BattleAuto Issue 1

THE FRANKENSHED IS REAL AND IT CAN HURT YOU. STEVE MOORE’S NISUBARU IS THE UNHOLY UNION OF SUBARU AND NISSAN.

OVER 40 PAGES OF FORMULA G ACTION THIS MONTH

SELF MADE RACER MATT’S M60 SWAPPED E30 IS READY TO TAKE ON THE RWD TITLE IN FORMULAG

MAXIMUM ATTACK MAX’S MAD HOME BUILT TT IS READY TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO GLOBAL TIME ATTACK

ALSO INSIDE B I G B U D G E T B AT T L E R S | B AT T L E B U I L D E R S | T O Y O TA S P R I N T S E R I E S A U T O - B I O G R A P H Y | N E W S | S P E E D M A C H I N E | F I V E M I N U T E F E AT U R E

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the launch issue of BattleAuto Magazine.

BattleAuto features Time Attack and Gymkhana type events from across the globe. Our focus is on racing.

Car's, circuits, drivers, teams, products everything a self-respecting, Sprint, Time Attack or Gymkhana enthusiast could want to see.

We want you to 'Be There' even when you can't. As we grow so will our ambitions, that not to say they are not big now, but we want to stretch beyond the magazine format.

We will be launching our Virtual Reality hot laps, which is just insane, a flying lap of COTA or Brands Hatch or another world class track from your phone or VR device, make sure you are sitting down for that one!

We will be launching Hero Cards for all the drivers, collectibles if you will, to increase the drivers fan bases and the fans accessibility. Our ultimate goal is to host a yearly event where racers on different continents can battle it out to see who truly is the best.

This month we introduce you to Global Time Attack and FormulaG, speak to some of the drivers from both and get a feel for what you need to succeed. We report from the Toyota Sprint Series, running as part of the Javelin Sprint Series and we look at a very special S2000 up for sale which could very well land you a title in your first race.

We would like to thank all the photographers who have given their time to help launch BattleAuto, Piston Broke Photography, Snaps Studio, David S Photography and we would like to give a very special thanks to David Gardener of Delta Pixels who has taken the bull by the horns and really helped us get this across the line. You'll be seeing more of David in the Future with some luck.

We would also like to thank Adrian Smith, Jason Dienhart and Becci Gilbert for giving us access to their races series so that we may produce the magazine and of course everyone who you see on the pages.

There will be people we have missed but you know who you are and thank you.

We hope you enjoy BattleAuto, we enjoyed putting it together.

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SPEED MACHINE

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The News. We give you a heads up on whats new and what coming up at a circuit near you.

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We bring you Max’s Mad TT built for Global Time Attack.

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We take a look at the key rules and regulations for getting involved on the track with Global Time Attack.

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The Toyota Sprint Series, being run just for fun moves to Three Sisters as part of the Javelin Sprint Series and some auto royalty paid a visit.

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Auto-Biography, Aaron Laverty takes us through his race experience and the build of his Toyota MR2 Mk3.

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Big Budget Battlers. Ben Williams class winning Honda S2000 is up for sale. We take you through the specifications of this absolute beast.

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Five Minute Feature. Matt Cant, self made racer is a crowd pleaser in his M60 powered E30 BMW. We show you around.

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64 Battle Builders. Jamie Clarke starts his FormulaG build and take us along with him for the journey.

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Getting involved. We talk you through the basics of competing in the FormulaG Championship and how not to fall foul of the rules.

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Part one of our 2019 Formula G retrospective covers Round one at Santa Pod.

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We take a look at the green and grey mean machine of Stephen Gretton.

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Speed Machine, Silverstone.

Part two of our 2019 FormulaG retrospective takes us to the RallyX event at the heart of British Motorsport.

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Wild Hybrid. Steven Moore the creator of the Nisubaru talks to us about his build, inspirations and ushering the next budding female F1 driver through the ranks.

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Next month in BattleAuto. We give you a sneak peak of what to expect in the next issue of BattleAuto

Want to get in touch? Email us at andy@battleauto.co.uk or you can message us on our Facebook or Instagram profile. Before you get in touch be sure to read our our legal disclaimer.

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The content of BattleAuto Magazine and website does not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or publishers and are the views of its contributors and advertisers. The digital edition may include hyperlinks to third-party content, advertising, or websites, provided for the sake of convenience and interest. The publishers accept no legal responsibility nor costs howsoever incurred for loss arising from information in this publication and do not endorse any advertising or products available from external sources. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored without the written consent of the publishers. The material and information contained within this magazine and on the website is for general information purposes only.

You should not rely upon the material or information in the magazine or in the website as a basis for making any business, legal or any other decisions. Whilst we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, BattleAuto makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the magazine or website or the information, products, services or related graphics contained on the website or in the magazine for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk. BattleAuto neither guarantees nor supports any product or service mentioned in its magazine or its website, nor does it warrant any assertions made by the manufacturers of such products.

Readers of the website and magazine are always recommended to obtain independent information and/or to perform independent research before using the information acquired.

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THE NEWS| S e p t e m b e r November 14-15 Global Time Attack finals at Buttonwillow.

The Global Time Attack tour makes its final stop of the year at Buttonwillow for its championship finals. Look out for full coverage in our December issue.

New for 2020 Product Release – Honda Civic Si – LSeries 1st-4th Heavy Duty Synchro Gear Set PPG are proud to introduce their latest new product. Extending their everincreasing Honda range, which includes the successful K & B-Series gear sets.

The all new L-Series Heavy Duty Synchro gear set is based on the latest 10th Generation Honda Civic Si 1.5l Turbo.

The L-Series Synchro gearset has been designed from scratch with the intent to not only make a strong high performance gearset, but also address some of the known issues with the OEM gearbox.

The PPG L-Series gear set supplies a straight cut 1st gear with helical gears, 2nd, 3rd & 4th. The 1st gear synchro design has been refined to operate smoothly which enables the elimination of premature wear.

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A characteristic seen in the OEM gearbox.

The L-Series gear set ratios • 1st - 2.857 2nd - 1.933 3rd - 1.350 4th 1.000 The PPG L-Series gear ratios have been optimised to maximise vehicle performance.

Optimised gear ratios allow for minimal boost and RPM drop per gear. For further information please email their sales team sales@ppgearbox.com.au

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THE NEWS| S e p t e m b e r The Time Attack UK season is in full swing with the Attackers now moving to Brands Hatch for Go Japan on September 13. This is the Time Attack calendar’s biggest event so expect something special. We hope to bring you coverage of this in the next issue of BattleAuto. The event will also feature the Tegiwa Challenge, a Japanese only race event sponsored by Tegiwa.

Round 4 5 6

Circuit Brands Hatch Snetterton Donington Park

Date Sunday September 13 Sunday October 11 Sunday November 15

TOYOTA SPRINT SERIES September 20 Croft The TSS heads to Croft for what would have been the next round of the TSS. Still running just for fun, we will bring you the results in our next issue

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Race proven control solutions Pneumatic, Hydraulic & Electronic

Gearshift •Clutch Control •Braking •Electronics shiftec.com

SURPASSING LIMITATIONS

TEL +61 8 8285

2933

EMAIL

sales@ppgearbox.com.au

14A Watervale Drive, Green FieldsSOUTHAUSTRALIA

WEB

www.ppgearbox.com.au FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Photography provided by the owner

MAXIMUM ATTACK

Max Clesca brought this TT as a grocery getter but somewhere along the line created a bespoke Time Attack Monster 10

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Max Clesca’s love affair with the Mk1 TT has been a long one. Many years ago, Max brought an Audi TT Roadster for his wife, which they both enjoyed until life (as it does) brought about change. Max and his wife were expecting their first child and as you know the TT Roadster is a 2-seater sports car so family outings were a nogo. The TT was passed to Max and his wife took up the mundanity of a SUV, needless to say, that’s when the modification bug began to bite. Max started to make changes to the TT but found there was a void in the market for track abusable suspension products which could also be driven on the street. Max decided to start

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making his own products to fill the void (you’ll notice a trend here soon) and thus FTD Motorsports was born. Max’s products developed a cult like following in the niche Mk4 chassis community and the rest as they say is history.

