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Dear D-Sporters,

I'm not quite sure why Radical's silence is so interesting. If a friend hadn't telephone earlier this afternoon there would have been perpetual silence, as we were unaware of your discussion. As we mentioned to Hasty months ago, there are no secrets here, if you'd like to learn something about the Radical, simply phone, or e-mail or write to us on the Radical forum (www.radicalmotorsport.com) otherwise it can go unnoticed.

Firstly, it's a little unsettling to think that, after finding ourselves on the wrong side of the unscrupulous during the last eighteen months, we're now being virtually accused of cheating. This is a national forum and comments, or innuendo, like this do nothing but lower your standing.

With regard to weight, the Radical remains virtually unchanged. As to chassis alterations, there have been none. Neither has there been a change in tires - we generally use one make and model only. The normal engines supplied in the cars are virtually stock - stock camshafts, connecting rods, crankshaft etc. The only change of significance occurs in the size of the pistons, which are smaller to reduce the engine's displacement to 998 cc. My engine produces around 155 bhp at the rear wheels. We did, however, change the aerodynamics by substituting a smaller rear wing.

In comparing the performance of the YZF with the R1, I understood, perhaps mistakenly, that Byron Stauffer's YZF-powered Radical equaled Hasty's time at VIR, if not bettered it by a few tenths.

Concerning your comments about beating one of last year's top four or five Runoff qualifiers, didn't Richard Leslie, Jr., do just that when he recently defeated Al Beasley, Jr. at Nelson Ledgers.

Credit where credit due please. If more unsubstantiated remarks are to be made, please use a little more grace.

Dear Ted,

Thanks for reminding me of our meeting in January earlier this year, and for clarifying Radical's status. I take Ted's point, too, but suspect that most of us would become a little sensitive if we felt we were being accused of something that wasn't true.

With regard to the Runoffs, our viewpoint is slightly different to that of most members of this Forum. We're in the business of producing racecars in volume, and not one-off specials for Mid-Ohio. We aren't terribly interested in preparing three highly stressed race engines for any event, no matter how prestigious. Nor will we be ordering special race tires for the right-hand side of the car, and even more special racing rubber for the left. I'm afraid that's just not our business.

We provide good reliable and competitive sports racecars to mainly professional people. They are interested in racing in regionals and in nationals, but don't really have the time to spend a week-and-a-half at the Runoffs.

Dear Ted,

'A good start,' I couldn't have put it better. Radical's emphasis has always been on the drivability of the car. We try to encourage owners not to adjust it - certainly initially, because it frequently makes the car go slower. We encourage them to think about driving the car and to forget fiddling with it. Even though this advice could incite the average D-Sport Forum follower into a lather, it is exactly what most professional people buying a racecar like to hear.

Beyond that, the issue of surplus weight does not take on the obsessional status with Radical that it does with the average D-Sport Forum aficionado. Though I cannot claim to understand it, we have never found it to be terribly relevant. Why is Michael Reupert's car, which probably weighs 120 lb. more than, say, last year's Mid-Ohio winning car, so competitive? Perhaps it shouldn't be that quick, but someone has forgotten to tell Michael. Richard Leslie, Jr. in a standard Radical does amazing things with it. Michael Sirianni qualified second in his Radical at the last national at Mid-Ohio - his car is 200 lb. heavier than the one its previous owner replaced it with. Its lightweight replacement, incidentally, was behind it on the grid. And it was only Sirianni's second national in the car. Unfortunately, it punctured on the first lap of the race. My own car at Road Atlanta is sometimes up to four seconds a lap faster than other good D-Sport machinery that weigh 200 lb. less, and I've only been driving for a little over a year.

Attempting to change the Forum's perception on this would be as futile as saying that more cars are needed on the grids - forum gurus aren't terribly interested. If someone rattled the bushes this time next year with news of an unproven 650 lb. car, I'd bet he'll sell close to a quarter of a million dollars in the first few months - that's just the way it is with a firmly held view.

Dear D-Sporters,

You posed the questions and we were kind enough to provide the answers. Our apologies if they are unsuitable.