Innehållsförteckning för May 2016 från Fast Ford

WELCOME TO THE MAY ISSUE! “Owning a fast Ford isn’t just about having a cool car that you wheel out the garage every weekend to wash and polish before hiding it away under wraps again until the next time! Oh no. Fast Fords are meant to be driven. What’s more, they’re meant to be driven hard! And that’s exactly what we’re looking at this month with our track day special issue. We all know you can’t enjoy a fast Ford’s full performance potential on the public highway, which is where track days come in. But don’t think you have to be a billionaire’s offspring or walk around plastered from head to toe in various sponsors logos just to be allowed on track, because unlike the world of competitive motorsport track…

FIESTA ST200 FORD ANNOUNCES THE MOST POWERFUL FIESTA YET – THE ST200! The Mk7 Fiesta ST is widely regarded as the best car in its class, and thanks to the new ST200 version it’s about to get even better! It may not sport the all-important RS badge certain enthusiasts have been craving on the back of a fast Fiesta, but Ford’s all-new Fiesta ST200 is pretty hot. In fact, when production starts in June and the first deliveries are made in the summer months the ST200 will be the most powerful version Ford has produced in the Fiesta’s 40-year history! Under the bonnet that award-winning 1.6-litre EcoBoost remains, but now produces even more power and torque. Thanks to a few tweaks Ford’s engineers have extracted an extra 10% more power…

FULL BODIED! Ben Copson’s nutty Fiesta ST is ready to take on the track, complete with 234bhp from a throttle bodied 2.0-litre Duratec motor! Words and photos: Jon Cass Track days have become hugely popular in the last fifteen years or so. The thought of thrashing your car around the same track as BTCC drivers and the like is many a Ford fan’s idea of heaven. Okay the costs can add up, but compared to the commitment and investment of entering a full race series, taking part in a handful of track days each year could seem quite the bargain. Plus it means you can enjoy your fast Ford at full throttle without the fear of getting flashed by a speed camera too! Back in the early days it was…

HOW TO… PREPARE FOR A TRACK DAY Make sure your car is ready to cope with the extra stresses and strains before you hit the track… ENGINE No matter the state of tune, whether it’s completely standard or a million-bhp monster, using your car on track is going to put extra stresses on the engine that are not usually experienced in everyday driving conditions. Therefore it’s vital that what you’ve got is running 100% correctly before you even start to think about any upgrades, so a diagnostics and health check should be your first port of call! Regular oil and filter changes should become habit for frequent track users, as should checking the condition of cam belts, auxiliary belts, the electrical system, hoses (coolant, boost, oil), and fuel lines,…

FOCUS RS RED DEVIL Will Fraser’s devilish 466bhp red-wrapped Mk2 Focus RS is the product of his determination to own a powerful and distinctively-styled Blue Oval in spite of a streak of bad luck... Words: Dan Furr Photos: Aron Vickers It should be the kind of story that makes for the perfect Fast Ford feature – a Vauxhall fan with a long history of SRis, GTEs, GSis (and whatever other badge the Luton manufacturer chose to slap on its sporty models before VXRs came along) is exposed to the might of an RS and immediately ditches his allegiance to Griffins by emptying his wallet in exchange for a performance Blue Oval. Sadly, however, Will Fraser’s move from Vauxhalls into happy Rallye Sport ownership didn’t go quite as smoothly as he’d…

EGGENBERGER RS500 LIVING LEGEND The Eggenberger Texaco-liveried Sierra Cosworth RS500s are among some of the most famous and iconic race machines ever to hit the track, and this one – the number 1 car of the 1988 European Touring Car Championship – is perhaps the most famous and iconic of them all… Words: Jamie & Aaron Mai Photos: Aaron Mai In 1987 the arrival of one Reudi Eggenberger and his Texaco-liveried Sierra RS500s sent shock waves through the motorsport world. According to initial taunts from the competition, all these 500bhp monsters would do is simply break. Opinions quickly changed when it turned out that all the Eggenberger cars did was break the spirit of their competition. Reudi Eggenberger was no stranger to touring car racing; he was already a successful…

IT’S A FORD THING… We get exclusive access to Motorbase Performance’s team boss and both 2016 BTCC drivers to ask just what links they have with the Blue Oval… Words: Jamie Photos: Motorbase archive & PSP Images Far from just fielding two Focus STs in the BTCC Championship, Motorbase Performance’s links to the Blue Oval go much further back than the current cars. In fact the link between the current team and racing Fords goes back almost thirty years, when team boss, David Bartrum, embarked on his own racing career – in a P100 pickup of all things! Since then, David has raced all manner of fast Fords himself before starting Motorbase Performance, which has successfully campaigned a Focus in the BTCC for the last five years! 2016 sees the…

MAT JACKSON “YOU REALLY NEED TO HANG ON TO THE CAR OVER THE BUMPS AND KERBS” Mat Jackson is a current BTCC racing driver, competing in the 2016 Championship in the number 7 Ford Focus run by Motorbase Performance. Mat has been racing for the last 22 years, and has been competing regularly in the BTCC since 2007. In 2010 Mat joined Motorbase, where in 2011 and again in 2014 he recorded fourth place overall in the Driver’s standings in both seasons. Despite missing the first half of the 2015 season, Mat came back to dominate the later rounds, securing three qualifying pole positions, four race wins, three second-place finishes, and one third-place finish – meaning he appeared on the podium 8 times in the last four rounds of the…