So now we move on to what was affectionately named ‘Project Streetable’ The car came with a semi built bottom end (pistons and rods) a K04 hybrid turbo, Maestro tuning suite, Bosch 550 injectors, VF engine mounts and an upgrades clutch. Max’s first change was to re-tune the car for E85 to allow for additional boost and timing. He added an EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) gauge to keep things in check but at this time he was still running conservative boost at 27psi. Next was to remove the fun killing brake/throttle overlap function. If any of you have not experienced this, it really is a mood killer! You move the clutch foot across to apply some left foot force on the brake pedal and the engine starts to die, you then take it off and there’s a satellite pause before you’re back on the power. I can tell you from personal experience this kills your times and also upsets the balance of the car as you’re stamping on the throttle trying to make it go again. Max also took this opportunity to tune the throttle for a near 1:1 ratio which greatly improves the FBW (fly by wire) throttle response. Any of you who have driven a cable throttled car will have felt the difference. My personal preference is a cable throttle so you can ‘feel’ the throttle so much more, it’s intuitive as right leg input directly correlates to more or less go. This throttle tuning is the next best thing however. Max now spent some time on the underside of the car.The rear sway

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bar on the TT is relatively thin but there is an opportunity to stiffen it up and it’s a modification carried out and proven by many people even though it seems a little, well, DIY. Essentially the sway bar is redrilled shortening the length of the arms and stiffening the bar, this looks similar to adjustable sway bars you’ve seen with multiple holes in them and works very well, helping you to dial out the car’s natural tendency to understeer. This can also be helped by removing the front roll bar, this teamed with the stiffer rear one massively improves vehicle turn in and promotes a more rear steer dynamic in the car. This was of course Max’s next modification. Max then moved to sort the coilovers for the car, teaming up with YCW to create something from the ground up. One of the advantages of these coilovers was the inclusion of a shorter spring which places the spring perch higher than the tyre allowing for additional clearance and huge rubber. Anyone who has fitted coilovers will have come across

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this problem before. Sometimes the clearance from the spring perch to the tyre is literally a few millimetres which brings its own problems with having to space out the wheel, sometimes adding to fitment woes, what a great solution.

Max also fitted his own adjustable rear control arms. The TT can suffer from huge camber when lowered so it was a no brainer to dial that out. Max decided a proper upgraded LSD was on the cards now and turned to mFactory for his. Corner exit speeds are crucial in racing and grip is everything. mFactory’s differentials are shock tested in drag racing applications and we know what drag racing does to driveline components, which means they are as tough as nails and perfect for the TT. One disadvantage of the TT, like most other AWD road cars, is weight. There are some easy wins here for the TT however, as an example there is a counter weight at the rear of the car which at around 30lb is a lump which is

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2002 Audi TT coupe built for GTA Limited class. 2,625 lbs rac

easy to lose. The interior of a TT is very well built but also very heavy, especially the heated leather seats and the carpet which itself weights somewhere near 25lb There is easily 200-300lbs to come out so with added lightness and more power the TT can become a real track machine.

Now it was time for the brakes to be upgraded. Max opted for his Madmax front and rear brake kits incorporating Willwood calipers. Max fitted a set of 315 slicks when the wheels went back on, carried out the required arch flaring and now the car was looking mean and more

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importantly purposeful. This is when the huge rear wing appeared. This in itself has been through many iterations, each modified by Max himself in his backyard to the amazement of his community of followers. You can see the custom aero package for yourselves, this being much easier than describing it. Everything has a function, nothing is for show.

Continued weight loss was also carried out at the same time with every redundant bracket removed, even the wing mirrors were weighed to ensure best savings were

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ce weight .

BUILD SHEET ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION 1.8t with IE rods built head. G25660 turbo, PagParts tuning vband cast manifold, converted to E85 ethanol, PagParts 4" expansion chambered DP and 3.5" aluminum exhaust. Custom FMIC and piping, 1,600 cc Bosch injectors, DW65v in-tank fuel pump, twin surge tank submerged AEM 400 l/h pumps, SEM intake manifold with 65mm TB, FFE solid aluminum engine/ transmission sandwich plate with dogbone delete, VF mounts with solid aluminum inserts, Custom power steering fluid cooler, Twin pass CSF engine oil cooler, CSF high flow radiator. 468hp@ 6938rpm / 404 fl/lbs@ 5722 rpm (low boost setting).

BRAKES Madmax big brake kits front/back WHEELS AND SUSPENSION 18X10.5 Konig Hypergram, 295 Hoosier A6 front/back, Madmax spec YCW coilovers with custom swift springs, custom camber plates, custom Madmax roll center correction kit, custom Madmax bump steer correction, deleted swaybar front/back, Madmax rear adjustable tie bars.

ELECTRONICS Ignitron standalone plug and play ecu.

achieved. Now it was time for the power to be increased to match the rest of the car. Its so refreshing to see a build put together like this.

Generally someone straps a big turbo on and ignores the free wins in lightness and stopping power. The G25-660 turbo was added to the build including uprated twin 400l/hour fuel pumps and larger injectors to suit. Max also took this opportunity to switch to wideband and an Ignitron ECU system. A few weeks ago, disaster struck and Max cracked his block as well as lifting the head at 45psi of boost. Fortunately, Max had a spare block from his previous TT project which was fitted ready for Global Time Attack New Jersey Motorsport Park.

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INTERIOR Gutted interior, single Corbeau race seat, 5 point RCI harness, 6 point roll cage.

AERO Spaced out and trimmed front fenders, modified stock bumper with vent block off, custom front splitter with side airfoils extensions, home-brew triple element wing with large end plates, Hood air extraction vents, Home-brew rear diffuser and side skirts

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FERAS QARTOUMY, 1ST PLACE SUPER LAP BATTLE UNLIMITED CLASS, 1ST PLACE AUTOBAHN COUNTRY CLUB TRACK MODIFIED

G

S

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FOCUS|GLOBAL TIME ATTACK TEC

The Limited Class GTR of CheckSix Garage Global Time Attack regulations are loosely based on the universally recognised Time Attack rules featured in events all around the globe. These regulations have to be strictly adhered to, given the nature of the events and the high power outputs being achieved today and non-compliance can find you not getting on the track at all. Here is our easy reference guide to the key rules and regulations.

The first item, all vehicles must be from a recognised manufacturer. This is common and is only caveated where individual Time Attack events have an open wheel class. This means vehicles such as Ultima GTR’s, Radical SR3’s or other kit or racecars which could be made road legal are not permitted. The use of space frames is not allowed and vehicles have to have OEM floor pans and shock towers. The next element is one which wouldn’t affect many racers, only one internal combustion engine is allowed.

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That doesn’t say you can’t have two electric motors driving the other wheels though. We are really keen to see electric racers coming to the front, some truly fresh developments to come here we believe. Water injection is allowed to cool down the inlet charge and with up to 50% methanol add a little extra bang to the mix.

Street class cars have additional rules to adhere to in order that the class remains competitive and fair for all. Carbon fibre bits are allowed but doors must be OEM and the car still needs to look like the original vehicle.

No chassis modification are allowed and the vehicle cannot be more than 100mm wider on either side from OEM. Seam welding of the chassis is permitted so there is a lot of stiffness to be added here. Aero restrictions apply here in that the rear wing cannot be the highest part of the vehicle however, hatchback mounted wings can be up to 250mm higher than the roof. No wings can protrude more than 125mm rearwards from the most rearward point of the vehicle, obviously some advantage for the protruding

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Photography courtesy of Snaps Studios

CHNICAL AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

The Enthusiast Class Focus ST of MCW Racing rear bumpered cars which would give you some more space to get that wing out in cleaner air. Rear wings can also only be single element, dual element wings must be taped together and if this comes apart you’re disqualified. Canards are limited to 4 per vehicle, must be in front of the front wheel and can only protrude up to 125mm. Active aero is not allowed. Rear wings (fenders) can be modified with bolt or rivet on extensions and the fronts vented or trimmed. Engine swaps are allowed but only in the same driveline configuration ie. FWD to FWD and you can add up to 2 cylinders or 1 rotor.

Normal fuel has to be used, no exotic mixes allowed and Nitrous is not permitted.

Tyre width is limited to a 265 on AWD cars and on FWD or RWD a 295 is allowed.

Adjustable suspension can only have 2 way damping adjustments so be careful on some coilovers and no in car

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adjustable suspension is allowed unless OEM. The interior front of the B pillar needs to stay intact and a passenger must be able to safely travel in the vehicle. You can downgrade your interior to poverty spec if that was available for your particular car but again you need to be careful not to get caught out here.

Key one now. No professional drivers are allowed to compete in Street Class. That means no one who’s primary occupation is a racing driver can compete in Street Class.

Control tyres are a feature in Time Attack.

This is the same in the UK and can be a pain for wheel sizes if you have an odd size. This is for all classes with exception of Enthusiast class which can run on any readily available tyre. Readily available means any one of the other racers could buy that same tyre so no cheating! If your caught your disqualified.

Odd size issues aside it’s a good idea to ensure a level playing field and ultimately

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FOCUS|GLOBAL TIME ATTACK TEC

The Street Class RS Future X KoyoRad NSX

The Pro/Comp Class Rabbit GTI of Justin Bayliss 20

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Photography courtesy of Snaps Studios

CHNICAL AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

The Unlimited Class Evolution X of Derek Boyd quality and safety of a known tyre. The Global Time Attack tyre manufacturer of choice is Yokohama. Street and Limited Class vehicle run on the road legal A052 Tyre with Unlimited moving onto the A005 racing tyre.

Roll cages are strongly recommended but are mandatory for Unlimited and Pro/ Competition class vehicles.

