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January 2004 – ‘CIRCUIT DRIVER’ magazine ‘On a Mission – Affordable Track Day Supercar Tested’ Mission Accomplished ‘Looking for a cost effective track day car/racer? Then look no further. This is the Mission and at £10,000 there are few ways of going quicker. Circuit Driver took it to Brands Hatch and came away impressed….’ “I just locked myself in the garage for a couple of months and this is what happened”. Doesn’t that annoy you? Said with such casualness as if it were the norm to lock ones self in the garage for a couple of months and emerge with a perfectly formed track day car. Of course, such casualness is not intended, its just how people with an aptitude for engineering are. People like Tom Sadler, who, when asked how it all came about replied as above. I’m just jealous really. None of my great designs have made it past the early stages of school textbook or latterly the note pad next to the phone. I’ve built a couple of Caterhams (with help I hasten to add) but that’s just finishing off what someone else has started. To start afresh, with a blank piece of paper, some metal tubing and a welding machine is beyond my comprehension. I mean where would you begin? Oh, and if that weren’t enough chaps like Tom then decide to market and sell their creations, too. This then is Toms track day car come racer. Aptly named the Mission – because that’s what it was in Toms eyes, a mission to build a track inspired car – it doesn’t look like its been knocked together in a garage. No, it looks more like the product of one of the UK’s many race car manufacturers, which really isn’t surprising, I guess, because that’s what Tom and his company T5 Develpoments now is – a manufacturer of race and track cars. So what exactly have we got? Well, if you were expecting the re-invention of the genre then you’ll be disappointed but, if you want something that is subtly different, and remarkable value, then pay attention. For starters it’s bike powered. Many motors can be accommodated but in Toms demo car it’s an 1100cc Honda Blackbird engine that provides the motivation. Despite its Clubmans style appearance the engine is mounted transversely in the back and uses a chain to drive a Quaife diff. The chassis, predictably, is a spaceframe and suspension is wishbone with inboard front and rear coil over dampers operated by pushrods. There’s a smattering of Ford bits and bobs like uprights, steering rack and brake calipers but don’t let that put you off – a Caterham is no different. Mission Control Toms mission – so to speak- has been to build and supply his car for around £10,000 and that’s exactly what he’s achieved. It may be devoid of fancy bits, but whereas a few years ago such a machine would still be running a Ford Crossflow lifted from the breakers, this has the sophistication of an 11,000rpm, 160bhp Honda engine mated to a sequential six-speed gearbox. That’s progress for you. Time for some progress on the track. Weve picked a truly snotty day at Brands and thanks to the guys at SELOC, who have organized the day, there’s a whole bunch of Elises to play with. I have to say I’m in no real hurry to get out there and for a while the track is shut while conditions ease off a bit. Both Tom and development driver, Gary Davis, are Jockey size so it’s a tight fit for me when I do pluck up the courage to go for a swim, er drive. Gary incidentally spends most of his racing time hustling a Jaguar XJS V12 around in the Jaguar Car Club series. He says he loves the immediacy and verve of something that is surely the complete antithesis of the big bruising Jag. Indeed, Gary is going to be racing the Mission in the 750MC Road Going Bike engined series next year. Strapped in and ready to go and the Mission feels like a proper formula car. The cockpit sides are tall and shoulders are enclosed. Flick the ignition and the fuel pumps click into life. Jab at the starter and the Honda engine leaps into life with a typical high revving shriek. Dip the lightweight clutch and push the sequential lever forward and first clonks in. Slip the clutch (bike clutches are designed for it) a bit to get moving and the track beckons. Direct Response Drive something like this for the first time and it’s the sheer directness and response to your inputs that catches your attention first. You don’t just sit in a race car, you actually wear it. The turn-in is incredible and the throttle response is paper cut sharp. Likewise the gears shift at double the speed of a normal h-pattern gearbox. Peak power on the Blackbird engine is 10,500rpm by which time it’s fairly howling. Each pull back on the lever and the revs barely drop keeping the acceleration at an almost linear rate. Intoxicating stuff. Unfortunately, though, conditions preclude any serious running. It’s just too wet to push on in the corners and get a real feel for grip and general response. That’s not to say that it is devoid of either in the conditions. There is actually a surprising amount of traction and the understeer can be tweaked into oversteer on the throttle quite easily despite having only a narrow powerband. Stability is also helped by a relatively long wheelbase that mimics that of an F3 car. Ultimately, though, there are things that only a dry track will tell you. Still it has put in 47 sec laps at Mallory on Kumho track day tyres, which is hardly shabby and what our session at Brands reveals is a car that is user friendly with nothing lurking to catch you out. oh, and it is easily the fastest thing out there by some margin and for not a lot of money. Indeed, the Mission puts you straight into Radical and Westfield territory in terms of speed and dynamics but without the price tag. No, its hasn’t got the sort of attention to detail and perhaps the looks (although its not far off) or the name, but hey its broadening the market and as with any market it has its place. Currently the Mission weighs
in at around 480kg but tweaks and new lightweight bodywork will reduce
that to under 400kg. Tom is also looking to do away with the chain drive
by adopting the Powertec gearbox as used by Radical. Other Mission builds
have used the Kawasaki Z1200 engine and, of course, the Suzuki Hayabusa. Toms garage built track day Mission has turned him into a manufacturer with an order book to prove it. He’s done it without fanfare of fuss and only now is he prepared to start the marketing push. Its how it should be done we feel and others that have fallen by the wayside would probably agree. We’ll be back to test
the Mission properly when the new lightweight car is built. In the meantime
though, it makes a change not to have to say that we hope it succeeds
because it already has. Steve Bennett :- Circuit Driver |