THE RIGHT TRACK Eighteen year-old Brandon Lee Williams hasn’t been on the road long but thanks to an inspired project and the help of his dad, his first car is this tidy Riviera Blue Mk2 Fiesta… Word and photos: Jon Cass To an optimist, even the most unfortunate things in life can in some way produce a positive outcome. We’re pretty sure 18-year-old Brandon Lee Williams would agree with such a statement as what could only be described as one of the most tragic things to happen to someone so young initially set the ball rolling when it came to building this stunning Mk2 Fiesta. “My dad, David, bought it for me as a project to keep me on the straight and narrow shortly after my mum, Dawn, had passed…

NEW STUFF LATEST GEAR ON THE BLUE OVAL SCENE REVO FIESTA ST AIR INTAKE £299 This complete air intake system upgrade from Revo is said to improve both power and torque by as much as 8-10bhp. Revo found the OEM system to be restrictive so designed an entire intake kit to help remove any restrictions and offer the best possible improvement. This means the standard plastic intake pipe has been replaced with a 70mm mandrel-bent aluminium pipe, high quality silicone hose couplers are used along with the Revo Stage 3 foam air filter with integrated housing for the MAF sensor, all inside a specially-design heat shield that works in conjunction with the OEM cold air feed. For full details visit the website. www.revotechnik.com M-SPORT MK1 FOCUS RS CARPET MATS £45…

FORDS YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW EXISTED #79 FORD SYNERGY 2010 1996 will be remembered for many things; Gazza’s goal against Scotland in the Euros, the birth of Dolly the sheep – the first cloned mammal, and the emergence of the Spice Girls. Okay, let’s forget the last one! But what did 1996 mean for Ford? Well, for many fast Ford fans these are seen as the twilight years; the Escort Cosworth was wrapping up production and it would be a good few years before the RS badge would return on the Mk1 Focus. So, what were Ford doing in that time? Well, one project was the Synergy 2010. It was Ford’s idea of what a mainstream car would look like in 2010. At first glance we’re glad to announce that…

IFS PREVIEW THE INTERNATIONAL FORD SHOW 2016 Brand new for 2016, The International Ford Show is set to kick off the summer show season in style. Here’s what you can expect from the Ford-only indoor event… The International Ford Show is a brand new event for the Ford enthusiast’s calendar for 2016. This two day, show will take place at Sandown Park over the Bank Holiday weekend of April 30th to May 1st, and for once you’ll not be at the mercy of the traditional British weather, as TIFS is an indoor event! Expect to find the very best Blue Ovals from across the globe displayed side-by-side with all exclusive show cars being expertly selected by TIFS event organisers, the Fast Car Entertainment team. TIFS is designed to be the…

DAVID BARTRUM “PACKED GRIDS WITH LOST OF GOOD NAMES COMPETING” David Bartrum is the top boss man at Kent-based race team, Motorbase Performance. He started the business after a successful career behind the wheel himself, with the majority of his racing being done in a fast Ford too. Today Motorbase comprises a team of around 30 people, all with varied but equally important roles within the team to allow them to successfully campaign in the British GT Championship, the Blancpain Endurance Series, and the BTCC. David has become one of the most familiar faces in the pitlane, and his larger-than-life character, straight-talking attitude, and love for clean and fair racing makes him one of the most-loved and well-respected characters in motorsport. When did you get involved with motor racing? “I…

ANDREW JORDAN “I THINK WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF FUN ALONG THE WAY” Andrew Jordan is a Red Bull Athlete currently competing in the BTCC. He recently joined Motorbase Performance ahead of the 2016 season, where he will compete for the first time in the Ford Focus, freshly kitted out in the iconic livery of Andrew’s long-term sponsors, Pirtek. Andrew began his racing career back in 2003, at the age of just 14 when he competed in Junior Rallycross, winning the winter series in his first season and claiming the overall title the following year. Continued success in rallycross followed until, in 2008, he entered the BTCC. He made an immediate impact, claiming two podium finishes in his first season. The following year he became the youngest driver to…

3 OF A KIND BEST TRACK CARS In keeping with our track day theme, this issue we look at three of the best Blue Ovals to use on the circuit… Words: Dan Williamson When you’ve tackled innumerable track days in tatty old sheds, when you’ve been tuning your cars for so many years that you can no longer remember the word ‘standard’, and when you want the next buzz but don’t need the hassle (or expense) of competitive motorsport, you eventually realise it’s time to build yourself a seriously dedicated track toy. Naturally, you look to the world of fast Fords for your next challenge. You’ve got a very healthy budget, and you can choose a Blue Oval-badged warrior that will waste GT3s and CSLs on every circuit in the…

READERS CARS Engine swapped, or styled to the max? Send us your modded Blue Ovals! NATHAN HITCHCOTT MK3 FOCUS ST With the imminent arrival of the RS, the Mk3 Focus ST is having to play second fiddle for Ford fans’ affections lately. But not Nathan. He knows only too well how good the ST can be! His example is packing an impressive 275bhp thanks to a full MP275 upgrade from mountune, a Steeda air filter, KMS exhaust system, and full set of silicone hoses with charge pipe upgrade. The ST may have been frowned upon for its sedate styling, but you can’t say that about Nathan’s! Featuring an RS-style spoiler, rear diffuser, and bonnet vents it screams aggression! CHRIS JOBBINS MK5 FIESTA Chris’ little Fiesta started life as a five-door…