So let’s talk drivers. You can actually have two drivers per car but this will still only be one entry and classed as a team entry. Each driver must be at least 16 years old and hold a current SCCA (sports car club of America) Time Trials Advanced License or equal and approved.

If in doubt, ask.

Right, you have a compliant car, check, you have your license, check, its time to attack. Each event is run over two days with 3 or 4 sessions per day with the first

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sessions usually for practice only i.e no times count yet. New competitors must run a practice session to be grouped into the right session which is by speed and not class. When you are out on track, if you spin more than 90 degrees or have 2 wheels of the track you need to come back through the hot pits for a check by GTA staff to ensure you vehicle is still safe to run and any intentional contact means disqualification.

There are numerous rules around advertising on the vehicles which needs to be adhered to and obviously sponsor decals to be applied but stickers don’t make you faster (despite what you have been told!) so we will just let you read about them yourself. So that’s a summary of some key rules for Time Attacking. Full rules and regulations are available on the Global Time Attack website. Rules are subject to change and these are correct by interpretation at the time of the magazine release.

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Get involved

Submit your hot laps for our VR Gallery Apply for a Hero Card Feature your Race Series Submit your Racecar for a feature Offer Photography for inclusion Email articles for inclusion Apply for advertising space Email andy@battleauto.co.uk with the subject title get involved 12

In 2007 the Toyota Sprint Series was created. It was a chance for likeminded Toyota owners to compete in a championship all about them. Thirteen years later the series co-ordinator Adrian Smith and series support / administration guru Vix Cutler continue to move it forward despite it now becoming a sub series of the Javelin Sprint Series. The Toyota Sprint Series is being run ‘just for fun’ in 2020 given initial events were cancelled due to the pandemic but that doesn’t mean anyone has been taking it any less seriously.

Round one and two were run as a double header at the start of August at the predominantly karting venue of Three Sisters in Wigan. This circuit, built in the 1970’s was part of a larger development born from the desire to regenerate the area, originally famous for the three huge spoil heaps (a by-product of the large amount of mining) affectionately known as the Wigan Alps or indeed, the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters track is a twisty and challenging circuit which has seen its fair share of car racing and drifting as well as karting.

TOYOTA SPRINT SERIES Running just for fun in 2020 due to Covid cancelling events the TSS is part of the Javelin Sprint Series.

Photography by Piston Broke Photography

Newcomer Aaron Laverty made an impression in round one achieving third place in the TSS rankings

Alan Craggs run a 1:31.28 in his Celica The first thing that’s clear about the Toyota Sprint Series is that it has a loyal following. There is a real family feel about the event and between those who compete. Rounds one and two were no exception, with the MR2’s of Phil Cutler and Pete Mason making a return alongside a number of Celica’s ably piloted by Tim Ablett, Harry and Andy Todd and Tom Thorpe. Sarah

Buckley and Chrissy Thorpe, sharing a Celica made this their first event in the Toyota Sprint Series, as did Aaron Laverty in his MR2 Roadster.

This sprint series has an auto celebrity contingent that’s worth a mention, the Toyota Celica GT4X built by Fensport now with a new owner Roger Greaves.

This monster was built back in 2005 and packed more than 800bhp derived from

The Celica GT4 is still a no brainer for these types of events, loads of power and grip.

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Nick Ashley managed a 1:30.18 in his Celica GT4 a very special 3SGTE engine usually found in the SW20 MR2 Turbo. The GT4X took second overall at Ten of the Best back in 2011 and fourth at the Goodwood Festival of speed the same year. A perfect all rounder this Celica could run a nine second quarter mile and top 200mph, it’s great to see it still competing 15 years later.

Round one saw a total of 13 Toyota’s

enter out of a field of 64 which included loads of Japanese metal but also a fair amount of European hot hatches. The Toyota Sprint Series contingent yielded a MR2 top three with Phil Cutler taking the top spot with a 1:20.83 in his Turbocharged MK1 MR2. Frustratingly for Phil, his fastest run was his first one, a few mistakes on the day meaning he couldn’t replicate his original winning formula.

Phil Cutlers Turbo MK1 MR2 came out on top in Round 1 27

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Mike Anchor ran a respectable 1:25.31 proving the GT86 competitive in these events.

Tom Thorpe featured highly on the weekend taking taking seventh overall with a 1:20.56 28

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Pete Masons MR2 Roadster battled for and secured second place in Round 1

Jamie Goddard in his Yaris SR ran a 1:28.59 29

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Second place went to the MR2 Roadster of Pete Mason who set a time of 1:21.23.

Pete’s MR2 has the 2ZZ Celica engine fitted, which arguably Toyota should have done from the factory. Many drivers prefer this high revving naturally aspirated engine to turbocharging the factory 1ZZ. Aaron Laverty, a newcomer managed to achieve third place with a 1:22.20, Aarons Roadster also runs a 2ZZ Celica engine, we can see a pattern forming here.

Round two saw 19 Toyota’s enter a field

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of 60 cars but this time some high horsepower entries shook things up a little. Roger Greaves took first overall among the Toyota Sprint Series cars and second overall on the day in the Celica GT4X, running a 1.17.50. Roger set this winning time on his last run of the day.

Second place went to Tom Thorpe in his Celica GT4 with a 1:20.56. His best run came early on and unfortunately, he couldn’t better it to challenge Roger but still second among the Toyota Sprint Series cars was a good result.

Third place went to the round 1 winner

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Phil Cutler in his Turbo MR2 with a 1:20.61 besting his round 1 time by two tenths of a second. His run like Tom’s was set earlier in the day and Phil was unable to find those five hundredths of a second to take second place. Again, every fraction of a second counts in these events.

The Celica GT4X is still impressive 15 years after its build, taking the top spot in Round 2 of the TSS and second overall on the day 12

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FOCUS|AUTO-BIOGRAPHY My Toyota MR2 Roadster sadly since departed

Everyone’s got a story about how they got started with cars, their current builds or the ones that got away. The ups and downs, the lessons learnt along the way and the relationships formed but sometimes lost.

In a lot of cases stories are similar but the journey is almost always different.

My own story is a very long one. Ive been around cars for the last 25 years modifying them from the very beginning.

Some people are fortunate and have those whom they can turn to for advice others, like myself had to find their own way.

My initial choice in car was cash dependant rather than a conscious choice to follow a manufacturer. A 1.0 litre Metro was the weapon of choice the first time out, which lasted me a total of six weeks before I wrote it off running into the back of a AW11 MR2, gawping at another crash at the side of the road. A great start to my motoring journey. The next few cars skipped between British Leyland and Vauxhall, with me being the last owner

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of all of them owing to them ending up in the scrapyard due to blown engines or terminal rust or both.

Things started to get interesting with the purchase of a Peugeot 309 GTI and then a quick succession of hot hatches followed including Vauxhalls finest SRI’s and GTE’s. Then Fast and The Furious happened and I found myself thrust into the world of the Japanese manufacturers.

Since making the leap to the Far East, I’ve owned and modified a huge list of Japanese cars including, Skylines, 200sx’s, Silvia, 323GTX, Lexus Soarer, MR2’s, Impreza, Supra, RX8, Mazdaspeed 3 and MX5’s. Ive also dipped into BMW and Audi but ultimately my heart lies in Japanese metal.

Each month we want to bring you someone’s Auto-biography, their story which may just inspire you to move on, complete your build or just give you an engaging read. This month its Aaron Laverty’s turn and as it will be every month, its all in his own words.

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FOCUS|AUTO-BIOGRAPHY

After years of having Ford Puma’s on the track, I thought I would challenge myself from my normal front engine front wheel drive set up, to something a little more rewarding. The standard mk3 weighed around 1000kg and approximately 140bhp but because it is mid-engine layout, it handles very well straight out of the box.

When it comes to a track car, I’ve always focussed on the best way to have fun on track on a small budget and for smiles per gallon the MR2 is superb.

I managed to find a nice standard model with TTE exhaust upgrade for £1,200 with a full years MOT and the plan was to run it for a few months until I started the work over the winter and spring months, before going to Croft - the cars first track day.

Although the car was reasonably light to start with, I focussed on making the most out of the cars strong point - the handling.

I started by stripping some of the unwanted interior and replacing the red leather factory seats with a set of Cobra Monaco’s paired with a set of 3’’ Nicky Grist six point harnesses. At this point, the car looked a little weird, still sat high on standard wheels and unbranded horrendous tyres, so I bought myself one

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of only a few coilover kits available Meister CRDs. I will always go for coilovers rather than springs and shock, I find them much easier to work with and the adjustment is so much better, with these you can also adjust the stiffness front and rear 32 clicks.

