BRCA Circuit National Bodyshells

which ones the favourite?

what handling traits does each have?

name any others that I may have missed

Speed 6

I've only used one shell at the Nationals - the GT3 Ascari. I really like the handling of this shell, as well as its looks. The only down side for me is the way that the rear end feels so thin and flimsy but, saying that, I've used mine for 3 months now and it has no splits anywhere. It is tougher than it looks!

As for other shells, these are the ones that most racers favour at our club:-

Lotus - This one has the most front end grip of all the popular shells. We find it useful when we set out a tighter and more technical track. Most of us use the larger rear wing off the Mazda to help stabalise the rear end a bit on the higher speed sections of the track.

Mazda - this seems to be the most popular if you're after a neutral handling shell. If we set a higher speed track, or if I run at clubs with larger tracks full stop, this is my favourite.

Ascari - as I said, my favourite overall. We find that its handling is right between the Mazda and Lotus - more stable at high speed than the Lotus but more steering at lower speed than the Mazda. A couple of us have been experimenting with using 3 identical wings on this shell, but moving their mounting position forwards / backwards. We have found that just a 5mm change in wing mounting position has quite significant effects on handling. Moving the wing on this shell seems to have more of an effect than on other shells.

Calibra - only a few drivers use this one and most seem to have picked it for its aggressive looks and 'cool' front end moulding rather than for its handling characteristics. When I tried one a few years back I found to quite a neutral shell. However, the complex front end shape split more easilly than other 'smoother' shells. It also seems to sit quite high on the chassis and some drivers think this might have contributed to their grip roll problems.

GT2 "Wdege". Again, this is a popular shell with our members. Its handling really depends on exactly how you mount it - 2mm forward can promote aggressive steering while 2mm back can promote understeer. Front and rear wheel arch mouldings don't seem to sit too well if you are running a shorter wheelbase on the CE chassis.

Hope this helps,

James

Other that I've not listed

so what are the other four apart from the Speed 6 Gazza mentions?

Ascari's ordered