George’s Praga R1: Faith Over Fear

Over the last twenty years, George Kibilov’s been able to sample a wide range of popular sports cars and master a few. From his old twin-turbo 300ZX, to Spec Miatas, to a Cayman GT4, and most recently, an ST4 E46 M3, he’s been able to experience most of all that the modern track-tuned production car can offer.

George getting acquainted with the car during his first test at Atlanta Motorsports Park.

There was still one big unchecked box, though: the single-purpose thoroughbred racing car. The sort of performance a car built only to turn laps offers a level of directness and a sense of occasion that production cars, no matter how well-tuned, will struggle to match. The thoroughbred experience, however, isn’t always a pleasant one.

The Praga R1 is an English racing prototype designed to be straightforward, easily maintained, and provide a level of downforce most track rats aren’t familiar with. It was that last trait which George warmed to over time.

“I did not fall in love with it until I drove it the third time, at Laguna, when I started to explore downforce and getting sub-1:30 times. After the second session was over, I realized I did not want to get out of the car. I was addicted.”

Downforce from a “downforce car” is an incredible thing, but it forces the driver to work fairly hard before they’re comfortable using it. Building that trust is not something that’s easy for someone used to heavier cars that are dependent primarily on their mechanical grip to stick.

The range of adjustability isn’t that wide in regards to the aero kit — just a couple rear wing settings to pick and that’s it.

With a car that’s been built around its aerodynamic package like the Praga, it challenges the driver’s trust at the absolute limit. Its diffuser, front tunnels, skirts, weight, tires, and carbon monocoque give it the sort of precision that forces a driver to recalibrate their mind and question their self-preservation instinct. The faster you go, the more grip it provides (to a point).

While that may sound encouraging, it presents a new challenges that are harder to truly enjoy — at least initially. Committing to the turn-in points, trusting the balance in fast corners, and driving up to a limit that increases exponentially are mentally draining processes which ramp up the pucker factor at a similar rate.

The motor is built by the specialist racing division at Alpine Renault, and honed with bespoke engineered Praga parts for increased driveability, power, and torque. In race trim, the 2.0-liter Renault four-cylinder with a moderately sized turbo produces between 290 and 365 horsepower, though a qualifying map will bump power to 395 for one hot lap. Crucially, its 302 lb-ft produced between 3,750 and 6,900 rpm make it much easier to stroke along than some of its bike-powered rivals.

That’s production-based motor fits one of the Praga’s main design aims: easy operation. As exotic as the car looks, it’s been designed to operate without the assistance of a team of engineers. Parts are easy to come by, and their US base in Atlanta is receptive, apparently.

The inboard pushrod suspension comes with Koni two-way adjustable coilovers.

The Hewland JFR six-speed transmission is not quite PDK-precise, but it does shift smoothly enough during downchanges — it does not lock the driven wheels under braking — though its upshifts are violent. It’s designed for easy ratio changes without having to remove the gearbox from underneath the car. A clutch pedal is provided to leave from a standstill and put the car into reverse, but once up to speed, all that’s needed to shift is a pull of the paddle.

Furthermore, this particular car, being the fifth iteration of the Praga R1, most of the major kinks have been ironed out. It’s no longer as sensitive to adjustments in ride height, the steering box has been revised, and the uprights as well as the swaybars have been lightened to provide more direct feedback.

The interior is cramped; pushing a driver with an acute sense of claustrophobia to get out as fast as they can get in. George was one of these drivers, though he found the feeling of being squeezed began to fade after a few laps. “The experience is so immersive it’s hard to not feel energized by the vibrations, the smells, and the sounds. You never forget the vibrations. I can’t even rest my head on the rear bulkhead because it blurs my vision. You get so immersed in it, after a session or two, you’re able to tune out some of that violence,” he explained.

“What’s more concerning is the way it feels like it’s going to break in half when you hit the compression at (Laguna Seca’s) Turn 6. I Had to be reassured by the rep there that day that all those noises there were normal.”

All that discomfort is for a reason. Sharp and surefooted, the car can’t be described as lazy, or as George likes to describe his M3, relaxed. Even so, he wanted more, and so he stiffened the Praga’s rear bar for a little more urgency. A car this sharp must be softened slightly from factory to keep it from rotating like a top at the smallest mistake. This minor tweak provided him with the pointiness he was after. Though thrilling, this presented him with another challenge; the pointier a car gets, the more it drains the driver. “Compared to a GT3 or something like that, the turn-in point arrives about 10% faster. It really provides a kart-like feeling,” he added.

