Speedway...

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FTO-Love-Affair
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Speedway...

Post by FTO-Love-Affair »

So, a couple of years ago I used to race at speedways, dirt track ones, and my whole family still races. Both my mother and step father race in a division called Fender Benders, both with old Falcons fitted with roll cages, where the rules allow drivers to smash into other racers in order to win. My sister drives a Lancer in the Junior Sedan division and her boyfriend has two cars - and old Falcon for Fender Benders and a Honda CRX for the Open 4 Cylinder class.

On the weekend I was lapscoring for Gilgandra Speedway and was thinking how an FTO would go on the track... They're not all that dear to buy, and it isn't too much to strip and put a rollcage in. It wouldn't matter if I got an auto or manual cause I have a spare manual gearbox with a fucked 4th gear, not a problem seeing as you never go past 3rd. I could sell all the parts out of the car and make most of my money back from buying it, and keep stuff for my road car.

I don't think it'd matter too much if it was a GPX or GR, although more power is great, the only thing is what class to put it in. I'd have to research the exact rules and either put it in a bigger class with a heap of old Commodores and Falcons, or find out what other cars the 1.8 4 cylinder engine went in and drop one of those in and put it in a 4 cylinder division.

Just wanted to hear what toughts you guys had on this... If I saved up over the next few years and did it all it'd almost certainly be the only FTO in speedway in Australia I believe.

Whilst I'm here I most well put some photos up of my old racecar, a late 80's model Ford Laser. Only had a 1.3 engine, but still managed to keep up with and occasionally beat 1.6 EFI twin cams as well, so it did well. It also never died, I run races without the fans turned on and it still ran fine. It didn't run so fine after I smashed it into a wall one night head on, screwing up the rollcage, pushing the engine backwards to the firewall and giving myself a good lot of black bruises too.
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Sahin
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Re: Speedway...

Post by Sahin »

f**k yeah do it i got a shell you can use
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Technikhaus
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Re: Speedway...

Post by Technikhaus »

Man '96 FTO GPX
Man '89 Legacy RS Rally car
Man '90 MR2 GT
Auto '08 Fairmont Ghia
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FTO-Love-Affair
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Re: Speedway...

Post by FTO-Love-Affair »

This does give me an idea of what I would do, thanks for finding that. If I was to do one the rollcage would be thicker and of a slightly different design, and the radiator and fans would be up where the left hand rear passenger seat would have been due to stricter rules regarding speedway safety regulations, but it is fairly close to what it would look like.

I'd also want to do the car in black, with a red rollcage and I'd thrw in a couple of FTO logo's here and there, not interrupting the main spots as I'll reserve them for sponsors. On a speedway track though, they'd absolutely hammer. I've seen a FWD Honda Civic smash the bigger Falcons and Commodores, I'd assume because it weighed so much less and was FWD, which I think gives much better handling on a speedway track, you don't just go sideways. The same would go for the FTO, only it has more power the the Civic.
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ZFL45H1
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Re: Speedway...

Post by ZFL45H1 »

Is that a white fto in the 10th pic of that link as well
gotta get there one day :)
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FTO-Love-Affair
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Re: Speedway...

Post by FTO-Love-Affair »

I think it is...
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ZFL45H1
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Re: Speedway...

Post by ZFL45H1 »

:D
gotta get there one day :)
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Shane001
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Re: Speedway...

Post by Shane001 »

FTO-Love-Affair wrote:I'd also want to do the car in black, with a red rollcage and I'd thrw in a couple of FTO logo's here and there, not interrupting the main spots as I'll reserve them for sponsors. On a speedway track though, they'd absolutely hammer. I've seen a FWD Honda Civic smash the bigger Falcons and Commodores, I'd assume because it weighed so much less and was FWD, which I think gives much better handling on a speedway track, you don't just go sideways. The same would go for the FTO, only it has more power the the Civic.
The FTO is a much bigger, heavier car than the Civic (their almost the same size as a MkIV Supra), and without turbo you wouldn't get near their power to weight ratios. Also the FTO doesn't really handle the same as a lightweight front wheel drive. Don't get me wrong, interesting idea, but sadly on any track a well setup Civic will leave the FTO for dead (unless turbo).
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FTO-Love-Affair
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Re: Speedway...

Post by FTO-Love-Affair »

Good old dirt track speedways don't allow turbochargers in any of the divisions I could put an FTO in. I also know the Civic, which runs in my area once a year if that, has had more money then a tow truck could pull put into it. I know my power to weight ratio would be better then about every other car though, and depending what track I race on should do well. The two closest tracks to me are both clay, so at the start of the night they're like glass to drive on, then as the night goes on progress to a sticky mud, then a hard tacky surface - good for grip. A few others a but further away (The Civic's stomping ground lol) are granite, which is a whole new ballgame where power to weight ratio and outright power plays an even bigger role.

I think the advantage lies in having the handling of a FWD car against RWD cars on a track that I believe favours FWD cars in the lower divisions. The power to weight ratio of an FTO against Falcons and Commodores helps too.
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Nath
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Re: Speedway...

Post by Nath »

I miss the good old speedway days here in Newcastle (wish it didn't close down). My Dad raced there most of his life, built his own Super Sedans etc. I ventured into rally with my love for EVO's but work and family have put all that on hold for now.
I hope you go through with it. I think you would kill them with a stripped out FTO especially being FWD like you said.

Please post pics if/when you start the adventure :o
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