Nov. 10, 2010  Jupiter Fla. - In conjunction with Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), Radical East USA announced today they will launch a new racing Series aimed toward creating competitive cost-effective open cockpit prototype racing for the gentleman driver.
 
Featuring the highly successful open cockpit Radical SR3 RS Le Mans-style prototype racer,  the series is slated to appear at HSR events throughout North America. The tentative 5 race schedule will feature such historic venues as Sebring International Raceway, the road course at Daytona Speedway and the scenic natural terrain circuit of Road Atlanta, home to such legendary events as the 10 hour Petit Le Mans and 'The Mitty.'

• Looking to build on the increasing worldwide popularity of Radicals unique single marquee racing concept, Radical East USA proposes a new Spec series with emphasis on cost effective competitive racing for gentleman drivers utilizing the New Radical SR3 RS. The RS is built to be a forgiving, fun to drive sports racer with the driver piloting an open cockpit Lemans prototype style race car.  The Driver sits surrounded by a carbon steel space frame chassis forming an integral safety cell featuring an aluminum honeycomb front crash structure complying with FIA Production Sports Car Crash Test.  Power comes from the reliable 1340cc double overhead cam 4 cylinder Powertec Suzuki K8 “Busa” dry sump engine with extended refresh schedule and sealed ECU, delivering 210bhp / 130 ft lbs through a 6 speed manual sequential transmission and a Quaiffe limited slip gear drive system. The two seater cockpit, ideal for driver training. Four pot Radical calipers with vented discs on each corner endear the SR3 RS with awesome stopping power. The uncanny grip is provided by the high down force Aero Pak working with Bespoke Dunlop slick tires. Weight is 1320#.

Johnston won a coveted driver's seat in America's premier sports car race by scoring the highest average point total among registered drivers competing in the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, the Radical UK Cup and the SPEED sports prototype series in 2009. Johnston, a 47-year-old resident of Nottingham, has won the Radical UK Cup the past two years, in addition to winning Radical's European Masters championship.

Radical SR8 driver Derek Johnston rounded off his motorsport season in style, scooping a ‘hat-trick’ of prizes at this weekend’s Radical European Masters round in Dijon, France. Derek is the inaugural winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona Driver Challenge presented by Sunoco, after two calculated drives in challenging conditions.

Johnston won both the 2009 Radical European Masters Driver’s title and class title on Sunday, but had done all he could in pursuit of the Sunoco drive at the final round of the Radical UK Cup at Snetterton two weeks ago.

• 1 Radical SR3 1300cc
• 5 laps behind the wheel with an instructor at your side
• 2 laps in the passenger seat while our pro drivers take YOU for a ride

• 1 Radical SR3 1300cc
• 1 30-Minutes session behind the wheel with an instructor at your side

German motoring magazine Sport Auto oversaw the attempt, with the UK’s evo magazine confirming the time, which will be officially finalised tomorrow (Thursday). Conditions for the record were perfect, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 20s. Vergers initially battled with the Nordschleife’s fearsome kerbs, jumps and bumps, but soon found the ideal setup, inspiring confidence to push harder.

“The car was great, I could push really hard and it felt clearly faster than the previous SR8 in 2005,” said Vergers. “It’s fantastic that we’ve beaten the record; hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to return with Radical in the future.”

Radical co-founder Mick Hyde said: “I’m obviously delighted, the record has been a real team effort headed up by Phil Abbott and Rob Wheldon. Dunlop have supplied us with brilliant, hard-wearing trackday tyres, indeed we’ve only used one set to both drive to the ‘Ring, and set the record. “We’ve proved that the SR8LM is not only the world’s best trackday car, but it’s also practical enough to drive to and from the circuit. It is a genuine production sportscar, with genuine performance credentials, as we’ve shown today.”

Click here to see the photo gallery!