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| Formula LGB Hyundai | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Super Speeds (Pvt) Ltd, India |
| Production | 2007 – 2009 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Open Wheeled FormulaRacing Car |
| Chassis | Spaceframe |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1400ccHyundai Accent,Rear Mounted,Longitudinal |
Formula LGB Hyundai is a single seater,open wheel class of motorsport in India launched in 2006 by LGB with Hyundai the engine supplier. The cars are powered by 1.4 liter Indian builtHyundai Accent engines in the entry level JK Road Racing National Championship series. This car along withFormula LGB Swift can be considered as an Indian equivalent of Europe'sFormula Ford series, where it is void ofaerodynamic aids like wings. This series is one of the starter formula series to enablekarting drivers step into a formula car.
LGB (L.G. Balakrishnan Brothers) is named for the manufacturers of Rolon chains and sprockets, which is also the parent company ofSuper Speeds which designs and constructs the cars.Hyundai is named as the engine supplier.
Theengine is supplied by Hyundai India Ltd. The engine was the stock version of the 1.5 L 16-valve DOHC Alpha I4, 101 hp (75 kW) used in Indian-builtHyundai Accent Viva. The engine andgearbox are mounted in alongitudinal layout. This was alsoHyundai’s first involvement intoformula car racing as an engine supplier.
Thechassis is a steelspace framemonocoque using square seamless steel tubes. The chassis frame design is very similar to theFormula LGB Swift frame but longer by 100 mm to improve straightline stability. Tyres are grooved racing slicks supplied by JK Tyres' motorsports division.
The exterior panels are made out of composite fire retardantfibre-reinforced plastic. The wingless front nosecone is raised at the front tip as in the new formula cars while accommodating a splitter beneath. This is to re-route the front air into the side pods while preventing under tray flow.
It is one of the cheapest formula cars in the world to race, with rental for Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and a double race on Sunday (15 laps each), costing only $800 (as of 2005). That includestires andfuel.
Races for the national championship are held atCoimbatore'sKari Motor Speedway and atChennai's MMSC Irrugatukottai track.
The car is designed and built byCoimbatore based Super Speeds Pvt. Ltd. for LG Sports, makers of ROLON chains and sprockets,Coimbatore. The car was designed by ex-racer B. Viji (also known as B. Vijaykumar). Also JK Tyres play a major role in the series championships in tyre and driver support, while ex-formula 3 champ Akbar Ebrahim, also the boss of Team India'sA1 Grand Prix, conducts a racing school to train the new drivers. The first champion (in 2006) to emerge from this series was former karting and 2005Formula LGB champion Reo Banajee after a closely contested season.
From 2008 season the Formula LGB Hyundai races were changed to endurance format with two drivers for 50 laps including pit stop.
| Year | Driver | Team | Chassis/Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| JK Tyre National Racing Championship | |||
| 2006 |  Rayomand Banajee | Prime Sports | Super Speeds -Hyundai DOHC 1.5LMPFI |
| 2007 | Ashwin Sundar | Rams Racing | Super Speeds -Hyundai DOHC 1.5LMPFI |
| 2008 | Prithveen Rajan/Sudanand Rajan(two driver endurance championship in 2008) | Team WSRF with Leela | Super Speeds -Hyundai DOHC 1.5LMPFI |
| 2009 | Akhil Devrag(one driver endurance championship) | Super Speeds -Hyundai DOHC 1.SLMPFI | |