Racing a 50 year-old FF1600 vs a Modern day FF1600

Many innovations and changes have happened in 50 years but how does that effect the chassis characteristics or what you learn from driving the car? Here I will dive into the small but meaningful advances and differences between the cars on how they drive , what they teach you as a driver and what type of skills are required to extract the most out of the cars.

Starting off with how the cars feel , how they perform underload and in different conditions. The classic car is softer with a more box like shape to the chassis. The car tends to stick to the track more than the modern car and not allow for as much on edge movement. What I mean by this is the car feels more safe and further away from being on the edge of its grip. The modern car is built more aerodynamically with a pointed front and an angular body style. Furthermore the chassis is much stiffer with the frame having more chassis tubes to increase rigidity and decrease flex. This makes the car less grippy and allows the car to move about on the track more. This is critical as it allows the driver to push the car further to its edge of performance , extracting more laptime out of the car instead of being over-gripped by a softer chassis.

Classic FF1600 vs Modern FF1600

Additionally due to the modern car's stiffness it allows for more pin-point precision with the steering allowing for the driver to push harder with a more responsive car, in comparison the classic ff1600's softer chassis means your steering inputs are less precise as the chassis rolls more into corners instead of being closer to its limit on the edge of grip.

Neither car is harder to drive but requires different skill sets. The classic car has more room for error as it is softer allowing the driver to make mistakes that don't end up in loosing control but loosing time. As the car is softer you have to be precise with the car to extract the most out of it and get as close to its limit as you can yet due to the configuration of the chassis it takes a lot of time and skill to be able to push the car to its limits with its softer response to input. In comparison the modern car is able to reach its limit faster as it is stiffer and responds better to driver inputs allowing it to be closer to it's limit of grip , whereas the mistakes can cost much more than just time as loosing the car is easier due to being on the edge of grip.

The RP21 a 50 year-old FF1600

Drivers are required different driving styles to maximise performance between a classic ff1600 and a modern ff1600. A classic car requires a less aggressive driving style, allowing the car to get through the corner instead of forcing it through the corner as then the rear of the car will sit back down and grip up and make the car bog down to lower rpms on corner exit. You need more patience to allow the chassis to use its mechanical grip to get through the corner without being to ambitious and unsettling the car. On the other hand the modern car requires more aggression as it likes being closer to the edge , needing the driver to drive it more through the corner instead of letting the chassis do the work , you still need patience but as the car has a stiffer chassis and allows more movement over the track surface you can have more input and earlier to get the car closer to the edge through the corners instead of waiting for the car.

The Ray GR10 a modern day FF1600

Finally as the cars have differing driving styles and chassis dynamics they both teach drivers different lessons on how to maximise their performance. Starting of with the classic ff1600 it teaches it's driver on patience and allowing the car to do the work without unsettling it , reserving their aggression and for racing other drivers rather than getting the car through a corner. It also teaches how to manage make the most of the softness of the chassis and how to make the most of the grip but also release the car from the corners. In comparison the modern ff1600 requires drivers to still be patient but more aggressive with the car and maximising it's grip through the corners to keep on edge. In addition the driver gets taught on how to drive closer to the limit of the grip but keep themselves consistent and not making mistakes as they usually end with either a big time loss or an accident.