The use off the word "Thrash" was to get your attention, but thats how some $500 drivers would veiw it. Without knowing what controls or info you can collect but i can tell you a 4th to 2nd down shift with slicks will over rev your engine if done wrong and a high over speed to say the least will do damage ( hard to control from pit wall ). There are plenty off things a driver could do that wouldn't break it but come close. As for the $1000 excess, prove it was my fault , so no. We run data loging on our car and you can read a race without watching it , different sport but a 200hp 1.5litre na engine is a hi stung engine and would scare most people here approx $15g build. I'm just playing devil avacate, as every else would be after a cheap thrill. ross
proof wont be necessary. it will be clear in the sign on form. if for whatever reason the engine / gearbox / whatever dies, you WILL be liable for the excess whether that be $1000 or whatever amount we decide.
you may want to check the legalities of that pete,i cant see many people giving you carte blanche if you know what i mean
So a vacum hose falls off the fuel reg, leans the engine and because the driver dosen't know the car keeps the pedal down trying to make it happen then pop , please change pistons , not drivers fault , things happen loose wires , don't forget the rent a driver doesn't know the car , so might not be able to save it. I've seen many cars get handed back in a smoding wreck , with no care factor from the driver. I'm not attacking you, been there done that and it can be tough, good luck if you go down that road, just make worth your while , don't worry about the joy riders. ross
there would of course have to be some level of "restrictions" of what they can and cant do for the sake of their and public safetly... no business would just hand over a car and say go for it.... most places that do this sorta thing has an info time before hand and always has "trained" drivers in the car at all times, so things such as loose hoses etc can be picked up while going and can safely have the car stopped and repaired BEFORE damage is done.... being a business man im sure he has taken all of this into consideration while thinking of it
$500 sounds more than fair, however it shouldn't be a case of handing over the keys and letting them loose. There should be some driving instruction course/test before the laps and strict rules and regulations to comply with.
I reckon this sounds like a great idea. I'd love to take something like this for a good spirited RUN on a track, I would feel way too guilty to thrash something like this and honestly there is no way I would drive something like that without some training before hand. I'm no fool. I know how to drive but nothing on that scale, i've only recently begun to really get a feel for my relatively stock TT Zed. So if I was ever to come up to Queensland to have a go, i'd be last person you need to worry about taking the car for a run. Also having an experienced driver with you is a great idea. I'd view it as a 'High Performance Car Driver Training', that would be awesome! Who the hell would want to thrash a Zed? They're so beautiful. Thats something you leave to a WRX, SSS, Lancer or some other crappy 4 cyl... ...hehe. MoulaZX
Thrash is used quite wrong here, if thats what you want people to do then expect the car to die quite soon. If you set it up like the V8 expirience they have here in Perth theres a guy in the car with you and you are told from the start no burnouts, drifting of corners and what not. The idea is to drive a beast like this around just like a pro doing it just like you would under race conditions. Drive the car like an idiot and the guy in the car with you forfeits your drive even if you have laps to go. Also you can charge highway robbery for the video from the in car camera because the videos from the mob out here are not cheap
I'd fly to QLD to compete in a 400kw zed! Can I book a date now? Does it help that I've had a little motorsport experience?
are....you....kidding....me??? LOL On a lighter note, that is a brilliant idea, and any everyday zedder that can't get his car to how they dream it to be, yet, would do this in a heart beat. I would definately pay $500 plus $1000(bond?) for half a day??? Like say 9am to 1 or 2pm with lunch in-between?? Or what you could do is organise a track day. People bring their cars for one hour sessions, befor you bring the race car out for an hour with exclusive use on the track. You could sell ten lap maximum drives per person, while every one has bbq. Then repeat the cycle again. .....shame im in Melbourne.... travel interstate??? Organise an event day in Victoria, i say.
You'd need at least two cars to do this properly, all it would take is one accident or mechanical screw up and a whole bunch of people who are booked in are going to be pissed they cant drive.
Since my little tour of Warwick in the current Amec-mobile I'd be scarred silly to use much more than 1/2 thorttle anywhere Stupid powerful. I don't think that some people realise just how powerful 400rwkw actually is. Thats 0-200 in 10s or so quick. Without a bit of experiance that's too much to handle if your gung ho about it. It would need a VERY strict maintenacne routine, with piles of paperwork to show the car was indeed in fit-for-racing condition and mechcanically sound. There is also a lot of workplace health and safety crap that goes along with it. If you need any help with that let me know.
Chrispy 400KW feels alot more sedate on a race track then the street. thanks for all the feedback guys! obviously this wont happen for a while, the car still needs to be built. And all the legalities and conditions etc etc will need to be sorted out. yep if you do blow the motor, regardless of the circumstances, bad luck. you can do this or build your own $40K race car. you are clearly made aware of the risks and potential expenses before you sign on the dotted line. So please Ross, come and thrash my race car. Damage excesses would be something like: blown motor - max $5000 blown gearbox - $1000 rollover / panel damage - max $3000 damaged suspension - max $3000 damaged wheels - max $3000 popped tyre - $100 per tyre damaged brakes (if as result of accident not general wear and tear) - max $3000 broken diff - $1500 broken tailshaft - $700
should it go ahead, you could do a fastest track times board like in the reasonably price car challenge (top gear). See how you compare to others you might know, and pete you could be the STIG, the benchmark.
Great idea Pete but I think that you will have problems with a decent client base. I know that all of us zedders will be keen as to drive a 400kw Zed but I don't think you will get much interest from the non Zed public. The reason that the V8 experience does so well is that its what Australian mainstream motorsport is based on. We them on TV every second weekend, V8 = Racecar. Don't get me wrong I love my Zed and love taking it to the sprints and I absolutley love the they are the black sheep in the tuning world. But outside of our little community no one really cares for them. They aren't popular with tuners or racers and they have a bad reputation (even thought none of it is true). I don't think public opinion on Zeds is going to change any time. I would consider sleeping with the enemy and building a 400KW GTR. GTR's are better known through all auto community's from tuners to racers and just people who are generally interested in fast cars. Build it to 400KW but leave the factory speed limiter in place to make people focus more on the handling of the car than the top speed. Again I love Zeds and while most of us on the forum will sell our mothers to get to drive a 400KW Zed after we are done I think you will have a problem getting customers.
You prob would be better off bulding a gtr, or anything that isnt rwd. for a novice it can be a handfull. I think it would be a good idea to be in the passanger seat the whole time, that way you have proof of reckless driving.
Not kidding at all. It'd keep costs down and it'd be more to give people who are too scared of taking their own cars out on the track a chance to have a go.:zlove: Mabe have an NA as a learners car... Then if they go ok they can step up to the 400kw monster:zlove:
I hate to be the one to raise this but have you looked into public liability insurance? You will definately need this and it could be very very nasty indeed. Other than that I think it is a great idea and if I am ever up your way would definately be interested.
I doubt there would be that many people wanting to pay a few hundred or even bother paying much at all to thrash an NA around a track. $500-$700 for an afternoon is reasonable, insurance costs will be quite high so a large portion of the price will just be insurance
