Mygale M12 - Formula Ford Ecoboost

Mygale M12 - Formula Ford Ecoboost

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MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
quotequote all
At the weekend andylaurence and I bought the ex-Ashley Sutton Formula Ford Ecoboost from MBM Motorsport (formerly Jamun Racing). The series started with these cars having no front or back wings but they were later retrofitted to the car. Throughout the 3 years of the championship the cars varied in power with somewhere between 170bhp and 200bhp depending on the year. The car we have is in the 2014 spec and has 170bhp right now which is alright for a car weighing 455kg... however, 220bhp is just a simple ECU unlock away.



We thought we should create a thread, partly because other petrolheads would be interested in a car that little has been written about. This is also to provide a reference for other people that might consider buying one as there is very little out there and we only knew a little about the car before buying it so some of the info may not be correct. However, we are aware of the tuning and performance potential of it.

Myself and andylaurence will likely contribute to this thread as we go along but needless to say it should be an exciting and quick car. We currently don't have many of our own photos right now so I've used photos of the car taken by others.

The car has the same engine as the Fiesta ST (180bhp) that's revered on PH but with a lot of race trickery such as a Hewland JFR 6 speed sequential gearbox with flatshift and blip on downshift. It's also left-foot braking, which will take some getting used to!

It has a Life F88GDI (FFE) ECU & datalogger which is very comprehensive and we also managed to secure a laptop containing all the data from the races, which will be interesting to review. At least we'll be able to learn how to use the software with plenty of reference data.

In terms of the car itself, the main chassis is spaceframe with carbon fibre front and back crash structure which is pretty damn solid! It'll take some effort to properly damage it.

Aero is something we're interested in, through conversations with people running the championship, it supposedly produces 220-250kg of downforce with the current package, this is deliberately low to encourage movement of the cars on track and to create exciting racing. One of our first tasks is to improve the aero to nearer F3 levels (600kg). To put that into perspective, a F1 car produces ~1200kg. Improving the aero is as simple as bolting an F3 rear wing to the gearbox mounts, which are fairly standard.

We did, however, find out that the front wing is angled downwards (again, to reduce downforce) so just adding some spacers should create some decent front downforce. This is more Andy's area so I'm sure he'll elaborate.

Our plans, which are likely to change, are as follows:

  • Improve aero
  • Remap to 220bhp
  • Later increase power...
  • Fit wider wheels & tyres
But first we need to get to grips with the car and improve the organic bit in the car.

We're happy to answer any questions as best we can

Edited by MagicalTrevor on Tuesday 5th May 10:49

Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

193 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Why the change? Just fancied something completely different from the conventional Hillclimb single seater?

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
quotequote all
Skylinecrazy said:
Why the change? Just fancied something completely different from the conventional Hillclimb single seater?
I can't speak for Andy but I suspect he was ready for an upgrade, for me it was purely a case of having the opportunity to share a newer car with more potential. There was nothing wrong with the other car, but to take advantage of the opportunity I had to sell it. I was genuinely sad to see it go but with the same budget as Andy we're able to share development costs and halve the effort when taking the car to events.

The car is an unknown entity but we do Sprinting so maybe the conventional hillclimb cars are necessarily what we're after. Time will tell whether we've done the right thing but we're prepared to be pioneers in this case.
Who knows, maybe next year everyone will be scrabbling to buy one wink

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Good luck with the project. Do you still plan to compete in the ASWMC speed championship?

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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That might be something for the future, we'll see how the development of the car progresses

jeffw

845 posts

227 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Good luck, looking forward to seeing it at Crystal Palace.

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
quotequote all
jeffw said:
Good luck, looking forward to seeing it at Crystal Palace.
You'll definitely see Andy at Crystal Palace but I think he's entered in the invitation class as this car isn't eligible for his favourite Sprint.
I'm not entered for CP but probably will next year.

Altrezia

8,517 posts

210 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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What does something like this cost?

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
quotequote all
Probably not as much as you think. The asking prices are in the public domain so...

http://www.uphillracers.com/showthread.php/formula...

Altrezia

8,517 posts

210 months

Wednesday 6th May 2015
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Wow. You're not wrong. I was expecting a lot more than that.
Oof. Tempting!

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Wednesday 6th May 2015
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They're not actively advertised but I do know of half a dozen that are available for sale (just not advertised). You can actually get one cheaper that what we paid but this is a very well put together race winning car with some weight saving measures and handling upgrades (like wider wishbones at the front).

I can put you in touch with somebody if you do want one

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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A photo from its first outing yesterday, shame it wasn't me driving it.

Andy comfortably beat his PB which suggests this car is pretty potent!


neilbauer

2,467 posts

182 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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Fantastic looking car, looks in a different league to the Van Diemen wink

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
quotequote all
neilbauer said:
Fantastic looking car, looks in a different league to the Van Diemen wink
Thank you. It's a massive difference between both our ex-cars!

neilbauer

2,467 posts

182 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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Powered by Ego Boost smile

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
quotequote all
neilbauer said:
Powered by Ego Boost smile
That's what the car is! hehe

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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It looks a very sleek looking car and appeared to be going well too.

Sway

26,070 posts

193 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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That's a lovely looking thing.

Prior to the Van Diemen, what was your track experience and in what sort of cars? I wonder how much a step up a VD is compared to badly driving a MX5 on trackdays! Would I have a hope of controlling it or would I be put off for life?

MagicalTrevor

Original Poster:

6,476 posts

228 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
quotequote all
Sway said:
That's a lovely looking thing.

Prior to the Van Diemen, what was your track experience and in what sort of cars? I wonder how much a step up a VD is compared to badly driving a MX5 on trackdays! Would I have a hope of controlling it or would I be put off for life?
I'll be honest, very little! That possibly marks me as a bit of a lunatic hehe
Not that it's all that relevant but I'd always found myself being fast on simulators and also whenever I've been on track.
I don't think it's a big a deal as you might think. Granted, everything happens a bit quicker but it's just about how much you choose to push the throttle.

I'm well aware that I have a steep learning curve but I seem to be doing alright. With hindsight I'm not sure this is the traditional way into driving cars like this!

Anyway, if 15/16yo kids can drive a car like this then how hard can it be!? wink

TacoExcellence

62 posts

107 months

Sunday 10th May 2015
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That is such a cool looking car! And the price seems quite reasonable. Can you bring these on regular track days, or are you planning on racing it?