car comes with a Racetech digital dash, brake bias adjustment in cockpit, and video.
It is being picked up on June 4th at VIR and I will drive it for the first time at Group 52 or perhaps MMC if I can swing it.
And now come pics….
My baby!
Shots from the factory:
My Chassis being built (#25)
My first drive in an Atom. I have sh*t eating grin under helmet.
06-02-2012, 08:40 PM
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Congrats, Dave!
If you ever want to talk performance benchmarks, let me know. I've got about 600 GB of data and video on these cars!
If you ever want to talk performance benchmarks, let me know. I've got about 600 GB of data and video on these cars!
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www.peterkrause.net
www.gofasternow.com
"Combining the Art and Science of Driving Fast!"
Specializing in Professional, Private Driver Performance Evaluation and Optimization
Consultation Available Remotely and at VIRginia International Raceway
06-02-2012, 10:11 PM
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TMI's plant is at VIR's industrial park.
They're licensees of Ariel Atom in the UK, they took over North America's rights from the remains of Brammo.
They're licensees of Ariel Atom in the UK, they took over North America's rights from the remains of Brammo.
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06-02-2012, 11:32 PM
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dp35 posted one of the quickest laps posted at VIR in these cars, the equivalent of a 2:03-4 at the Glen.
They're pretty cool.
They're pretty cool.
06-03-2012, 01:00 AM
#13
Don't you see what I see? The front of the Atom looks to be quite a bit narrower than the open area in front of the driver/passenger. There is no A-pillar. There is a tube that comes in from the B-pillar/main hoop to the front where the A-pillar would be. That offers side impact protection to the head. But I see very little protection from anything coming from the front.
With the front of the Atom being so low, I could see it going underneath another Atom if things went really wrong. That's where I would be worried. I, personally, would like to see some kind of A-pillar structure with an overhead hoop tied to the top of the A and B pillar hoops. I'd even be happier if there was a diagonal coming from the top of the B-pillar hoop to the cross member where the front damper mounts.
Anyway, I can make any statement I want and you are free to disagree with it. I would not feel safe driving that car. I would feel too exposed. You don't feel that? Great. That doesn't make you right and me a lunatic....
Scott
06-03-2012, 02:16 AM
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Congrats Coochas!
As you know I'm a long time Atom owner, and was fortunate to be a guest driver at a SRA event at VIR last year. If you are on the fence about racing, I'd say go for it with the TMI setup at VIR. I've had some experience racing various cars, tracks, & series, and the SRA setup is the best in all categories. The way they treat the drivers is especially nice.
Whether you race it or not, you'll love this car. One word of advice - patience. If you can't drive it like the Stig at first, take your time & don't push to hard. These aren't like the cars most of us are used to, & they can be a handful. Enjoy learning how to tame that.
As you know I'm a long time Atom owner, and was fortunate to be a guest driver at a SRA event at VIR last year. If you are on the fence about racing, I'd say go for it with the TMI setup at VIR. I've had some experience racing various cars, tracks, & series, and the SRA setup is the best in all categories. The way they treat the drivers is especially nice.
Whether you race it or not, you'll love this car. One word of advice - patience. If you can't drive it like the Stig at first, take your time & don't push to hard. These aren't like the cars most of us are used to, & they can be a handful. Enjoy learning how to tame that.
06-03-2012, 11:26 AM
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Bold? What does my car have to do with this? The answer is absolutely nothing!
Don't you see what I see? The front of the Atom looks to be quite a bit narrower than the open area in front of the driver/passenger. There is no A-pillar. There is a tube that comes in from the B-pillar/main hoop to the front where the A-pillar would be. That offers side impact protection to the head. But I see very little protection from anything coming from the front.
With the front of the Atom being so low, I could see it going underneath another Atom if things went really wrong. That's where I would be worried. I, personally, would like to see some kind of A-pillar structure with an overhead hoop tied to the top of the A and B pillar hoops. I'd even be happier if there was a diagonal coming from the top of the B-pillar hoop to the cross member where the front damper mounts.
Anyway, I can make any statement I want and you are free to disagree with it. I would not feel safe driving that car. I would feel too exposed. You don't feel that? Great. That doesn't make you right and me a lunatic....
Scott
Don't you see what I see? The front of the Atom looks to be quite a bit narrower than the open area in front of the driver/passenger. There is no A-pillar. There is a tube that comes in from the B-pillar/main hoop to the front where the A-pillar would be. That offers side impact protection to the head. But I see very little protection from anything coming from the front.
With the front of the Atom being so low, I could see it going underneath another Atom if things went really wrong. That's where I would be worried. I, personally, would like to see some kind of A-pillar structure with an overhead hoop tied to the top of the A and B pillar hoops. I'd even be happier if there was a diagonal coming from the top of the B-pillar hoop to the cross member where the front damper mounts.
Anyway, I can make any statement I want and you are free to disagree with it. I would not feel safe driving that car. I would feel too exposed. You don't feel that? Great. That doesn't make you right and me a lunatic....
Scott
The actual structure of the chassis is a larger surface area than any of the gaps in the side of the chassis. (see 2nd to last picture) Everything that is hanging in front of that radiator has no structure to it. It's just some fiberglass. The car won't be spearing through like you want to imagine or submarining, it's just not that low. I've had the displeasure of sitting right seat when a driver put one in the tire wall and even squishy tires didn't intrude into the cockpit. The car took a pretty darn good lick and we were able to get it back out on track later that day even.
A-pillar/B-pillar structure. This is a purpose built racecar, not a street car don't use those terms as they don't apply. Main hoop, front hoop yes but talking about pillars just shows a lack of understanding about that type of chassis.
As for the frontal area. It's an OPEN cockpit car. Biggest class in SCCA is open cockpit. F1 is open cockpit. Yes there are some dangers but no different than any other open car. The car does have forward bracing off the main hoop that does a lot to protect the driver.
The SRA is not like the normal atom (no bolt on roll hoops, etc.) and has some extensive development done by guys who engineered for a couple of GrandAm DP teams, various upper level open wheel series and the like. What the pictures don't show is the office area off to one side with all the computers and the associated certifiably smart people running them. I was skeptical of the car at first when they talked about the series but the additions and upgrades to the chassis were well done and addressed the issues I had.
As dp35 says, patience. The car is a great learning tool as it doesn't hide mistakes like most of the cars that people drive on here. It rewards smooth as much as any other car I've driven. It also demands some concentration as well, especially in the wet. A couple years back I was giving charity rides for over 8 hours straight on a wet track. Got home that night and slept for 14 straight hours. I was beat. They are a blast and I always had fun driving one. While the SRA doesn't ahve the supercharger it's still incredibly quick.