[lillios]

This has been a long time coming and I have prepared for this slowly over the past year. First I got my Bell carbon fibre helmet and Baclava, then OMP gloves, to finally getting my full OMP race suit with FIA approval and fireproof inners. As splashing all at once would become too much expense for me. And I wanted to get the best as it was a one-time expense on safety.

Coming to the moment:

I had been in touch with JA Motorsport who own and run the formula cars, for some while but due to a lack of proper dates from both sides we had to wait.

When finally it happened I had to write them a mail stating my previous experience on track and that I have driven any other single-seater before. You may require an FMSCI license as well in case you plan to race.

Once it was finalised I was called a day prior for my seating fitting. They had mixed resin and got me a seat made just for my body while I was wearing my full race suit and helmet. It was such a cool experience. I was also given basics on the cars. How the DOG gearbox worked and how the pedals are oriented.

The Experience:

Right from my seat fitting to making me comfortable with the car, JA Motorsport were most professional people. The most intense engine I have driven to date is the new 1.5-litre Honda i-Vtec engine ahead of the old Ford 1.6-litre.

I had to not only get used to the Formula-style seating position but also left foot braking and shifting the Dog-leg box gear which literally has to be yanked down for upshifts and up with a smack of the throttle for downshift. This took almost 3 sessions to get used to and I literally had to keep a tissue in my glove to stop my skin peeling from my palms.

Physically the G forces took a toll on my body. The more I began to push the more physically demanding it became and by the 4th session, my hands were no longer able to hold the steering wheel. I had to pit in between for a break and only do a single lap after that before giving up. My height of 6ft 2 inches also created its own challenges where I took time to get comfortable with pedals, steering and gearshift action as there was not enough room. But the JA motorsport people took all the efforts to the point of adjusting the foam on my seat twice, adjusting the position of the gear knob and taping it with a sponge so my hand doesn’t get blistered. My fitness was truly tested and now I appreciate all the single-seater drivers for their fitness.

I wasn’t able to even get up from the car with my own power after the 4th session and also unable to remove my helmet.

I literally had to fight the steering with no power assistance and bang the gear so hard it felt like I was hurting both the car and myself but that’s the way the car is.

It was a fabulous day of learning and special thanks to Uberwerkstatt, J.D Sir and JA Motorsport for allowing me to drive. It has been a long time coming. I am happy I kept the car on track and improved session by session without any prior experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W78mSZYEU0

[lillios]

Here are some pictures

[ex-innova-guy]

Wow, what an amazing thread! The car revving up to glory on the long straights and the downshifts during corners are a symphony to the ears, and what better way than to do it in a red car!

I'm not sure how fast these are, but shouldn’t these cars also have the Halo safety device, which was introduced due to an accident?

Also, you seemed to have burned a lot of rubber on track. The fronts have grained a lot. Were you offered a fresh set of these tyres in the beginning?

[SidTheChamp]

Congratulations. Driving a formula 1500 car based on F1 cars must be a dream come true.

It's obvious that it's incredibly more difficult to drive than a normal car from the driving position. But can you share more details.

Seating Position: What was your position. How far above it was from ground. Do you sit straight or incline at about 45 degree.

Foot position: Can you bend the feet or it has to be straight.

Brakes and Accelerator Pedal : You stated Brake is on Left foot. That's really an surprise. What about the accelerator.

Steering wheel and gearbox : The gear buttons are on the steering wheel if I'm not mistaken. Can you elaborate on dog box gear.

And finally, what's the benefit of having such weird cars other than looking good on TV. One can achieve similar speed in a super car. How is it at the corners. Can one drive at higher speed at corners in Formula car compared to normal vehicles

[mjk24]

Wow what an experience, congratulations.
Can you cover more on how a layman can experience this in the future and the smaller details?
What are the costs like, what previous track experience do you have, how long was each session, etc?

[lillios]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Wow, what an amazing thread! The car revving up to glory on the long straights and the downshifts during corners are a symphony to the ears, and what better way than to do it in a red car!

I'm not sure how fast these are, but shouldn’t these cars also have the Halo safety device, which was introduced due to an accident?

Also, you seemed to have burned a lot of rubber on track. The fronts have grained a lot. Were you offered a fresh set of these tyres in the beginning?

These cars have roll over hoop on front and the top of the intake, which is measured using a long scale to ensure that in case of a rollover, the driver's head doesn't touch the ground.

The tyres look grainy, but they had lot of grip. And yes, they did change front tyres once.

Originally Posted by SidTheChamp

Congratulations. Driving a formula 1500 car based on F1 cars must be a dream come true.

It's obvious that it's incredibly more difficult to drive than a normal car from the driving position. But can you share more details.

Seating Position: What was your position. How far above it was from ground. Do you sit straight or incline at about 45 degree.

Foot position: Can you bend the feet or it has to be straight.

Brakes and Accelerator Pedal : You stated Brake is on Left foot. That's really an surprise. What about the accelerator.

Steering wheel and gearbox : The gear buttons are on the steering wheel if I'm not mistaken. Can you elaborate on dog box gear.

And finally, what's the benefit of having such weird cars other than looking good on TV. One can achieve similar speed in a super car. How is it at the corners. Can one drive at higher speed at corners in Formula car compared to normal vehicles

Because I am tall, I had to sit almost flat and yes, I could bend the foot on the brake slightly, while the gas pedal was operated by my right foot and it was in the flat position.

There is only page up and down button on the steering to check errors, lap times and vital temperatures.

I think there are lots of videos on Dog gearboxes on YouTube. You can have look at them for getting a better understanding.

These cars are by no means weird. They are built purposefully to go fast and they do it with ease. For example, to achieve the same lap time of these cars on MMRT track, you need to drive hypercar. Even a supercar falls short by a few seconds. So cost per lap time is incomparable.

Originally Posted by mjk24

Wow what an experience, congratulations.
Can you cover more on how a layman can experience this in the future and the smaller details?
What are the costs like, what previous track experience do you have, how long was each session, etc?

You need to get your own equipment as I have mentioned in my post above. It's a one time expense, but that's what separates those who are serious about driving these cars from the rest.

You can contact JA Motorsport directly, using the number provided in their Instagram account, but I would recommend prior track experience (any old Polo or Etios cup rental cars / F1300 LGB cars) with at least 50 laps under your belt and lots of upper body gym exercise.

The cost is basically for 4 sessions of 25 minutes each in a day with breaks in between and there is a refundable deposit for damage to be made. I can't tell exact the figures as JA Motorsports are the people who decide.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by SidTheChamp

Brakes and Accelerator Pedal : You stated Brake is on Left foot. That's really an surprise. What about the accelerator?

There is an interesting thread on TBHP where some people who drive automatics do use left foot for braking!

Steering wheel and gearbox : The gear buttons are on the steering wheel if I'm not mistaken.

I think this car didn't have paddle shifters like the F1/F2/F3 cars.

Can you elaborate on dog box gear?

Here is an excellent video of the same.

https://youtu.be/RikzgmPvmnE?si=jYi7zh8boNhyWiKL