Is anybody working on one of these in the Mid-Atlantic area? This sounds like a pretty cool concept, although I'm not sure it really reduces cost significantly vs. existing FC.....
Stan - you mentioned $18K for a new RT-41 tub as a reference point for composites. To put it in perspective, you can buy a new, complete, ready-to-run, competitive F500 for ~$20K. Composites are nice, but today they are still a significant cost adder vs. tube-frame construction. I agree that it should be forward-looking, but it also needs to not be so cost-prohibitive that guys elect to buy an FSCCA or an older FA.
Has there been any thought towards limiting suspensions costs, i.e., shocks? Triple- or quad-adjustable remote reservior units aren't cheap, and although they arguably add to the 'high-tech' appeal of the formula, I'm not sure they really add much to the competitive nature of the class. Put it this way: at $1200/corner, you've got more in shocks than in the engine/tranny/diff package - is this really desirable?
Also, I didn't see any minimum sidepod width in the dimension specs. This could be viewed as a safety issue; sidepods help prevent wheel-to-wheel contact that results in somebody going for a helmet ride. Personally, I'd suggest requiring sidepods wide enough to get at least to the middle of the tires.
Here's my take: the class you're prototyping is not too different in principle from F500; use a simple frame and inexpensive driveline to create a (relatively) low-cost formula that still leaves room for some cool design elements. Frankly, the only real differences I see are the engine spec, the wings, and the suspension freedom. I find it really, really, interesting, but it strikes me that this is still a $40-50K car as spec'd if built by a real vendor, which will happen eventually when the class becomes popular enough - just like Lee Stohr deciding to build a DSR. Heck, Lee could dust off his old FF body work, put it on his DSR, add wings, and you've got a class-killer F1000.....hmmmm.
In principle though, this is a great idea. I find myself wondering if I could shoehorn an R1 mill into my Red Devil.....