Forget Ferraris or Lambos, the Radical SR10 Is the Most Exciting Track Weapon out There

During the mid-1990s, two amateur drivers and engineers named Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott decided that likeminded enthusiasts deserved something better than the Caterham 7 or similar track weapons available on the market at the time.

Thus, they founded Radical Motorsport Ltd. in Peterborough, United Kingdom and went on to develop a crazy open-cockpit racer powered by a Kawasaki motorcycle engine. By 1999, the car dubbed Radical 1100 Clubsport was a successful production vehicle that was selling extremely well. That gave the company enough funds to start a one-make racing series that served to boost its image even further.

As the years went by, Radical remained faithful to the lightweight and high-performance motorcycle engine combo, unleashing a bunch of new models and becoming even more successful.

From street-legal Nürburgring record-breaker to the SR10

Probably the most famous of all Radical machines is the SR8, a track monster that was also road-legal. This model held the all-time production car record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, achieving a lap time of 6:48:28 thanks to its radical design as well as the skill of professional race driver Dominic Dobson.

However, the SR8 with its naturally-aspirated V8 based loosely on two Suzuki Hayabusa engines welded together required a full rebuild after about 30 hours of track use, so Radical sought to offer the same level of breathtaking performance with lower running costs.

This gave birth to the 2020 SR10, another open-cockpit wonder that offers track enthusiasts the same thrills as the SR8 yet doesn’t require a full engine rebuild for at least 80 hours of track punishment.

The secret behind lower running costs

Unlike the SR which uses the bespoke, naturally-aspirated V8 I mentioned above, the SR10 received a 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four which is known for its reliability. While it’s now easy to understand why this choice slashed running costs, some of you will be wondering how can the sixth-gen Mustang’s least-desired engine provide the same level of performance as a V8 derived from two Hayabusa motors?

Well, the answer is simple: this is no ordinary EcoBoost. For starters, its stock turbocharger was swapped with a bigger Garrett unit developed specifically for this application. Furthermore, it gained forged internals, a Life Racing ECU, a custom exhaust, and a dry-sump lubrication system to deal with hardcore track use.

Yes, it doesn’t rev up to 10,500 rpm, nor does it sound as menacing as the SR8’s bespoke RPE RP-V8, but what it can do is spit out 425 ponies, which is more than what the SR8’s base 2.7-liter V8 could make.

Even more impressive, the four-pot is mated to a six-speed Hewland transaxle that was originally designed for Formula 2 cars and the combo, together with a torque-biasing, limited-slip diff, delivers 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels.

It gets even better

I know those figures don’t mean much in an era where track-focused machines from Ferrari, Lamborghini or other supercar manufacturers often make (and sometimes exceed) 800 hp. But, what the SR10 has, and those models don’t is an ultra-lightweight chassis.

Equipped with competition-spec goodies like a pushrod suspension system, the steel tube chassis inspired by Le Mans prototype racers takes the notion of lightweight to another level.

Therefore, the SR10 has a dry weight of only 1,598 pounds (725 kg). That’s nearly half the weight of a Huracan STO and over 1,000 pounds (453 kg) less than the ultra-exclusive, multi-million Ferrari FXX-K.

The track-oriented supercar killer

The mind-blowing SR10 can accelerate to 60 mph (97 kph) in just 2.4 seconds. That’ll make it slightly quicker than the STO or the FXX-K and these are just two random examples. Still, there are few non-electric, track cars that you can buy right now quicker than this astonishing Radical.

On top of that, the car is designed to easily withstand lateral forces of up to 2.3 G. So it corners as well as a full-blown race car.

Sure, the top speed (which was not officially revealed by the manufacturer) is unquestionably lower, but out on track, acceleration and maneuverability are what lead to better lap times. And when it comes to lap times, the SR10 can go head-to-head with a GT3-spec racer and will, quite literally, run circles around track-focused versions of today’s most powerful supercars.

Even more impressive, it’s much cheaper. With a price tag that starts around the $150,000 mark, it’s by no means cheap for most of us, but when compared to models like the STO, which retailed for nearly half of a million at launch, it’s an absolute bargain.

A unique experience

Unlike most track-oriented supercars, you won’t be able to legally drive this Radical on public roads. But if you caught the track bug and you want something radically different buying a trailer or renting a paddock spot is well worth the money. That’s because the SR10 will deliver a driving experience that no supercar can match.

As soon as you climb into the car, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. That’s no easy task because it has no doors, so it requires a bit of acrobatics to succeed. Nevertheless, that effort will make you feel like you’re climbing into an actual Le Mans prototype and not a beefed-up version of an expensive road car.

Once that’s out of the way and you take a few minutes to get used to the spartan, windshield-less cockpit, the real fun can begin. The SR10 has a raw, analog feel to it which can be overwhelming, especially for amateur drivers. It will seem a lot more powerful than it actually is and the ease with which it corners at higher speeds can be downright scary.

However, after two or three warm-up laps, the SR10 invites you to push it closer towards the proverbial edge and you’ll feel confident enough to oblige. As soon as that magic moment of synergy between driver and machine occurs, you’ll be elevated to the driver’s version of Nirvana and forget all about track-focused supercars.

The SR10 delivers a unique, highly addictive experience that makes it more thrilling than a lot of modern supercars. It’s available in Europe as well as North America through Radical’s dealership network and can be customized with a wide range of options, including the XXR package, which adds more aerodynamic goodies that make the car even faster.

If you want to see how it behaves on track, I recommend watching the YouTube video below by Sam Moores.