The work really started gaining momentum; whilst I was away on holiday, I sent the car off to Bram Racing in West Yorkshire, to carry out a few little jobs for me. Brad dropped the subframe, welded up a few rusty patches and powder coated it in Rosso Red. He also fitted some rather hefty Hardrace rear pillow ball lower arms, rear pillow ball traction rod, rear pillow ball trailing arms and sorting out the wheel alignment after the suspension upgrade. When it came down to tyres there was only one place to go for me - I bought a second set of used wheels so I had a set of Toyo T1Rs to get me to and from the track and a set of Toyo R888s to make the most out of all the upgrades. So that’s the handling sorted for Croft and there wasn’t a lot I could do with the power, so I then took a look at the brakes.

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FOCUS|AUTO-BIOGRAPHY

The standard brakes on the car seemed to be plenty powerful enough for a stock car that weighs very little, but on the track I knew that they wouldn’t cut the mustard.

I’ve had plenty of Mtec discs in the past so stuck with them for a set of vented, grooved and dimpled, to compliment these I installed a set of EBC Yellowstuff pads. As I found out very early on in my track days adventures, you can quite easily cook your brake fluid and to make the most of the RBF600 I installed a set of Mtec braided hose, after a little shakedown, I was happy with this setup and the car felt fantastic!

The countdown was on for the cars first outing on track and I was happy with how it drove, handled and stopped, but I kept on tinkering and making sure that the car would perform faultlessly. I treated it to a full service and a PiperX foam filter, which with the twin TTE exhaust sounded really nice. I also fitted a front splitter from glass fibre products, a duck tail rear spoiler, OMP quick release wheel, and I removed the fog lights and made my own brake ducts to get some nice cool air onto those front brakes.

The day finally came where I could see

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the benefits of all those hours wrestling with rusty bolts and enjoy the car on track where it now belongs. We arrived at Croft hoping that the bad weather would keep away and whilst I was setting up the GoPro and doing my final checks in the garage, I started to get really excited! I went out at first on the T1Rs whilst I got used to the track, the car felt fantastic although a little slow on the straights you could definitely tell it was more than capable in the corners. I went and did a few warm up laps on the R888s then came in to set my pressures, I went for 26 hot on the fronts and 28 hot on the rears. Now the car was not only keeping up with much quicker cars but I was catching and overtaking them, fortunately other drivers slowed to let me past on the straights, as it was struggling down them.

My partner’s dad has had a very keen interest in this car since day one, so I signed him up as an additional driver and off he went out on track; after a few hot laps and instruction from me in the passenger seat, it became clear to me in the pits just how good this little ‘hairdressers car’ is. He took off his helmet and he is a relatively quiet man,

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but was beaming from ear-to-ear followed by the words – “It’s simply fantastic!’’.

The rain unfortunately started to fall at about 4pm so we decided that it was time to pack up and head home.

Overall, I was really happy with how the car performed on the track and after a few days of reviewing the footage off the GoPro, I started to realise there was something that I wasn’t necessarily happy with - the power! As we have all thought before, I just need a little bit more. With the standard 1zz and without spending a fortune, or installing a turbo, there isn’t much you can do that you would see much benefit. After a little research, I started to convince myself to change the engine for something a little more spritely so off it went to Rogue Motorsport, who did a fantastic job of installing the 2ZZ engine from the Celica T-sport 190. It was something that I had debated on doing myself and as much as I like getting my hands dirty and taking pride in what I had done, I would not have been able to do this to the level of quality or time they took.

far as engine swaps go, but knowing that the car is primarily just a track car, I opted for some extra upgrades whilst in the hands of Rogue. I wanted to retain the factory LSD, so they removed it from the MR2 gearbox and installed it to the Celica box. I also opted for a 200 cell cat and a baffled sump to eliminate any oil starvation and the larger capacity sump will help keep the engine oil a little cooler.

I eagerly awaited its arrival back home and within 10 days, the low loader turned up with me practically sat on the doorstep waiting to take it out for a test drive. Not wasting any time, I had strapped myself back into the hugging bucket seat, and after a few minutes, once the car was up to temperature, I pulled over on a quiet country lane to see what the 2ZZ was all about. I set off, watching the revs increase, waiting for the needle to hit 6000rpm and there it was, the high lift cam engaged, put me further back into my seat and the car screamed all the way to 8200rpm with urgency. That is what I wanted! A little more power and car that could actually pull the skin off some rice pudding.

The engine swap is a relatively easy, as

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Now, I was happy with the engine - the handling and the brakes, so it was time to get myself back on track and enjoy the car for what it is. I booked myself on to a track day at Blyton Park with Javelin and gave myself a few weeks to do some more tinkering - as it never stops when you enjoy it! I started thinking about how to make it even better, after seeing how much of an improvement a little less weight and the sticky tyres made, I decided to spend a few more pennies in this area. I bought a set of new Pro Race 1.2s, wrapped in some new R888Rs. I went for these, as they are a fantastic looking wheel that are strong, light and relatively cheap. With an offset of 23, the 7J wheels with 195/50/15 and 225/50/15 tyres filled the arches very nicely indeed; I teamed these wheels with some lightweight TPI nuts that not only enhanced the new look but saving me a few good grams per corner. At this point, I paid my attention on ripping out more interior and saving as many kilos as realistically possible - so the stereo, the luggage compartments behind the seats and all the carpets all came out. Trawling eBay one night, I came across a carbon fibre rear wing and after a few beers,

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I placed a bid, a few days later this huge wing arrived and it looked amazing! Now I’m not sure if it actually helps with downforce, as it’s probably at the wrong angle, but I think it looks brilliant.

With Blyton in just a few days, I fitted a short shifter and headed back to Bram Racing to get the wheel alignment set up for the new track wheels and tyres to optimize the handling. Blyton was a hot day with not a cloud in the sky, so it was time to see how much better it was those guys at Rogue know what they are doing, as the car was fantastic! So much more aggressive and now has the power it should have had from the factory, with all the upgrades the car gives you the confidence to stick it in to any corner and it will stay planted and its happy to be staying in that magic power band. Only one downside, the EBC yellowstuff pads.

Each time I came back in, they were smoking on each corner and after stripping them down the following week – it’s a good job I had spares; as after only two track days, they had practically nothing left on them. I needed something that I could rely on, especially if I was going to Cadwell the following month.

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I contacted Carbotech and they hooked me up with some XP8 pads that the guys use in the MR2 Championship, with that pedigree I’m sure they will stop my little car.

A few weeks after Blyton, I found myself again reflecting on the characteristics of the car again and mainly what I wanted to do with it next; this bit was a big steppingstone, as it would mean that I could potentially fulfil a dream of mine since I was a little boy. Like many of us, I dreamed as a child of being a F1 driver, unfortunately I only had three things stopping my dream – the money, talent and luck. I came across sprinting by accident, never really thought of it as competitive - but it is. It is a realistic way of getting into a form of motorsport for not a lot of money and not only that, the community of the Javelin Sprint Series and Toyota Sprint Series is one of fun and a good spread of cars and classes to compete against. To enter this series, I would have to make certain modifications to the car to apply to the regulations but more on that later…With the sprints in mind and Cadwell in a few weeks, it was time to send the car off to another specialist Megillian Motorsport in Hull.

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This is where it had its soft-top compatible roll cage fitted; for not that much money, Megillian made a bespoke roll cage for the car. Not only did he manufacture the cage, he also installed it and the quality is superb. I also treated the car to a full chassis bracing kit, which consisted of a front upper brace, front lower brace, mid-section brace and rear upper brace, all finished in the same Rosso red as my sub frame. I heat wrapped the manifold and exhaust, to try keep the temperature down in the engine bay before heading to Cadwell - where again the car was amazing! The new Carbotech pads performed so much better than the EBC pads, there was so much more pedal feel and they didn’t overheat and best of all - hardly any wear at all. The track day at Cadwell with Opentrack was a success, no issues at all and the car once again felt better after the upgrades, it is really starting to come together now and very pleased with all the progress I have made so far. Now my focus turns towards getting ready for the Sprint Series, with all the chassis work done, I didn’t want to compete with the soft top so I managed to find a good hard top with matching paint code.

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It fit over the rollcage but I had to use some brackets from my friend’s back over at Rogue Motorsport. These brackets are to replace the existing clamp brackets and actually bolt the roof to the car so is much safer. Whilst I was doing this, I removed the soft top and donated it to a local MR2 owner who needed it more than I did; with all the frame removed there was very little difference in weight which was a massive bonus.

Next, I purchased a set of Whiteline ARBs, which I fitted along with adjustable drop links and new poly bushed front wishbones; whilst I was in that area, I relocated the brake ducts to optimize flow into the discs. I had to fit the car with a fire extinguisher, to pass scrutineering, which I placed behind the seats, which is in reach of the driver and the passenger in the event of requiring it. At this point, I also removed the battery from the rear of the car and mounted a lightweight PC680 to the front of the car to distribute the weight over the front a little more. With weight in mind, I have removed everything I think I can from the interior, whilst following the regulations and sent it off to Crisp Tuning to have it corner weighted. It came out a little heavier

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than I thought but with the weight of the cage, all the bracing and 1/3 tank of fuel I was happy with the outcome after I worked out how much it would have weighed dry. The guys at Crisp Tuning did a great job and helped the car achieve the perfect 50/50 weight distribution across the axles with the passenger seat removed and my weight in the driver’s seat.

