‘We understood what it takes to be involved in motorsport on a low budget. It’s not about cutting corners’
Dean Crooke, director of engineering at Hyper Racer
Most spec single seater series look pretty much the same these days. They all tick similar technical design concept boxes, largely because they’re meant to come across as baby Formula 1 cars, which is understandable, given the ambitions of today’s young drivers.
But every now and then a car comes along that is genuinely different, both in terms of aesthetics and design philosophy. Something like the Hyper Racer X1, for instance, a ground-effect racecar conceived for low budget, club level, single-make racing that offers high downforce thrills, yet is simple enough for an owner / driver to run without a team or pit crew.
The X1 is produced by Melbourne, Australia-based father and son team, Jon and Dean Crooke. Crooke senior, the director of design at Hyper Racer, is a former Australian Formula 2 champion and V8 Supercar Group A driver, while Dean, director of engineering and the car’s development driver, is an ex-kart champion, experienced race engineer and ace fabricator who has worked in V8 Supercars.
Their new car has grown out of another project, the Hyper Pro Racer, which is a sort of hybrid Superkart / spaceframe racecar that has had some success in its home country, running in its own one-make championship. While lessons were certainly learnt on that project, the X1 is very much its own car, with a very clear philosophy behind it.
‘It came about because we understood what it takes to be involved in motorsport on a low budget,’ says Dean. ‘It’s not about cutting corners, it’s about the right motor and the right materials throughout the car.
‘It’s just about making smart decisions to create something someone can run on a reasonable budget.’
Space race
The first of those smart decisions was a minimalist approach in the car’s design. Like all racecars, only more so. This means there’s no superfluous bodywork, no differential and just two dampers.
Another smart decision was a carryover,
