n 1988, Indian motorsport legendSundaram Karivardhan conceived

the FISSME (Formula India SingleSeater Maruti Engine) with the aim

of making racing affordable. Being aqualified mechanical engineer, it washis racing experience and passion formotorsport that motivated him todesign and fabricate India's firstsingle-seater from the ground up.

Since then, it has served as astepping stone for aspiring racers,including the Karthikeyans and theChandhoks ofIndia. Althoughreplaced by Formula Swift since 2006,

the FISSME continues to be the

cheapest way to go racing anywherein the world - with a full race

weekend costing around Rs 10,000in the JKJunior Cup.

In a unique face-off, we decided topit this workhorse ofIndian racingagainst a contemporary rival that wasbuilt on the same principles. TheSupra SAE car was made with theintent of competing in the FormulaSAE India, which requiredengineering students to design andfabricate a high-performance single­seater for weekend enthusiasts within

a budget cap ofRs 10lakh. Built by ateam of final year engineeringstudents from PESIT, Bangalore, theSupra SAEis also powered by an800cc Maruti engine and gearbox,just like the FISSME - but thesimilarities end there.

The SAEcar started its life as a

virtual concept inside a computer,conceptualised and analysedemploying CAD,CAM,FEA andvarious other acronyms that wouldmake the 1969Apollo mission seemarchaic, and definitely unknown evenduring Kari's era.

Before diving into the intricacieis important to understand that lxthese machines were built with

different goals. While the FISSMEwas built with an objective oflappia circuit as quickly as possible anda couple of years ofR&D behind itSupra SAE car was designed and tin a year's time with a more diversrange of tasks, like tightly-laidslaloms and skidpad tests on its pI

Furthermore, safety takesprecedence over outrightperformance in the SAErulebookFor starters, an impact-absorbing

FISSME: The pedals in the cramped footwell are adjustable; the suspension is based on Premier 118NE dampers; extremely poised through high-speed cor

422 AUTOCAR INDIA SEPTEMBER 2011 www.autocarindi,

(affects weight distribution) and,:,ediameter chassis-tubing (which,weight) is mandatory. But the.~estperformance blow comes in

of a control ECU,which restrictsengine to around 4ooorpm.:limbing in, the surprisingly.ous cockpit caught me by

_rise - a contrast to the crampedof a typical single-seater. The

.ebookstipulates a minimum widthquick egress as one of the tests-,criresthe driver to exit the car" five seconds from a fully­:Qped driving position.

As I eased the clutch out in first

gear, the low rev limit wasimmediately apparent and once pastthe first set of corners, third andfourth gears seemed sufficient to lapthe short loop of the Chennai circuit.

Thanks to a short wheelbase,direction changes were quick as itdarted around slow corners - a

handling trait engineered keeping theautocross test in mind. Even though itwasn't confidence-inspiring, therewas enough grip through the fa~tersections. Steering sharpness wasn't inrace car territory either and high-

speed suspension damping feltinsufficient while approaching itslimited top speed .

Moving over to the FISSME loanedto us by Wallace Sports, its focus wasimmediately apparent even beforecranking the engine. The seatingposition was more ergonomic andonce strapped in, there was barelyroom to wiggle around. Out of the pits,the engine could be revved to6soorpm before needing an upshiftand despite the extra power, mid­corner stability was in a differentleague - thanks to the longer

wheelbase. While it does take away abit of slow-speed agility, the extraconfidence makes carrying highercorner speeds possible.

It was clearly apparent that despitebeing over two decades old, thehumble FISSME is still an

unadulterated driving experience,snapping hard at errors whilerewarding the right inputs. Thecomparatively ultra-modern SAEmay be severely rulebook -limited, butthere's no denying the fact thataspiring race engineers can still learna thing or two from the great Kari. m

'. e lesser grunt, the Supra car isn't confidence-inspiring; suspension setup could be improved; inclusion of radiator and other ancillaries is mandatory.

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