Radical Australia Cup joins the Nationals

[321ignitionmag]

One of the fastest and fastest growing new categories in Australia joined the Shannons Nationals for the first time in 2011, with the Radical Australia Cup now a big part of the popular circuit racing series.

Their opening round was at Wakefield Park during Rnd#1 of the 2011 Shannons Nationals with an enduro event featuring two short sprint races (one for each driver in the instance where drives are shared), followed by a 50-minute endurance race with compulsory pit stop for a driver change (if there are two drivers). In the instance where just one driver goes the whole distance, they must unbuckle and step out of the car during the stop, then jump back in and belt up for the second leg, each stop is a 60-second minimum (or 90-seconds if a professional driver is the second driver) with no tyre change or refueling, and no mechanical mods made to the car.

At Rnd#2 (scheduled as a Nationals event originally when the calendar was struck), the Radical teams were at Phillip Island which was a real eye-opener as the bulk of the field hadn't seen the circuit prior to opening practice on Saturday morning. The event was a 'biduro' with two 50-minute races slated for the weekend (one Saturday afternoon, the other Sunday morning).

In changeable conditions the racing was intense, so much so that the result wasn't set until well after the chequered flag was shown (on both days!). In the end the winner was Radical, the racing as incredible and the teams started a love affair with Phillip Island that despite the cool conditions, is likely to stretch for years to come.

Now it's on to Winton for another enduro event with a championship that is still wide open. If you get the chance, either log on to www.itvlive.com.au on Sunday (June 26) and watch the RAC competitors contest the 50-minute race on Sunday afternoon, or catch them on SBS Speedweek as they go after the V8 Supercar lap record. Not bad for a 1500cc Hyabusa engine in a package that weighs around 550kg and features a full working aero setup, they really are a sight to behold!