The Hyper Racer is a relatively low-cost, high-performance circuit racing open-wheel car for both seasoned and aspiring racing drivers. Manufactured by Racing Cars International P/L, in Melbourne Australia, the Hyper Racer X1 was designed and built by the founders, father-and-son team Jon Crooke (Director of Design) and Dean Crooke (Director of Engineering and Product Development).
Design
The Hyper Racer's design is unusual for a modern high-performance open wheeler, in that it uses a chrome-moly space frame chassis rather than a Carbon-fiber Monocoque, primarily to reduce manufacturing and repair costs. The suspension features relatively few adjustments, to limit the difficulty of setup for inexperienced drivers. It also uses Ground effects and a relatively large front and rear wing, to increase downforce to increase cornering speeds and improve handling at the expense of top speed.
The Hyper Racer is powered by a largely unmodified Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine producing 195 hp (144 kW). It uses the Hayabusa gearbox with shifting controlled by a sequential shifter to the right of the driver's wheel, and a Centrifugal clutch, eliminating the need for a clutch pedal.
The car uses a Formula 3 tyre, manufactured by Hankook.
The Hyper Racer weighs approximately 400 kilograms dry.
Series
The Hyper Racer X1 has been used for a one-make racing series in Victoria, Australia since 2022. In 2024, the series added interstate rounds and acquired the rights to represent the Australian Drivers' Championship.
Worldwide
The Hyper Racer X1 is available in Australia, the US and the UK/Europe.
References
- Breslin, Mike (November 2023). "Archived copy". Racecar Engineering. pp. 39–45. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Williams, Bruce (2 March 2024). "Motorsport Australia sanctioning rival claims prestigious Australian Drivers Championship title". Auto Action. Retrieved 26 May 2024.