The one-make Chevron GR8 Challenge Series makes its debut at the BARC Silverstone race meeting next Sunday, 8 May 2010.
Design and development work for the all-new 2.0L Cosworth YD powered mid-engined competition coupe did not begin until last October. In the space of just over seven months, cars have been completed ready for customers.
Helen Bashford-Malkie, MD of Cheshire-based Chevron Racing Cars, states:
“Given the timescale we went public with at the outset, I sense a lot of people thought it couldn’t be done.
“Our design, engineering and production team have put in maximum effort, working seven days a week virtually since the project got under way. If this wasn’t motor racing and if they weren’t all enthusiasts, it could never have happened. Our suppliers have exhibited equal determination. All those involved have shown tremendous commitment.
“A big motivator has been the collective desire to see the first new coupe design in over forty years to bear the Chevron name on the track, racing.
“The decision to use conventional construction techniques – and avoid the temptations of carbon/aramid composite structures – has obviously helped in meeting the deadlines that were set. This is of course consistent with our objective, which is to provide drivers with an exhilarating racing experience without the levels of preparation, maintenance and repair costs typically incurred by a road-going GT adapted for the track.
“Despite an MSA compliant steel roll cage and a semi-monocoque aluminium sills/platform, the car weighs only 600 kg or so. This makes it extremely agile. Lightness and the 255-260 bhp of the Cosworth YD combine to deliver performance in excess of 400 bhp per tonne.”
Customers who signed up before the Chevron GR8 prototype turned a wheel, together with a group of drivers and teams ready to make the decision after trying the car on a race track, recently had the opportunity to put it through its paces at the Anglesey Circuit.
Following earlier aerodynamic testing, the car now sports a high wing, for which provision was made in the original design. In addition, apart from the inclusion of tail lights, prior to being offered to customers for testing the development car had been fitted will full production standard body panels. In all, the development car, which will also serve as a back-up spare for competitors, has completed more than twenty Chevron GR8 Challenge Series race distances.
Helen Bashford-Malkie comments:
“The customer test day was extremely encouraging. It confirmed our faith in the car’s potential. The verdict of all those who drove it was unanimous – the Chevron GR8 does what it says on the box.
“The field at Silverstone is likely to be restricted to the first six customers. Four further cars are close to completion and we plan to have a second batch of ten ready during June.
“There are getting on for thirty drivers and teams keenly interested in entering the Chevron GR8 Challenger Series who have yet to get their hands on the car. They will have the opportunity shortly after the Silverstone event.
“By the next Series date – 19 June at Brands Hatch – there is every indication the Series is likely to see a field much closer to the twenty cars we initially planned for with the BARC.
With regard to the wider future, Helen Bashford-Malkie comments:
“Internationally, the Chevron GR8 is the only 2.0 litre mid-engined coupe designed from the outset as a customer racer. It fills an evident niche in the market, which is borne out by enquiries we have already received about the possibility of running national Chevron GR8 race series from Sweden, France, Italy, Brazil, the Middle East and North America.”
Entries for the new car have been invited by the organisers of the British GT, Britcar, GT Cup and V de V championships. In readiness, one car has been fitted with air jacks. Which class of the various championships the Chevron GR8 will run in will be determined by after analysis of test results by the respective organisers.