At just 1,500 pounds, it’s very much a full-sized car, but it’s still only two-thirds of a Spec Miata. That fact is never as obvious when spinning, as a firm press of the brakes brings the Praga to an immediate halt. “If I’d spun my M3 in the same corner, I probably would’ve hit the wall.”

As is to be expected with such a sharp-nosed machine, there’s still some left on the table, which George’s happy to admit. When he gets more accustomed to the way the grip builds, he believes he’ll have the confidence to push. “I’ve acclimated to the direction change and it doesn’t feel as dramatic or spiky anymore; I’ve gotten to be able to anticipate it’s movements. If you listen, it does communicate.”

“After driving all kinds of cars from Spec Miata to Ferrari Challenge, nothing even comes close to the feeling of driving the R1. It really is a marvel of engineering.”

But the challenge of reaching the limit is still daunting, as a mistake at the speeds its capable of might well result in a big one. In the event of a major shunt, he’ll be well protected; the Praga’s crash safety is stellar; its bespoke honeycomb carbon fibre monocoque, carbon/Kevlar strengthened flooring, front and rear crash boxes, and side mounted crumple zones will surely keep him safe.

“Unlike my M3, it’s never calming to drive the Praga. The speeds are so high, it’s just a bit scary. You can get into a rhythm pretty fast, actually, but I’m still not 100% confident in it yet. It might need some faith on my part,” he laughed.

That’s fine. After just two weekends at Laguna Seca, he’s already lapped the track in 1:25. Without a doubt, the svelte sports racer hugely capable; even able to chase down a normally-aspirated Radical SR8 which has the legs on it in the straights, but the Praga’s torque makes up for whatever horsepower it lacks in the infield.

“I’m still exploring the limits. I know there is so much more to gain, but driving the car is anti-intuitive at the limit, meaning that you have to slow down much less for the fast corners than what I’ve been used to in 25 years of track driving. Learning to trust the brakes and not overslow the car is not easy. The more you give it, the more it gives you. That’s not something that’s easy to understand.”

Brandon’s Alfa 4C: Inconspicuous Exotic

Brandon Hitchman’s car collection runs the gamut. His affinity for motor vehicles and an innate ability to wrench prompted him to become a buyer and seller even before he got his license. In those formative years, his business dealings put him in touch with some folks who could help him realize some of his racing ambitions.

After linking up with a vintage racer in his hometown, Brandon began attending track days with said racer, who was kind enough to lend him the keys to their Shelby GT350 race car. The two went on to try vintage racing, and from there on, Brandon’s life revolved around racing and fixing cars of different genres, makes, and vintages.

“I always had a soft spot for Italian cars. My first car was an Alfa ‘74 Spyder, actually. I took a break from the Italian stuff to go through my muscle car phase and raise a family, and once the kids were out of the house, I was given a chance to reunite with my past — the 4C was released. The timing couldn’t have been better, really,” he recalled.

Thrilled at the idea of a mid-engine Italian exotic without the price or the attention, he had to start looking at buying one for himself. At the time he was racing Spec Miata, but Brandon was then in his late forties and unsure whether wheel to wheel held any allure for him anymore. “If I’m being honest, I wasn’t the type to ever red mist it. A lot of guys are willing to put it on the line, and I couldn’t see the sense in it any longer,” he admitted.

“I also enjoy the build process, and spec racing does not allow for much creativity. That’s when the idea of doing time trials came along. Let’s be honest: time trials in a Spec Miata aren't that exciting,” he declared. So, he considered his options. He’d already been through his Porsche phase and had grown to find them a little anodyne, and though the newest Supra was a performance bargain he couldn’t deny, he wanted to take a less-traveled path.

So he bought a 4C and was immediately delighted. The turbo response, the theater, the sense of occasion, the shape, and the interior were all wonderful. “It smelled exactly the same as my old Spyder inside — that took me back thirty years,” he said.

Soon after, he began tracking it. The stability of the suspension, the destabilizing shove of the turbo motor, and some of the ergonomics proved themselves less than track-worthy. A pretty performance car, sure, but not exactly one meant to turn fast laps consistently. “I loved its looks, but it comes with a small assortment of problems which keep it from being as functional as I wanted it to be.”