In the build up to the series starting, the outbreak of Covid19 put everything on stop - the first few sprints had been cancelled, which for me gave me more time to the car ready and to get a test day booked in at Cadwell. In this time, it was mainly the standard maintenance of the car, stripped its underbody of any rust, applied an underseal, and gave the car a full service which included new RBF600 and new transmission oil. More parts started to arrive as I fitted a carbon fibre enclosed induction kit, which is fed from the passenger’s side vent and to make the front splitter look a little better I also made an air dam which finishes it off quite nicely. With all the prep for the series, I made a centre console that has an FIA battery cut off switch and AUX switches, which I can later manually

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FOCUS|AUTO-BIOGRAPHY Photo Courtesy of Open Track

switch on my fan and relocated the horn here. The TTE exhaust system that came with the car was quite restrictive, so I popped across to Keltec Performance who made me a stainless cat back that is much better and comes out of the rear bumper, rather that two great big pipes under the bumper. I wanted it located here, as I plan to fit a rear diffuser at some stage of the build. The new exhaust teamed with the new induction kit sounds great, and even though Keltec managed to keep it under 98db as per my request it sounds really aggressive. Amongst many other upgrades, I took a look at the exterior, which had started to look a little sad for itself, so off came the old go faster stripes, a full body cut and polish and on when some TRC style side skirts with aero skirt and a few more branded graphics.

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Since I had the new engine fitted, I’ve always wondered just how much power am I getting? I booked a power run at RS Tuning to see what the old girl actually had. I was hoping for a realistic 160170hp at the flywheel and as the car was strapped down I was eagerly waiting for the display to throw up the output. I was quite surprised and very happy that it came out with an average after three runs of 179.4hp at the flywheel. I have another track day booked at Blyton Park that will let me finalise anything I need before the Javelin Sprint Series and Toyota Sprint Series begins in early August at the Three Sisters circuit, it’s not a track I’ve been to before and really looking forward to see how the little MR2 and myself fairs at sprinting.

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FOCUS|BIG BUDGET BATTLERS

Ben Williams Honda S2000 Turbo Got yourself a bigger budget? Well why not jump right into a car that could very well land you a class or title win on your inaugural season? Yes, yes we know its about the rider not the ride (Sean Boswell, FATF Tokyo Drift) but having a purpose built ride can’t hurt, right?

Whenever we can, its our intention to feature ready built Racecars for sale where the owners have participated in our featured events and they have proven pedigree.

There’s a few choices here. You can import a car yourself from Japan, buy from a local specialist or take your chances on the public market with an enthusiast’s car.

We covered Benjamin’s S2000 last month in our Ridge Motorsport Park feature where he took the Limited Class win ran and fourth overall on the day.

The good thing about enthusiast cars is that a lot of them have had simply thousands pumped into them by the current owners and Racecars you would like to think wont be some nailed together mess unlike buying a used road car thats spent its life in a McDonalds parking lot doing donuts on budget tyres and supermarket fuel. There are of course exceptions to these rules so you need to make your own choices.

The car ran faultlessly and proved an inspiration for other drivers, who spent their day chasing this ballistic S2000 down, some of them not quite so faultlessly.

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This month we are featuring Benjamin Williams Turbocharged Honda S2000.

We take you through the specs over the next few pages and if its sold by the time we go live, good luck to Ben and enjoy the feature anyway.

BattleAuto.

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LIMITED CLASS WINNER RIDGE MOTORSPORT PARK 2020 B e n Willia m s ’ H onda S 2 0 0 0 is pa c k ing 4 5 0 WH P a nd is a bona f ide c la s s winning R a c e c a r . B e n is look ing to m a k e t he m ov e t o a C or v e tt e Z0 6 , s o this t ur boc ha r ge d be a s t is now f or s a le GTA Phot ogr a phy by Sna ps S tudio Ot he r Phot ogr a phy by t he owne r

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Ben won Global Time Attack Limited class at the Ridge Motorsport Park in this car and it holds S2000 chassis records at both of his local road courses.

Surprisingly the car is still road legal and having taken it for a number of longer drives, Ben is happy to report that it still drives faultlessly. It runs e85 or 92 Pump fuel with a flex fuel tune on its AEM Infinity. It weighs around 2500lbs and makes 450whp and 360ft/lb torque. It has in cockpit adjustable boost control and traction control.

Ben’s done around 40 track/race days with this car and has only ever left the track due to a failure once, which was a transmission fault. Ben says he has had multiple aftermarket turbo track cars and

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put this car together with extreme attention to detail to ensure reliability. The car has been heat tested having been run for a 45 minute session in 95F heat flat out, never seeing the oil temp above 250F nor the water temp even hit 200F This is a turn key car even for hotter climates.

Ben purchased this car from the auction with accident damage. The original owner had traded it into a local dealership where it was slid into a curb on a test drive. Due to the damage to the rocker panel the car was deemed a total loss even though it was pretty minor. Ben has tons of pictures of the damage so you can see it yourself.

Ben replaced the damaged parts and went through the state inspection process. The car has a WA rebuilt title because of it, but

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for a primarily tracked vehicle this probably doesn’t make much of a difference. Ben says he gets compliments on this car all the time as it shows very well, and it surprises people constantly how fast it is on the track.

The next pages are in Ben’s word.

BattleAuto cannot take any responsibility for the accuracy of these descriptions.

Ben seems a stand-up guy and is offering additional photographic evidence of the condition of the vehicle but you make your own choices.

Ben has the title in hand and also has a tilt car trailer available if the buyer is interested. The rear diffuser pictured is included but not currently installed.

Racecar’s that have seen some action are rarely going to be mint but that said a lot of them do also show well.

Ben is happy for you to ask any more questions and if you currently have a Corvette Z06 he may consider a trade.

Ben’s instagram is Bstonewilliams so hit him and and lets get Ben into his next Racecar and you into this one.

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If your taking a Racecar a long way home we would always recommend a trailer, not only for reliability but to enable you to get familiarised with the car, big power cars can bite very quickly and you don’t want to be tens of thousands in and bin it!.

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CHASSIS Welded upper control arm mounts.

Common issue where these will crack with stick wide rubber if not welded -Stoptech ST40 Trophy front brakes with ST47 pads, Girodisk rear vented rotors with ST45 pads. Brand new in box set of replacement front rotor rings and floating race hardware. $750 cost. Also have a bunch of spare pads.

-APR Carbon Front brake duct inlets -Ohlins DFV Sake Bomb long stroke coilovers with 16/14 springs installed. Also have spare 16/13 Swift springs included.

-Fresh wheel bearings and MSI studs and lugnuts, last winter. This was roughly $800 in parts.

-Enkei RPF1 18x10.5 +15 wheels with currently installed Hoosier R7 285/30/18 tires, also have 2 sets of 275 NT01s included if you like.

-APR GT250 wing with 4mm Carbon endplates attached to the chassis via Custom Rampage Fabrication Tig welded mounts to the top of the quarter panels.

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These are very rigid, painted in chassis color and beautiful.

-Alumalite 10mm front splitter with Professional Awesome Racing Small tunnels installed. Hard mounted rear with 4 x 3/16 stainless custom made turnbuckles for support.

-Rampage Fabrication rear diffuser, not currently on the car but it is included -Front canards -CG style flares front and rear -Gears front lip -VRaptor Speed hood vents and fender vents.

-Rockstar double carbon Mugen Rep hardtop.

-Roll center adjustment kit -Innovative trans/ engine mounts -Steering rack billet mounts -Rear bump steer kit -All fresh ball joints installed front and rear at time of studs and wheel bearings.

-Ball joints and all heat shielded -Solid diff mounts -Axle spacers

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POWERTRAIN Engine is totally stock but with AP2 retainers and fresh valve stem seals. I have only run Amsoil in the drivetrain, and in the engine since the turbo kit. Also have done blackstone engine oil samples with wonderful results. Engine is in great health.

Compression is CLY1-220 psi, CLY2-215 psi, CLY3-215 psi, CLY 4-220psi. Photo’s available.

-Ptuning hot side turbo kit with Garrett GTX 3076R Gen 2 1/1 Rampage Fabrication Custom V mount cooling package with 4 inch intake,Titanium piping anodized to match the color of the car, 14” spal fan and high efficiency heat exchangers. Water temp never even touches 200* and intake air temps are 85* in 70* weather on full throttle pulls all the way to the

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top of 5th gear. Yes 85, you read that right. Car runs e85 or pump gas. All ducted with integrated brake duct inlets.

3” stainless all v band exhaust with side exit for diffuser clearance. This is a super slick setup, and roughly a 15,000 turbo kit.

