The Class:
F-Modified
The Guru:
Paul Magee
It must be asked, why would anyone in his or her right mind run in F Modified? They鈥檙e perceived by many as obnoxious, loud, and belch oil smoke into the air. Paul has found, after having run in Stock, ST, Street Mod and Mod classes, with the possible exception of K-Mod, you quite simply cannot go faster or have more fun in Solo competition for the money. And unlike karts, F-Mod doesn鈥檛 require special suits, kidney belts, site-specific gearing changes, or to be pushed to grid on a cart.
The Pitch:
Do you like rear wheel drive? Check. How about high power to weight ratios and lots of torque? Got it. Can鈥檛 afford the latest in remote-reservoir beryllium shaft, gold-plated shocks from Luxembourg? Those shocks cost more than our whole cars. Tire drama getting you down? We know nothing about tire drama in F-Mod.
F-Mod is derived from the Club racing classes of F440 / F500. Those classes were formed in the 80鈥檚 with the express purpose of allowing people to enter into open-wheel racing as cost effectively as possible. And for the most part the rules in place today still emphasize affordability. Carburetors-only means a low-cost fuel system. Shocks aren鈥檛 allowed. Aero is limited to rear diffusers, thus discouraging expensive bodies.
When it comes to driving, there are two types of people: those that love it, and those that haven鈥檛 yet driven one. Don鈥檛 believe it? Drive one and see how long it takes you to ask, "How much does one of these cost?" or 鈥淗ow much are tires?鈥� or "What do you need to get started?"
The Scoop:
Finding a car isn鈥檛 tricky at all. Finding one that鈥檚 a solid performer out of the box may require a little more patience, but they鈥檙e still very attainable. At any given moment, there are multiple choices available online. A popular place to keep tuned in is . Cars can occasionally be found on eBay, but it鈥檚 better to find one from within the community where people know its history.
Prices can range from $5000 to as high as $15000. Realistically, you should be able to get a very good, competitive, ready to drive car for between $7-10K. In most cases that will include many spares, and even the trailer more often than not. For perspective, when the 2-time Nationals winning car of the went on the market, the original asking price was $12K, and that came with a lot of gear, and a lot of data. There is not a certain car or engine that dominates. Over recent history, various chassis and engines have won; so don鈥檛 limit your options unnecessarily.
And, despite limited competitors that attempt ProSolo, F-Mods are pretty good for it. Hitting the 60鈥� line in the high 1.7s to low 1.8鈥檚 isn鈥檛 too bad at all, and is highly repeatable.
The Price Tag:
Like any Solo class, you can spend as much on tires as you want, but here鈥檚 where F-Mod differs from most: There is only one wheel diameter (10鈥�), one manufacturer (Hoosier), and a max width. So as of a few months ago, a set of four tires delivered to your door was just under $700. And you鈥檒l heat cycle them long before you鈥檒l ever see the cords. Many competitors run one set of tires for an entire season 鈥� and sometimes longer.
The biggest ticket maintenance items are motors and clutches. They are good for about 5 years. A new machined and balanced primary clutch will set you back around $450 when it鈥檚 time. Depending on how handy you are, the motor can be fully rebuilt for under $500, or a good shop can rebuild it for you. Expect a professional rebuilt to get into thousands if you want top shelf. Considering how important clutching is to performance, it is generally not worth the expense to pay to extract every last HP for advantage like you might in a true 鈥榮pec鈥� class.
Clutch belts are between $50 to 80, and replaced at least annually. Drive belts or chains are closer to double that, but last longer between changes. A gallon of 2-stroke racing oil will set you back $70, and last you more than a season. Other items such as brake pads, Heim joints, fuel pumps, should be checked frequently, but for the most part survive quite well, and are inexpensive to replace should you need to.
With the introduction of the F600 motorcycle drivetrain, as well as the 593 engines, there are now a lot more options available to consider if you鈥檙e more inclined to play mad scientist. F600 development is still early on, will cost more and be off the pace for a while, but also opens up the class to more competitors, and makes the class more appealing.
The Honest Truth:
Of course you鈥檝e got to decide if it鈥檚 for you, and it isn鈥檛 for everyone. There are some drawbacks. Major drawbacks include the necessity to tow your car to events, not shifting gears because of the CVT drivetrain, and being exposed to the elements because you鈥檙e in an open cockpit car with no fenders.
If you haven鈥檛 run a formula or open wheel car, there are some details you need to attend to before starting. For example, you鈥檒l probably want to 鈥榩our鈥� a seat insert to ensure the best fit in the car. The mix costs around $60 and can be done at home easily, and last for years. You鈥檙e going to need a closed-face helmet if you don鈥檛 have one already.
If you鈥檝e never run on true slick tires, there鈥檚 the consideration of getting them up to temperature before going full out. F-Mods do have suspension, but the travel distance is quite limited, so seriously bumpy courses won鈥檛 be easy on you.
Once you鈥檙e ready to start, there are a few critical things to remember. For example, F-Mods have no reverse. Combine that with a larger than expected turning radius, and paddock navigation requires planning ahead.
Rain events will likely be completely different than other experiences. This is not like driving your Miata in the rain. Your seat IS the floor so you鈥檙e going to get wet. You have no windshield, except your helmet visor (so pack Rain X), and when you turn the wheel, the spray from the tires will find you.
Top Tips:
Thicken the Skin:
There will be no end to the jokes. Be prepared to have your car referred to as lawn management equipment at least once an event. Just remember you can鈥檛 hear them from inside the car. ;)
Cross-Shop:
Since F-Mod derived from the Club Racing class called F500, many Solo cars started life as F500 cars. If you鈥檙e considering an F500 car, you鈥檒l likely have to make some one-time changes to items such as gearing and jetting to get it competitive for Solo. F-Mod does have to comply with the GCR rule set, as well as the Solo rule set (which often removes GCR restrictions), so read both books.
Build from a Foundation:
Unless you plan to tear your new car down fully and rebuild it from the chassis out, lean toward a car that looks well maintained and cared for. Over time you can improve the performance of the cleaner car from knowledge and insight gained from experience and other F-Mod drivers. Like many Solo classes they鈥檙e never shy to help out, share what they know, and help you get better.