Puzziscelli Racing Team

Why PUZZISCELLI?Because in italian it menas something like:my arm-pit stinks.Infact when we go to the circuit we moveand run so much and we smell so much!That is all.

That is to say:"I can do it!!!"

Have you ever dreamed about building a car that looks like you? Autocross makes it come true!

Maybe those who make real race cars do not agree but autocross is famous for the semplicity of its cars and for the great imagination in building cars with not too much of money; some very funny cars and, of course, fast cars.

But today those who want to be very fast use a lot of money

But the ones who just want to have fun?.

Just listen (read) to me.

Dicember, 1995.Two young men Markciccio and Il Conte (The Earl) decided to buy an autocross car paying 500.000 Lire (250 Euros). Roll bar, anatomic seat and driving wheel are the only objects in the cockpit. Valvles do not work and the electric parts are out of order. Luckly the Pragiarolo track is not too far from their house.

1,1 Km (0.7 Miles) of track on flat ground surface where the can go and use the 65 HP Fiat Abarth engine belonging to an Autobianchi A112 ’78! True fun. First days were of course not so lucky: wrestling with the engine and its unknown problems. The car was left alone near the track in a field belonging to a friend of them. What they needed was a cart-load for carrying the car not to leave it there and carry it home. In 3 years we went to the track many times making fast laps but not racing. In 1997 “Nek” joined the company and we had a lot of fun too.

But one day the turnaround: the car driven by Nek made a somersault on turn 4 and began to collapse. And some days after we found it without seat and safety belts stolen. What to do?

Markciccio decided to carry it home on his grand mother's field with the help of a friend of him. They had spent other 250 Euros for the car. We remember the time when we change the cluch in the wood using branches to make the gear box out the car.

We gave up? No, thanks.

Using his grat passion Markciccio carried the engine out of the car and suspensions and the roll bar. He carried everything home and they bought 12 metres of steel tube (diam. 33.3 mm). He tried to build a car following the “Monotipo Limited” rules.
In less than a year the came to the "little wild one" or "macchinetta":

Tecnical specifications:
-Central - rear engine with rear traction, Abarth 956 c.c.engine . 65 Hp power at 6000 rpm
- 4 speed gear box
- Rear McPherson sospensions and indipendent front push rod suspensions
- 4 disks brakes

- Front 135/13 wheels and 175/14 rear mud/snow wheels.
- Weight: 380 Kg .

They had many problems like the car was not enought strong and it broke often because of welding not too good. It needed many practice on track but it was too far and they couldn't leave it alone near the track. They did not have any money to carry the project on. The did not have the seat and the seat belts.

Please note in the photo the bobyshape of the little car made with a blue plastic curtain and the nose of it made of the A112 cut trunk. The steering system was the same of a Fiat Uno: tree turns of the steering wheel were too many for a race car! The fuel tank is the same of a little Malaguti 50 c.c. motorbike containing 3 litres!.

BUT EVENTUALLY:

- Ciccio's neightbours let him using their field but he had to cut the grass.
- Ciccio became a good welder.
- Roberto came with a little waggon where to put the car on from the farm where he works (very funny were the first times when we tried to carry it on with some woods).
- Alex came with two nice 175/14 wheels belonging to his old Lancia.
- They bought a second hand rally car seat and the mechanicwho had sold the A112 gave them the seat belts as a reward for their passion.

In September, 1999 we went to the track.

Not too fast but the car did not brake.
Here is the little car at step /2: new body and colors (like Benetton F1’90).
Here are some pictures of the neightbours'field:

In 2000 it is getting better and better.

And in 2001:
- Modification to the suspensions and steering sistem more direct like go-karts.
- Change of the battery
- Nice rear wing!

Here are some pictures of the last time on the track on agoust 2001:
very ruined wheels but we reached a 56'' lap.
The track record for the same type of car ( 1150 c.c. max ) is about 48''.

Conclusions.

The“Puzziscelli Racing Team” thinks about getting lap times faster and faster with new wheels (2 second at least) and a new carburator. They are also growing thin for getting the car lighter.

It was great fun building the car. We used other 250 Euros to compleate the car. We never wanted to race but the car is nice and funny to drive and the max speed is about 100 Km/h (60 mph) on the short track. It is safe and no one has ever hurted himself. Other friends came like Fabry, DJ Ancelo Nek's brother and Alby, who is a very fast driver .

This "novel" is to say that with very few money and much time our friends had great fun and I advice to do the same to all of you. I would even like to thank my grammy's field buyer who had to cast away what remained of the A112 Abarth on his own. And of course my neightbours.
I know the professional teams may not agree but I would like to think that they appreciate some "I-make-everything-welding-everything-on-my-own" people .

Here a video of a lap on the circuit. It really works!