We love lightweight track toys. If we’re being totally honest we love all track toys. But there is something special about a car that has been shorn of all extraneous bits to leave the bare necessities. By that definition the Hyper X1 Racer must be the ultimate track day machine

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Low mass and powerful

The Hyper X1 Racer is a very light, powerful open wheel machine that has been conceived with the single-minded aim of setting quick lap times. It tips the scales at a scarcely believable 350 kg completely dry. Minimalism was the key to the X1 design. As a result, any component or part that was not essential, was removed.

The single seater rides on independent wishbone suspension with mono-shock Ohlins coilovers and adjustable anti-roll bars. The braking system consists of 245 mm cross-drilled discs with four-pot calipers at all four corners. 

Suzuki power

A Suzuki GSX-R engine is mounted behind the driver. The 1,3-litre engine is available in naturally aspirated or supercharged guises. In the latter form it produces almost 270 kW at a heady 13 200 r/min. Drive is sent to the rear axle through a six-speed sequential transmission.

The more powerful Hyper X1 Racer is said to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 2,5 seconds from 0-200 in 6,5. Top speed is dependent on the gearing, but it ranges between 250 and 270 km/h.

Simple design and powertrain should make the X1 far more cost-effective to own and run than the likes of this F1 inspired Rodin FZed.

That sucks

Straight line performance is not its only trick. What little bodywork the X1 has is all functional. Two massive ‘ground effect’ tunnels are employed, which are similar to what we see in a current F1 car. They are used to accelerate air under the car for a suction effect, helping to produce downforce for added traction at the wheels. Ultimately this helps increase cornering speed to reduce lap times. The X1 is said to be able to corner at up to nearly 3Gs.