Wolf Direct Racing/Lair Motorsport Dallara Icsunonove
The main project car for The-Lair Motorsport is our very own Fiat X1/9 based racer. The design is closely based on the cars created by Dallara in the mid-70s for GT racing. Originally these cars utilised the very effective 1300 SOHC engines designed by Lampredi but later moved on to use the larger 1500 SOHC in conjunction with a custom fabricated 16v cylinder head. Success was mixed for these cars but they did prove that the underlying car was a tool capable of beating much more expensive and powerful cars.

The availability of the Dallara engines is virtually non-existant, as are the cars themselves so we are forced to use a replica but that doesn't mean we have to take second best. The car in question has been purpose built to take the class B fight to the very front and give the dominant class A super tourers something to think about but the twist in the tale is that the status of the car in class B is no longer possible, the rules have changed and now it is all out war to take up the fight in class A.

Specification*:
Fiat X1/9 1300 shell, stripped of external panels and subframed to reach the minimum permitted weight for class A in LMA Eurosaloons
Replica lightweight Dallara body panels (based on originals as supplied to the UK by Dallara) with some adaptation to use Abarth rear engine cover and engine breather
WDR tuned 1384cc 8v SOHC Turbo engine
Custom specified Garrett T25 turbocharger
5 speed close-ratio gearbox with viscous coupling
DTA S80 engine management
Rollcentre Roll Cage triangulated to suspension pickups with additional front and rear subframes
Sparco Race Seat
Sabelt 6-point Race Harness
GAZ Coilover Suspension
DTA Integrated Digital Dashboard
Custom 50l Fueltank
Electronic Controlled Lifeline 360 Extinguisher System
Compomotive CXR Alloy Wheels
Avon Competition Tyres (Slicks and Wets)

*Much of the above specification is based upon the initial requirements - the car is still being finished and the specification is subject to change.

The primary aim of the build is to recreate the Dallara Icsunonove with adaptations to bring the battle to the latest supertourers. With a turbo equivalence of 1.4 (very low, this is normally 1.7 under MSA rules) this means the 1400cc Fiat turbo engine is an excellent choice for the original requirements but even in class A the relatively low weight of the setup means we can expect great things. The best expected figures for the engine in full race trim is in excess of 270bhp, combine this with the minimum weight limit of just 675kg and the power to weight ratio comes to a very credible 400bhp/tonne, something the supertourers can only dream about. Sadly we can only dream of the sort of investment that went into the supertourers' suspension setups so in balance we should be able to reach comparable performance over the course of a lap. The short wheelbase of the Dallara coupled with low weight should lead to nimble handling but faster corners could prove more troublesome so we expect to dominate at shorter tracks where the agility of the car should leave the bigger tourers behind.

Once again there is a twist in the tale, the reason for the change in rules is down to the dominance of a single Exige in class B in 2007, dominant to the degree that an outright race win was possible, a real achievement. Rather than the super tourers the targets are the same Exige that caused the rule change and the winner of class A - a factory backed Noble M12 GT3R.

Alongside all this work there are options opening up to run the same car as a guest in a couple of other series, the most likely candidate being the future classics run by the CSCC. A great opportunity for some great racing but it has to be on road tyres which is something the car was never conceived to work with. Road tyres simply don't come in those sizes any more (if they ever did) but I've managed to find some new Hoosier road racing spec tyres (thats circuit racing to us in the UK). More problems though, they haven't started making them quite yet.