Sunday 11 April 1993: some time in the early afternoon. I’m perched on the sofa, transfixed by the TV as the lights go green for the European Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna had qualified fifth in the McLaren-Ford MP4/8, but the dismal weather at Donington Park would play to his strengths.
By the time he crossed the start line again, Senna had passed Karl Wendlinger, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Alain Prost to claim the lead. It might be the greatest opening lap in F1 history.
More than three decades later, that 13-year-old boy is about to complete his own opening lap at Donington Park. I’m strapped tightly into the Radical SR10 XXR, a purpose-built racer with Bugatti-baiting performance and no electronic driver aids. The track is buzzing with traffic and – yes – the rain is absolutely torrential. If only I had a fraction of Ayrton’s ability…
The XXR factor
Founded in 1997, Radical Motorsport assembles 150-200 cars a year at its small factory in Peterborough. In 2009, the SR8 LM made headlines when it lapped the Nurburgring in 6min 48sec, a road car record that stood for eight years. More recently, the company has become known for its single-make Radical Cup. Race series take place around the world, from Canada to Kuwait, with the Radical Cup UK supporting the British Touring Car Championship.
Today, there are four rungs on Radical’s race car ladder: SR1, SR3, SR10 and RXC. The first two use motorcycle-derived engines, the latter a Ford V6, while the SR10 borrows its 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine from the Focus ST. Thanks to a custom Garrett turbocharger, forged pistons, a high-flow exhaust and a Life Racing ECU, however, peak power swells to 425hp. In a car weighing 725kg (or about half a Focus ST), that equates to 0-62mph in just 2.4 seconds.
First launched in 2020, the SR10 has now evolved to XXR specification. Upgrades include a stabilising central fin inspired by Le Mans prototypes, lightweight centre-lock wheels, high-intensity headlights and an optional carbon fibre splitter and diffuser. Wearing a Gulf Racing-style blue and orange livery, my Radical looks race-fit and ready. Its soon-to-be driver? Less so.
Radical SR10: A raw racing car
Coaching me for the day is the very affable Shaun Doyle, who has raced in the British GT Championship and European Le Mans Series – and also teaches wannabe stunt drivers for the film and TV industry. He heads out to warm up the tyres (grooved wets today, rather than the usual slicks), while I loiter apprehensively in the pit garage. The SR10 leaves a huge rooster tail of spray as it rockets along the main straight. “It’s pretty horrible out there,” says a soaked Shaun a few laps later. “We’ll need to be careful.”
I pull on a helmet and neck-bracing HANS device, then drop down into the thinly-padded seat. The yoke-style AiM Formula wheel is festooned with brightly coloured buttons, and has an LCD display to monitor car setup and telemetry data. It’s all a bit bewildering. You need a steady clutch foot and plenty of revs to get underway (I stalled it twice), but the six-speed sequential ’box only requires the paddles once you are rolling.
Filtering onto the track, the steering seems hyperactively alert, while gear shifts go from abrupt to thump-in-the-back brutal. It feels raw and unfiltered, particularly when you’ve just stepped out of a ‘normal’ car. Yet I’m told the SR10’s muscular torque delivery – 380lb ft at 3,900rpm – makes it easier to drive than its peaky, motorcycle-powered siblings. What the Ford engine lacks in high-rev drama, it makes up for in mid-range thrust and relentless, head-spinning speed.
Getting into a spin
the Radical SR10 XXR
Donington is a daunting circuit at first, with swooping changes of elevation and tricky complexes of corners. But by listening to Shaun’s steady commentary over the intercom, following his prompts on when to brake, change gear and turn in, I begin to build confidence and find a sense of flow. Until, on the final lap of my first session, confidence spills over into cockiness and we end up facing backwards on the grass.
I trundle sheepishly back to the pits, then the mechanics check over the car while Shaun changes his wet socks and I glug down sugary tea. We clamber in for another go. The rain is blowing sideways now, and the circuit is busy with Radical Cup drivers giving their race cars a pre-season shakedown. I’m watching my mirrors and squinting through the spray, feeling the car shimmy and twitch, the wheels locking slightly under braking with no ABS. “That was nearly a spin,” warns Shaun as we dive right and left through The Esses. Wow, this is intense.
After another much-needed break, we witness something close to a miracle: a rainbow appears beyond the Craner Curves, the deluge finally abates and the clouds begin to clear. Even better, many of the other drivers have now given up and gone home. Whether this is luck or divine intervention, I’m determined to make the most of it.
Dry and mighty
As the track begins to dry, I push harder, rolling off the brakes more progressively and using the SR10 XXR’s prodigious downforce (up to 450kg) to carry more speed. My arms relax, my inputs become smoother and my lines tidier.
Ever-present on the intercom until this point, Shaun goes quiet and simply lets me drive. I’m still making mistakes, of course, but it feels like I’m working with the car now, mind and body fully absorbed in the process, corner after corner, lap after lap. By the time we pit in, the circuit has almost emptied and so has the Radical’s fuel tank.
For sheer driving excitement, the £132,200 SR10 XXR is difficult to beat. Fast enough to make most supercars look silly, it’s a fantastic toy for track days. Even after a damp day at Donington Park, I’m already addicted. Better still, you could buy one and go racing; the Radical Cup UK visits circuits such as Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Paul Ricard in France. Although hardly cheap, it’s a relatively accessible route into ‘proper’ motorsport. Even future F1 drivers have to start somewhere.
Photos by Andrew Coles. Tim Pitt writes for motoringresearch.com
PRICE: £132,200
POWER: 425hp
TORQUE: 380lb ft
0-62MPH: 2.4 seconds
TOP SPEED: 180mph
WEIGHT: 725kg