2007 Yamaha R1 Powered Locost 7

Car Specifications:

Engine: 2003 Yamaha R1
Horsepower: 160
Transmission: 6-speed sequential
Wheelbase: 92"
Vehicle Weight: 1138 lbs
Wheels: Diamond Racing 13x6 Front 13x7 Rear
Tires: 185/60-13 Front 205/60-13 Rear
Weight Distribution: 40/60 F/R

About the car:

This car started as a CMC Stage 1 kit that I took delivery of in December 2001. It became apparent right away that there were a lot of changes that would be need in order to make it work with my componenets and to strenghen the frame. The original front suspention parts were scraped and new geometery was designed and A-arms fabricated to work with the Mustang II spindles and work with the track of the RX-7 rear axle. The original rear end links were scraped as well in favor of heim jointed links with less binding. A Mumford link was used instead of the panhard bar in order the keep the roll center low enough to compliment the front suspension.

Originally, I had planned to used a Toyota 4AGE engine and 5-speed until...one day I got a ride in a R1 powered Locost at Summit Point Raceway. It was kind of a life changing experience of sorts, as this car was a rocket. All those revs and the sequential box were about the coolest things that I had seen short of a sports racer. I was sold, and found a low mileage R1 engine with fuel injection with everything needed to run it for less than the cost of rebuilding the 4AGE. Not to mention the engine AND transmission together weight just 150 lbs.

The body, with the exception of the fenders and nose, is entirely hand formed from aluminum panels. To save time and money Pre-finished orange panels were used wich worked out well. The panels came with a protective film that allowed them to be shaped without getting damaged.

I am not going to detail the whole project here, but I do have an online build diary that documents the entire project from start to "finish". It can be viewed here:
Project Seven

I spent a little over five years building this car, but it should have been more like two. Life and other priorites have a knack for getting in the way from time to time. With a big push during the course of 2006 the car has finally been declared "finished" as of March 2007. Finished only means that it is presentable and can be safely driven at autocross and track events. It now starts the development process...

The first outing for the car was the weekend of March 10/11 at a Blue Ridge Region SCCA test and tune and autocross event. The car performed flawlessly and had good chracteristics overall with a little bit of understeer being the only glaring problem. The car drove well enough to get FTD for the event, even on hard compound "skinny" DOT R compound tires. I couldn't have been happier with the first outing. The car will hit the track at VIR with NASA at the end of March.

About the driver:

Jeff Underwood has been a long time car nut and has been a regular motorsports participant since 1998. He started autocrossing in '98 and was able to garner four regional CSP championships as well as be awarded regional driver of the year in 2002. Jeff started driving track events as early as 1999. During the course of a few years, as budget allowed, he worked his way though the student ranks and was certified to instruct in 2005. He currently instructs events with Tarheel Sports Car Club, Mid-Atlantic Alfa Romeo Club, BMW CCA, and NASA. Jeff has also been an active participant in the THSCC Time Trial series since 2005 with a few class wins to his credit.

Why should I be picked for the GRM Ultimate Track Car Challenge?

That one is easy. It is because of GRM that I got into this whole mess in the first place. When they started runing adds for the CMC Stage 1 Locost kits on the back cover, that is when I discovered Locosting. Once I started researching them, I knew that this was gong to be the best bang for the buck project for me. So it is only fitting now that the car is finished that it should participate in a contest put on by the group that helped me discover it in the first place.

Additionally, this car was really built with the track in mind. There have been various safety related additions added and most of the design considerations are track oriented. With the lightweight and good horsepower, it should make for a solid contender.

Thanks for reading!