-Rampage Fabrication Huge 1qt oil cooler with Thermostat. All AN fittings -Rampage Fabrication Battery cover/ catch can with AN fittings welded to valve cover.

-ID 1000 injectors -Radium fuel surge tank with Walbro 450 in tank and in OEM tank. Both e85 models. Fed with custom power harness running Hella 35 amp relays.

-AEM fuel rail with fuel pressure sensor and AEM pressure reg

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-Renegade short shifter with brass bushing and lever extension.

-Functional cruise control

-OMP deep 330mm wheel with Rally QD and wheel hook on cage.

-Longacre rear view mirror 17” -Drop in windows with brackets. These are INTERIOR driveable and you can wash the car with -Rampage Fab Fully TIG welded NASA/ them etc. but the car does not have normal SCCA spec roll cage with anti intrusion door functioning windows. You physically lift them bars. This is a $9,000 roll cage. from the doors to remove.

-Sparco Evo 2 seats with non moveable -Aim SOLO with dash mounted permanent bases. I am 6’3” and fit in this car comfortably. bracket and hardwired power cord If you are not close to me height you will not Selling your Racecar? Why not contact us be able to drive the car but this is very easily at andy@battleauto.co.uk We can give fixed with and off the shelf rail and slider. My your sale a boost by featuring it in the next height dictated the need to have the seat as issue of BattleAuto. Always be honest far and back as possible. when selling a Racecar, we are a -Crow 3” harnesses community and we race together.

-AEM Gauges, 2 canbus selectable, Water temp, Oil temp and oil pressure Stay safe when buying a Racecar.

-Drake fire extinguisher mount with fire bottle.

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FOCUS|FIVE MINUTE FEATURE

E30 V8 A crowd favourite, this BMW E30 is a V8 powered sideways smoker, that just so happens to be pretty useful on a Gymkhana circuit too.

Photography by David S Photography

Matt Cant started in motorsport at the tender age of 10 in junior karting championships and then at the age of 17 moved into Motocross, competing in championships at a good level.

Unfortunately, Matt overshot a jump and his dreams of turning pro were ended after extensive spinal surgery. Matt took some time out to recover, well we say time out but he was still participating in track days around the country until at the age of 29 the allure of Drifting and FormulaG took his focus. Matt managed to secure eighth overall in the 2019 season despite some of it being in his second car an E46 BMW whilst the E30 V8 was out of action.

Matt, a mechanic by trade, calls himself a self made racer and his E30 is a testament to himself and those who have his thanks. The car started life as a E30 325i sport back in 1989 but is far from its origins pumping out more than 100whp more than when it rolled out of the

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factory. The centre piece is the 540i M60 V8 engine and I can tell you first hand that this thing sounds epic up close. Mounted to the B40’s 5 speed box and treated to a lightened flywheel, custom propshaft and twin plate TTV Racing Clutch the drive train was complete. The M60 was treated to a few upgrades, Ford V8 larger injectors, a larger throttle body, uprated oil and power steering coolers, an uprated radiator and a K&N filter, the end result being 260whp and 286 ft/lb of torque when fettled on the ME442 standalone ECU. Being naturally aspirated this means good linear power with zero lag, oh and did I mention it sounds epic. The fuelling system received an overhaul with the inclusion of twin Walbro fuel pumps a 2L swirl pot and a 25L aluminium fuel tank.

The brakes have been improved with EBC grooved discs and uprated pads and of course the required hydraulic

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handbrake on the rear. HSD adjustable front coilovers have been fitted matched with HSD rear shocks with adjustable spring height. The suspension was topped off with Wisefab lower arms and knuckles, polybushed on the front and rear. The chassis has seem some major work with lightening generally as well as a space frame front end and full roll cage. The interior is basic and useful. A Recaro bucket seat is coupled with a Sparco deep dish steering wheel, TRS race harness, Born2drift custom gear shifter and ever important Fire extinguisher. Externally this car is no slouch with a custom made Pandem

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bodykit, polyurethane windows and a Ducktail rear spoiler.

Matt has many people he wants to thank for their part in the build @borntodrift @hazexperts @illmotiondrift @krsturbos @ttvracing @david.s.photography @westlaketyres @racepartsltd @motorsportselectronics @renegadefuel @ukdse @rugbyelitebodyworks.

We look forward to seeing Matt compete in the 2021 Formula G series and with some more seat time we are expecting even more from the self made racer.

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BUILD SHEET ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION M60B40 Engine and 5 Speed Gearbox. Ford V8 injector upgrade, bigger throttle body, Twin Walbro fuel pumps and 25 litre fuel tank, K&N Filter, uprated oil and power steering coolers, uprated radiator, TTV racing Clutch, lightweight flywheel and custom propshaft.

260WHP / 286ft/lb Torque BRAKES EBC grooved discs and uprated pads, hydraulic handbrake.

WHEELS AND SUSPENSION Lightweight custom made Team Dynamics wheels, HSD suspension, Wisefab lower arms, polybushed.

ELECTRONICS ME442 standalone plug and play ecu.

INTERIOR Gutted interior, Recaro bucket seat, Sparco steering wheel.

AERO Pandem wide arch kit, Ducktail spoiler

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MATT CANT

FOCUS|FormulaG Championship Edition HERO CARD

Matt Cant 1989 BMW E30 V8 RACE EXPERIENCE

BUILD HIGHLIGHTS

I started in junior karting when I was 10 years old and moved onto Motocross as a teenager. Overshooting a jump I had to have spinal surgery which ended my hopes of being a Motorcross professional racer. After participating in many track days across the UK I decided to get into drifting and Formula G which is what I am competing in now. I finished in eigth position overall last year and I am looking forward to the 2021 season of Formula G.

280WHP / 286ft/lb Torque

STAR PARTS

THANKS & SPONSORS

It’s got to be the M60 motor swap. The power is great and it just sounds awesome. There is usable torque whenever you stamp on the gas so makes it great to control with no turbo lag.

@borntodrift @hazexperts @illmotiondrift @krsturbos @ttvracing @david.s.photography @westlaketyres @racepartsltd @motorsportselectronics @renegadefuel @ukdse @rugbyelitebodyworks.

M60B40 engine swap, Ford V8 upgraded injectors, Twin Walbro fuel pumps and 25 litre fuel tank. ME442 standalone ECU. Wisefab arms and polybushed suspension. Space framed front end.

Recaro bucket seat and Sparco steering wheel. TTV Racing Clutch.

POWER OUTPUT

BATTLE BUILDERS JAMIE CLARK In this the first part of our series, Jamie talks us through why he chose FormulaG and his build a K12 Micra 160SR

Hi all, a quick word about myself before we get onto why I chose Formula G and the car I'm building.

A few of you may have seen me posting on the drivers’ page, or like Matt Cant met me at Autosport. So I'm Jamie Clark or Jay makes no difference to me, I'm 35, married father of two girls living in Leicestershire. I'm a support worker for adults with learning disabilities but I'm also qualified mechanic by trade. I used to restore and run historic rally cars at Sweep Motorsport, along with a few more modern cars (well they were when I worked there).

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When I was 16 I was a member of Nuneaton Motor Club and was involved with the organisation and running of auto tests and the Rally of the Midlands, setting up marshalling etc.

I also used to help other club members servicing their cars on rally events.

Why FormulaG? When I was with Nuneaton MC I met a gentleman called Richard Egger, best known for being the previous owner of Richard Egger Insurance now known as RIES. He used to invite me to auto test practice days and loan me one of his

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Nova's to use. I really enjoyed it, but at the time I was an apprentice earning around ÂŁ75 a week so never had the funds to compete. I'm finally in a position to be able to compete in a form of motorsport, being a support worker the money isn't fantastic, so an accessible form of motorsport like Formula G was perfect. I had seen demonstrations at both Coventry Motorfest and also at Santapod at USC, it was on my list of feasible options so on our annual visit to Autosport International at the NEC I decided to go and speak to the guys on the stand. We stood talking to Matt Cant and another gentleman (his name escapes me) for at least half an hour and found them both very welcoming, helpful and friendly. I decided to look into it at bit more and after some thought I decided it was something I'd

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like to have a go at, with its reasonable entry fees, most events being local to myself and not needing to own a trailer (for now).

I sought advice from people on the drivers page on which class to enter despite the majority of them trying to tempt me into RWD I was considering either AWD (as I already own an Impreza WRX) or FWD (as I already had a CitroĂŤn C2 VTS). I decided not to go for AWD due to the cost involved in preparing and running my Impreza and I didn't want to go for RWD as I don't have much experience driving RWD cars and didn't want to be trying to remember where I'm going and trying to get used to driving a RWD car. The logical option was to go for FWD class for the time being and see how it goes.

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FOCUS|FORMULA G CHAMPIONSHIP

RWD entry of Mike Newland The Formula G Championship unfortunately didn’t happen in 2020 due to the Covid situation, but they are planning to be back with a bang in 2021.

