The F3 Register

[richban]

After a play at the vic club last year and a taste of the Suzuki series in F3. I am hooked. I will be back this year.

For me its the perfect class. I love building and tuning bikes. And love racing. Its a great class that embraces innovation and out of the box thinking. Its one of the last real Formula classes in NZ. Lets keep it alive.

I keep hearing talk that it is dying. Well I will do what I can to keep it alive. Hence this thread. Below is my bike an NSR MC21 dry clutch 300. Its a fab bike to ride. About as close to a proper GP bike as you can get. This season it will have upgraded barrels that will see some proper power. Its goes all day and does not eat rubber. She's a heavy drinker but no ones perfect. Man its taught me a thing or 2 about riding and setup.

So if you have something in the shed already or you are building something maybe post up some pics here. It will be cool to see what people are building and thoughts on the class as a whole. For fecks sake. Lets change the name back to F3. Superlite does not sound right to me?

[Mental Trousers]

Best class there is if you ask me.

For my bike there's only 1 rule, 3 cylinders <= 450cc. There's not many more rules for other engines either. It doesn't matter what configuration of cylinders or cycle your bike is there's no incentive to cheat because you can do so many other things to get power. You can be as creative as you like. There's a 1 litre single cylinder I'd love to try sometime and there's only 1 class where I can use it.

[Grumph]

I'm in a difficult position re the current setup, with open fuel the capacity breaks made sense, IMO they don't now.
Also while I realise that the 400 fours the class was designed around are no longer current and to keep the class alive it was necessary to introduce the 650 twins, I don't like it as that has obsoleted so much machinery.
If you want to run a big fourstroke single, agitate for open fuel again as without it you're pushing shit uphill.

[richban]

I'm in a difficult position re the current setup, with open fuel the capacity breaks made sense, IMO they don't now.
Also while I realise that the 400 fours the class was designed around are no longer current and to keep the class alive it was necessary to introduce the 650 twins, I don't like it as that has obsoleted so much machinery.
If you want to run a big fourstroke single, agitate for open fuel again as without it you're pushing shit uphill.

I think the rules are working well. Did you watch any of the nat's at all? The 4 fastest bikes at Taupo were a 450 single a 450 4 a 450 3 and a 650 2. And if you put someone fast on a 300 2 smoke you are quite well covered. Its working.

The next project for me will be a 690 duke in an NSR roller. I have the roller. 80hp with almost the same toque's will be competitive on NZ tracks and a real weapon on the street circuits.

[steveyb]

There is no reason why the rules need to remain the same as they are now, even agreeing that the current structure is working well.
If you have good reason for changing a rule(s), prepare a proposal with good research and good writing and submit it to MNZ for consideration.
I think that the fuel thing is a good example, though it is unlikely that MNZ would consider making fuel 'open' but would be open to at least Avgas or FIM100, I would think.
In reality though, does anyone need anything more exotic than that?

I think that there might now also be a case for allowing 250GP bikes into the class, perhaps with an model year limit of 2000?

I know that the boys who built/run the class leading Kawasaki 450 are thinking about putting the engine into a modern chassis. So development is being thought about and maybe planned.
There are so many ways to skin a cat in Formula racing, that it always makes sense to keep massaging rule structures to allow new ideas a place to take hold.

I personally have not always been an advocate for F3 at the national level, but I am happy to be proven wrong and to support innovation (after all that is what I do for a living). While 250GP bikes might not be all that innovative, there are a few around sort of looking for a place to run and this could be it. In support of the argument, I know that if I race my bike at National level in F3, I am not going to be anywhere near Zane or Av or Gav and that lot. Another rider on it, maybe. But that is why one would think about a model year limit.

Anyway, good stuff.

[richban]

I personally have not always been an advocate for F3 at the national level, but I am happy to be proven wrong and to support innovation

Good to hear. If they were slow and boring then I think yeah, why at National's. But they are far from slow or boring. We just need more of them. Superbike lap from Hampton 01:03.734. Super Sport lap 01:05.263. F3 lap 01:09.632. Bit of rounding and its about 3 seconds difference. So maybe a good stepping stone if you want to go onto 600's or 1000's. Or come from 250 production.

[Mental Trousers]

I think that the fuel thing is a good example, though it is unlikely that MNZ would consider making fuel 'open' but would be open to at least Avgas or FIM100, I would think.

10.17.1 The following classes shall be restricted to petrol having maximum
characteristics not exceeding “Avgas or Unleaded FIM” as defined in Appendix
E. ......... All Road Race classes except those classes listed in
10.17.2 and 10.17.3.

Superlite isn't listed in 10.17.2 or 10.17.3 so can use avgas to 108MON or unleaded up to 100MON.

Pretty sure Chris Osbourne has been running a 50/50 avgas/petrol mix in recent times on his 450 triple. Like it doesn't make enough grunt already

[FROSTY:Me]

Im heading back on into F3 again I think. But this time Ill do it properly.
Start with a decent late model base bike and build it up from there.
greg has proven what can be done with the R6, ozzie with an older Gixxer 600
But what if you start with a lighter bike with better bottom end and mid range to start with?
MMMM.
did think the K7 was a good start till I got talking about the L2 engines.

[richban]

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21135/lot/413/

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9418

[allribs]

I raced f2 for a year and found it to expensive to run at top level,also all I could do in my man cave is polish it and change the oil.
So went back to f3 and being a engineer I built a rs 450,real exciting to ride,reliable,cheap to build,set of tires last ages.
Raced at nats last weekend,awsome close racing with Avalon and Zane with 3 completely different bikes.
I wont be changing from f3.

[richban]

I raced f2 for a year and found it to expensive to run at top level,also all I could do in my man cave is polish it and change the oil.
So went back to f3 and being a engineer I built a rs 450,real exciting to ride,reliable,cheap to build,set of tires last ages.
Raced at nats last weekend,awsome close racing with Avalon and Zane with 3 completely different bikes.
I wont be changing from f3.

Good to hear mate. I am saving me penny's now to do the Nationals and Suzuki series this year.

When yah get a mo could you post up some pics of yah bike.

Whats yah address? I'll send you some pie's

[quickbuck]

When yah get a mo could you post up some pics of yah bike.

#45

https://plus.google.com/photos/11723...10642550232767

https://plus.google.com/photos/11723...10642550232767

https://plus.google.com/photos/11723...10642550232767

https://plus.google.com/photos/11723...10642550232767

https://plus.google.com/photos/11723...10642550232767


Photos by Andrew Phillipson at Rd 4 NZSBK 2015.

[allribs]

Good to hear mate. I am saving me penny's now to do the Nationals and Suzuki series this year.

When yah get a mo could you post up some pics of yah bike.

Whats yah address? I'll send you some pie's

tiddles2@slingshot.co.nz,was good to see your mate Richard out there on his 300 at Taupo,shit they sound good

[quickbuck]

was good to see your mate Richard out there on his 300 at Taupo,shit they sound good

Yeah, they go well and a 600 of similar age has to be really peddled to keep up with them too

[richban]

tiddles2@slingshot.co.nz,was good to see your mate Richard out there on his 300 at Taupo,shit they sound good

Yeah they do sound good. In 4 weeks there will be 4 of them ready for the track. Couple of others thinking about it. That should help the F3 fields.