The factory seats are beautiful, gorgeous Sabelts, but they offer the support of a bench seat in a 1980s Bronco,” he began. In their place, he installed a set of seats typically used in another pint-sized machine, the Tillet B5s as used in the Lotus Elise.

Visibility is good, width is good, though for Brandon, whose ape index is quite high, the fore and aft are not great.

Though the aftermarket for this car is somewhat limited, there are a few dedicated advocates who’ve seen the shortcomings in the 4C and made the necessary improvements available for a premium price. Closer inspection reveals a tightly-packed MacPherson rear arrangement — one of the compromises made to make a carbon-tubbed car priced at $80,000.

“It didn’t have the stability to handle the change under load — the dynamic toe-out under braking was an issue,” he added.

Rudi Gale of Gale Motorsports is a Slovenian who dedicates himself to hill climbing and racing his 4C. Though his car doesn’t boast much in the way of power mods, its suspension issues have been addressed, and Brandon followed suit. “I’ve pretty much copied Rudi’s setup because it’s proven and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. I bought his rear control arms and then his front control arms, which both feature a spherical bearing setup and are much stronger. They also use the same factory attachment points.Now the quality of the rear is more aligned with the dual wishbone front suspension.

Then he installed a set of GMS swaybars specced to run with the Nitron coilovers and the arms, then corner balanced it. “I just started buying more and more suspension stuff — pretty soon it snowballed,” he recalled.

It was in dire need of an aggressive alignment. “The car has no power steering from the factory, but it also has no caster. I think probably Alfa’s engineers wanted it to be this raw sports car, but one of the marketing guys mentioned, “The average buyer of this car is in their fifties, and not many will be able to turn it.” The lack of caster didn’t help the steering self-center, toe-out made it wander.

With all those items addressed, he no longer had to constantly work the brake and the throttle to balance the car. “Everything was well integrated; the damping and the spring rates made it very driveable. It could handle curbs, has a pointy front and a stable rear to complement it.

Now comfortable with the car and pushing harder, Brandon found the 4C would snake slightly under hard braking. Fortunately, Rudi bought a carbon fiber decklid and a wing specifically for the 4C at just that moment — the timing couldn’t have been better.

Of course, this shifted the balance rearwards; forcing him to trail brake more. As luck would have it, Rudi had just released his own 3” splitter to even the aero balance.

The footwork sorted, he shifted his focus to the motor. The emphasis was not on bringing much more power into the picture, but making the stock powerplant more tractable and consistent. It had been heat soaking quite badly — even on the street. By installing a Scara 73 motorsports intercooler, he only experiences minor dropoff towards the end of a mid-summer session at Thunderhill Raceway Park.

“I’d like a little more aero in front with an open hood which the radiator could vent through. Currently, the hood is vented, but the factory radiator setup vents underneath the car,” he noted.

I started from the ground up trying to solve some of those issues. For such a low production car, I was amazed how much aftermarket support there is. Now, it’s not cheap, and I’m buying everything out of Europe — suspension parts from Slovenia and coilovers from England — but I was able to upgrade the car to solve the problems as I went. I tried to do it wisely; I didn’t just throw a bunch of upgrades at it hoping they’d solve my problems; I focused on one issue at a time.

Now, he’s mostly content learning to drive the car at its limits. It’s been rock-solid and repeatable, but traction is an issue, even with only 320 horsepower and 350 lb/ft of torque. “I’ve been struggling to put the power down, so I tried running a gear higher. I only use third and fourth at Thunderhill West, actually, and I short-shift a lot to keep it in the mid-range. I’m getting close to a 1:20 there but I’m still so late to throttle. I figure there has to be a second or so on the table just from that.

Looking back, I realize I could’ve bought a Supra, saved some time and money, and made it much faster than the 4C, but I wanted to do something a little different. No matter how many bits and bobs you throw at a regular car, they don’t make it special. I, for one, like improving a special car, one which nobody is doing much with, and taking it to the next level. Plus, it’s not a car that attracts the wrong kind of attention. I’ve owned Porsches and a Ferrari, and they tend to elicit a negative reaction. The Alfa doesn’t get much hate – no weird feelings at all.”

Sure, it’s got its quirks, but that’s what gives it its charm. The quirks and styling set it apart, and I did what I could to make it more functional. Most importantly, I’ve been able to make it mine and get something more out of it. I see a few good years ahead with this car.