Mygale M12 - Formula Ford Ecoboost
Discussion
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:
We're happy to answer any questions as best we can
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
We're happy to answer any questions as best we can
Edited by MagicalTrevor on Tuesday 5th May 10:49
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
Probably not as much as you think. The asking prices are in the public domain so...
http://www.uphillracers.com/showthread.php/formula...
http://www.uphillracers.com/showthread.php/formula...
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
I can put you in touch with somebody if you do want one
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 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?
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!?
It's purely a racing car. We take part in Sprints but we plan on doing many more test days (in case you're not aware, test days have different rules to track days and are, quite frankly, much better.
Saying that, even if we wanted to do a track day, we couldn't as they generally don't allow open wheel racing cars.
Andy did a charity track day at Castle Combe and commented that normal road cars just got in the way. There isn't much that's road legal that could keep up with this so track days would be hugely frustrating!
Saying that, even if we wanted to do a track day, we couldn't as they generally don't allow open wheel racing cars.
Andy did a charity track day at Castle Combe and commented that normal road cars just got in the way. There isn't much that's road legal that could keep up with this so track days would be hugely frustrating!
I was actually considering buying an ex-Caterham Academy car before I bought the VD, it would probably have been a more sensible car to step up to but circuit racing was going to be hugely expensive. The VD was much cheaper and much higher performance, I'll admit that I was seduced by that and I'm glad I did.
I'll be behind Andy's pace for a while yet but I'll also be able to compare data and then get an understanding (and confidence) for where I can go faster and trust the car's ability.
I am, however, hoping that it's not too long before I'm fighting for fastest laps.
I think that had there been the MX5 championship in the club when I was looking to get into this then I probably would have bought one. But I am glad I didn't, not because the MX5 championship isn't fun or competitive (it's hugely competitive!!!), just that it would have taken me longer to justify stepping up.
I love sprinting, despite having a shorter time on the track, it's a bigger buzz than a track day.
I'll be behind Andy's pace for a while yet but I'll also be able to compare data and then get an understanding (and confidence) for where I can go faster and trust the car's ability.
I am, however, hoping that it's not too long before I'm fighting for fastest laps.
I think that had there been the MX5 championship in the club when I was looking to get into this then I probably would have bought one. But I am glad I didn't, not because the MX5 championship isn't fun or competitive (it's hugely competitive!!!), just that it would have taken me longer to justify stepping up.
I love sprinting, despite having a shorter time on the track, it's a bigger buzz than a track day.
jeffw said:
The data review is quite interesting. You peak long G is slightly higher than the Phoenix (0.1G) and your lateral is much higher (0.4) which suggests you are under performing on the brakes given the slicks you are using. Long G on acceleration is 1.1 in the first two gears on the Phoenix, dropping to 0.8. 0.7 etc as the gears rise. On Saturday I was hitting 133MPH before Avon Rise from a standing start and only braking after the Rise, I assume you where braking later than that as well?
From my perspective, I was new to the car and I was certainly easing off/braking before Avon Rise. I 'know' the car is capable of braking way afterwards but... (let's not beat around the bush) I was too chicken to do so!At our Sprint on Saturday I was able to carry more speed over Avon Rise and into Quarry (at the cost of a spin). I know fine well that I'm not braking hard or late enough.
https://youtu.be/3oxeAnbml3I
Check for yourself
Coincidence that we put the camera on in reverse for the last run of the day
Check for yourself
Coincidence that we put the camera on in reverse for the last run of the day
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