The rules have remained largely unchanged for a few years so we reckon if you comply with the 2020 rules you should be good for next year. BattleAuto will bring you updates as they happen should there be any major changes.

There are four classes in FormulaG AWD, RWD, FWD and U1 which are kit cars etc. The rules for FormulaG aren’t as well defined as other race series like Time Attack which allows some wild creations to be built and also allows people of all budgets to compete.

Except where you are entering in U1, all chassis must be from a major manufacturer but key here, they don’t have to be road legal, pure Racecars can enter. Chassis modifications are allowed so you can imagine what you could build.

Suspension modifications are free so you can do what you want here and the same goes for brakes but you 100% need a

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hydraulic handbrake, having competed myself, this is essential. There is no control tyre for FormulaG competitors are allowed to use whatever they want as long as it’s a E marked tyre. Engines are again free, you can do whatever you want to them, add cylinders or rotors, minus them, convert drivetrains, the sky is literally the limit. Catch cans must be used but that’s just good sense. Mixed fuels are allowed i.e methanol but they vehicle has to externally identify this with a 70mm diameter orange circular sticker adjacent to their race number, fire extinguishers are also mandatory in the pits for re-fuelling. Interiors are free once again, but any aftermarket bucket seats must be in a road legal condition. Ballast to alter weight distribution is free but needs to be identified as required by the rules. The rear brake lights must work on the vehicle, front lights are not essential, but the cars must retain a front bumper and look tidy so lights maybe more of aesthetic function than a practical one. Exhausts are once again free but some of the tracks have a 95Db limit. Be careful not to get caught out on this and lose out on

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Photography courtesy of Delta Pixels

P TECHNICAL AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

AWD entry of Jonathan Buck the fun on the day. Noise testers are cheap on Amazon or Ebay and will save you disappointment. Soft tops must have a roll cage or hard top fitted and roll cages, whilst not mandatory are encouraged. The first time you enter an event your car has to undergo a full scrutineering and your championship notebook is completed to show you have passed inspection. As well as checking the items above the scrutineer will also check your windscreen, seat belts or harnesses, that the battery is secure, there are no fluid leaks and you have a fire extinguisher in the car. Its easy to pass this as long as your sensible. I passed the inspection in a ÂŁ400 BMW 318i so if I could, you can. Once your car is sorted its about you. There are no special licences required to enter FormulaG and safety clothing is limited in that you require a helmet and long sleeves and trousers.

FormulaG do try to encourage racesuits and pit uniforms to push the professional look of the sport. Its not mandatory but its

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a lot of fun to get right into it. FormulaG take the outward presentation of the series very seriously and that includes barring those people who engage in reckless behaviour on the track or are abusive to staff or other racers. FormulaG also consider your social media do not tolerate abusive comments on social media either so any keyboard warriors need not apply.

The pit area rules centre around the professional look of the sport again. All competitors are encouraged to bring gazebos and any work being carried out on the cars mandate the need to have a ground sheet under them.

A typical race day with FormulaG starts with the signing on and then swiftly to practice.

Practice is open and you basically queue and go, get as much time under your belt as you can to prepare for the qualifying which comes next. You get two runs in the left lane then two runs in the right with your fastest time being taken to the leaderboard and then the top 16 progress to the battles.

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FOCUS|FORMULA G CHAMPIONSHIP

A Citroen C2 FWD entry in 2019

U1 entry of Mark Elder 68

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Photography courtesy of Delta Pixels

P TECHNICAL AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

RWD entry of Stephen Gretton Each class has its own battles and ultimately each class has a winner. Now you can finish first and still not win. If you jump the start you get a DNF (did not finish). If you leave the racing line you will get a DNF and if you go around the course incorrectly you will get a DNF. It’s tough, some of the courses are pretty complex to remember and these rules can lead to some giant killing as we saw last year.

Points are awarded to all of those who qualify for the top 16 ranging from 50 for first place to 10 for 9th-16th and knockout points from 100 for 1st place to 50 for 9th16th. You can see that with a smaller range of points available across top to bottom no one round can really blow the championship open and consistent wins are essential to take the crown. Individuals usually class winners and particular wildcards are taken forward to compete in the Gymkhana Grid event against top drivers like Ken Block and Petter Solberg, what an amazing opportunity!

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Gymkhana Grid which appeared in 2013 as part of the X Games is a whole new set of rules and a whole new ball game. Top drivers from around the world come to Gymkhana Grid to complete for the chance to take home, sometimes life changing prizes. Last year’s event was held in Poland. 2019 saw a shock when Mantas Sliogeris took the RWD win in his 200bhp Mazda MX5, defying odds and killing giants on the way there. Jonathan Buck secured the top privateer win for the second year in a row. Like Mantas, Bucky competes in the UK Formula G championship, which consistently features world class drivers like Dimitrij Sribnyj, Luke Woodham, Adam Elder, Mike Newland, and of course Mantas and Bucky, to name a few.

FormulaG in the UK remains one of the most accessible racing series there is and we wish them a speedy return to form in 2021. FormulaG is part of the Fueltopia family and is headed up by Becci Gilbert.

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We r e - liv e the e x c ite m e nt of t he 2 0 1 9 For m ula G C ha m pions hip.

This of fic ia l Gy m k ha na Gr id fe e de r s e r ie s r e a lly is without a dull m om e nt.

P hotogr a phy by D e lt a P ix e ls

The cancellation of the 2020 FormulaG Championship wasn’t, in hindsight, a surprise but it was disappointing none the less. Personally I’ve been around this series for three years now, competing in one and spectating at the other two and I have to say its one of the most welcoming and inclusive series out there. Living locally to Santa Pod helped me make the decision to compete in FormulaG but I would have made the journey to wherever it was after competing in the first event.

Finding FormulaG was in reality a pure fluke for me. We have all seen the, ‘like, share and comment’ competitions businesses use to increase their following and when Fueltopia posted one to win a free entry into the Barrel Sprint series,

which ran alongside FormulaG. I duly, liked, shared and commented. A few days later I had won the free entry and after deferring it from the practise day to Round one due to personal commitments I was on the hunt for a car to compete in. My budget was tight so given prices of Japanese metal nowadays I opted for a BMW instead, finding an E46 318 compact local for the right money. Now, 110bhp isn’t going to set the world on fire but stripped out with a hydraulic handbrake fitted, it felt like a proper Racecar. I didn’t do very well being honest, the modest power levels coupled with an open diff and relative inexperience didn’t help but the fun levels were off the chart and the welcome warm.

FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

The FormulaG 2019 season took place across three different venues Test Day - Santa Pod on 3rd March Round one - Santa Pod on 23rd March Round two - Silverstone on 25th May (Speed Machine) Round three - Silverstone on 26th May (Speed Machine) Champion of Champions on 1st June (Moto Fest Coventry) Champion of Champions on 2nd June (Moto Fest Coventry) Round four - Santa Pod on August 10th Round five - Santa Pod on October 29th

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In part one of our Rewind series we are going to cover Rounds one, two and three.

Part two will be bringing coverage of the Champion of Champions event from Moto Fest in Coventry and Part three the season close of Round four and five as well as the end of season awards.

32 drivers registered to compete in FormulaG in 2019 with a heavy bias to RWD. The usual suspects were there including Ryan Milton, Jonathan Buck, DmitrÄł Sribnyj, Spencer Peacock, Stephen Gretton, Steve Moore and Steve

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

McConnell, just to name a few. Round one was the feeder for the Champion of Champions event at Moto Fest in Coventry and with top contenders Mike Newland and Phil Staniford out of contention after suffering mechanical failure the field was well and truly open. The challenge was thrown down, the top 12 RWD and four AWD as well as the U1 cars would attend the Moto Fest Event. In RWD, despite a great drive Matt Cant, without his V8 E30 didn’t make the headway he wanted and went out in the knockout rounds after initially making the top 16.

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Chris Jones, Devon Whiles, Kraigy Haughton, Mark Young, Owen Dodwell, Alex Newton and Stephen Gretton all shared the same fate all netting 10 qualifying points and 50 in the battles.

The top eight drivers now had to battle it out for victory. Mantas Sliogeris, Neal Beagley, Steven McConnell, Ryan Milton, Spencer Peacock, Paul Seddon, Darren Huxley and Stephen George lined up and prepared for the final shoot outs. Stephen George, Darren Huxley, Paul Seddon and Ryan Milton were the first to fall losing

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

their respective battles allowing the top four to move to the finals. Ryan had called a five minute timeout in an attempt to repair his failed brakes just before his race with Spencer Peacock and never fully recovered.

Steve McConnell took victory on the day in his yellow E36 BMW, his honed drifting skills helping him with the twists, turns and rotations of the course. Steve ran two 47 second runs and took an overall lead of 3.3 seconds. This was two wins in a row for Steve after winning the final round of the 2018 season. Neal Beagley took second place, Mantas Sliogeris third and Spencer Peacock fourth in his NA MX5. Despite the BMW taking the overall victory, the MX5s again proved that the lightweight RWD hero was still a forced to be reckoned with.

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AWD was really a two man show with Jonathan Buck pushing DmitrÄł Sribnyj all the way though the qualifiers and battles with DmitrÄł taking first and Bucky second place a one, two for Scooby Clinic Racing. Michael Irwin managed to bring his Subaru in third place.

The Biddles were back in their U1 class GBS Zero, Andy the quicker of the two on the day. Mark Elder trailed by two seconds ultimately.

That was round one and with the selections for the Champion of Champions event made, the competitors went away to prepare for Speed Machine and Rounds two and three which was only now eight weeks away whilst acutely aware that any major issues could well cost them victory in the Moto Fest event.

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

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Photography by Delta Pixels

MEAN MACHINE This Mazda packs a heavyweight 300bhp punch and has been doing battle in the FormulaG Championship for the last two years. We caught up with Stephen Gretton to find out more.

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FOCUS|FIVE MINUTE FEATURE

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Stephen Gretton a 24 year old driver has completed in one year of Barrel Sprint and two years of FormulaG. He managed a solid seventh in the RWD championship with his MX5. The lightweight RWD racer really is suited to gymkhana, the tight track layouts playing to its inherent chuckability.

Stephen managed to secure a place in the top 16 for each round last year and in one instance managed to win his battle and make it to the top eight. Its this sort of consistency that keeps you in the top contenders for Formula G.

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The centrepiece of Stephen’s build is the 1.9 litre re-bored BP engine which is making a healthy 300bhp. The engine is fed by a VF28 turbo with uprated bearings, which is connected with a custom manifold from Garage Widow Maker and the air to the engine cooled by a Nissan Skyline R33 intercooler.

Stephen built the exhaust himself and is 2.75” straight through. The engine has also been treated to a 65mm Skunk 2 throttle body and a Link ECU wired and Mapped by Nispro Performance.

Nispro Performance aren’t all just

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about Nissan’s as their name would suggest. Certainly their Facebook page alone would indicate they deal in Nissans, Toyota, Subaru and of course Mazda. Sounds like an incoming feature!

Containing all of the 300bhp is an ACT Extreme 4 paddle clutch, a 6 speed MX5 gearbox with an added oil cooler and a mFactory 3.3 to 1 ratio diff. Stephen is soon to swap the diff out for a Tomei 2 way LSD. Underneath the car has been fitted with

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HSD Monopro coilovers, Destroy or Die super knuckle kit, hard race front upper arms, M2 rear upper adjustable arms and poly bushes on the lower rear’s.

The brakes have been uprated to EBC discs and pads with the rear calipers being swapped out in favour of R32 GTST items.

Swapping the calipers has a massive bearing on how the handbrake locks up the rear so swapping to a larger item will really help.

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Inside the highlight is a Custom Cages FIA approved rollcage and externally the car features a Firefly Duce kit and Rota Kyusha wheels 8j on the front and 9j on the rear.

Stephen was keen to thank Bofi Racing, Nispro Performance, Corbeau and Funk Motorsport.

We are not sure when Stephen is racing again and neither is he, to be fair. We

will keep in touch and let you know as soon as we do. So for now we will leave you to stare at the magnificence that is the engine bay shot provided by Stephen.

The whole build speaks quality to us, from the gold heat reflecting tape on the bulkhead and intercooler pipework to the fantastic green roll cage and matching crash bars and wheels. I’ve not always been a huge fan of the MX5 to be honest but this one’s got me thinking.

BUILD SHEET ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION 1.9 rebored BP engine, Skunk 2 Throttle body, VF28 Turbo, Garage Widow Maker manifold, Skyline intercooler, 2.75” custom exhaust, ACT Extreme paddle clutch, 6 speed MX5 gearbox, mFactory Diff 300BHP ELECTRONICS Link Ecu BRAKES EBC Discs and pads, R32 GTST rear calipers

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WHEELS AND SUSPENSION Rota Kyusha Wheels 8J front 9J rear, HSD monopro coilovers, Destroy or Die knuckle kit, Hardrace adjustable front arms, M2 adjustable rear arms INTERIOR Gutted interior, FIA approved Roll cage AERO Firefly Duce Kit, Ducktail spoiler

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SPEED M

Sil

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MACHINE

Formula G featured in Speed Machine at lverstone for a double header weekend with some of the fastest cars on the planet Phot ogr a phy by D e lt a P ix e ls

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

Running alongside some of the fastest cars in the world is exciting enough add to that a Formula G double header and you have something approaching motoring nirvana. This double header threw up some new challenges and saw the emergence of the eventual RWD class winner who went on to win the world championships at Gymkhana Grid.

Round two saw the wild card entry of Michelle Westby. Michelle has been around cars for as long as I can and no doubt she can remember.

Michelle is a professional drifter a fullyfledged stunt driver and a tutor at numerous events. Michelle was part of the Fast and the Furious live tour where she got to meet Vin Diesel and other members of the FATF cast.

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Formula G was going to give her a new challenge. The mixture of drift, drag and sprint type elements tests all drivers old and new but despite this the versatile driver managed to make the top 16 on her first 2019 outing. Unfortunately, that’s where her day ended.

Qualification was tough on the first day, the tight course presenting a challenge to some of the drivers. AWD challenger Dmitrij Sribnij likened it to driving a Formula 1 car on a RX track. In RWD eight drivers went out in the top 16 battles with Chris Jones, Michelle Westby, Darren Huxley, Spencer Peacock, Danny Cross, Mark Young, Paul Seddon and Stephen Gretton all losing their respective races.

The top eight battles commenced, and

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

four more drivers fell. Matt Cant improved on his Round one performance but ultimately still went out, followed by Alex Newton, Scott Addison and Mike Newland.

It was time for the top four to make their way to the track. Ryan Milton, Steven McConnell, Neal Beagley and Mantas Sliogeris all lined up ready to do battle.

Steven McConnell took the win again, his third event on the bounce but this time Mantas Sliogeris took second place with Neal Beagley third and Ryan Milton Fourth. The top four was again awash with MX5’s.

The AWD challenger struggled with the tight course with some of the RWD leaders taking the fastest times of the day. Seven AWD drivers took to the

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course with a familiar name taking the top spot for the second time this season, DmitrÄł Sribnyj. Jonathan Buck took second place again making it a Scooby Clinic Racing one, two. Dominic Flitney took third place and Lewis Jones fourth.

Michael Irwin, Andrew Stevens and Yordan Andreev rounded out the seven.

Day one ended and the drivers prepared themselves for Round three. One driver in particular was preparing for a round which would see the championship take a turn in his direction.

Speed Machine shifted into festival mode and the entertainment took to the stage with the Jamaican rapper and producer Sean Paul headlining, supported by Faithless and the beatboxing of Duke.

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

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Round three. We would wager some were going to be tackling this round with a sore head. Sunday threatened rain which would have switched things up alittle but it never really came with any great ferocity. The track layout was changed and became a little more AWD friendly with a longer drag into the first corner allowing speeds over 60 miles an hour before getting into the tight Gymkhana section.

Qualifying got underway in RWD in a depleted field, some only racing Round two of the weekend. Spencer Peacock couldn’t match his form of Round two falling outside of the top eight in qualifying, the same being said for Alex Newton. Danny Cross just managed to clinch the eighth spot in qualifying netting him crucial extra points although again

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not repeating his success of the previous day that saw him take seventh in qualifying.

It was time to find the top eight and move to the battles. Spencer Peacock, Stephen Gretton, Matt Cant, Paul Seddon, Owen Dodwell, Mark Young, Devon Whiles and Georgiev Ventslav all fell and the top eight showdown was set.

Danny Cross, Scott Addison, Alex Newton and Mike Newland rounded out position five to eight and settled in to watch the top four fight it out for victory.

Steve McConnell previously un-defeated this season in a surprise twist, finished fourth, meaning with Neal Beagley taking third, Ryan Milton second and Mantas Sliogeris first, it was again a MX5 dominant performance. Mantas had found his form and demonstrated some fantastic driving skills

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FOCUS|FORMULA G 2019

ushering in a season defining period which would lead him to great things later in the year.

Next month we are bringing you the Champion of Champions event from Coventry Motorfest, in our Champions issue of BattleAuto.

AWD was again dominated by Dmitrij Sribnyj and Jonathan Buck. Dmitrij managed to secure all of his runs giving him top points in qualifying, followed by Bucky, Dominic Flitney and Michael Irwin respectively. Moving to the battles and Yordan Andreev, Andrew Stevens and Michael Irwin were dismissed leaving the top four to battle on.

It is our intention to bring you as many championship winning drivers as we can in one issue, showcasing their Racecars, finding out what they wouldn’t race without, their favourite tracks and what their plans are for the future.

The top four battles played out as predicted and Dmitrij took the top spot, closely followed by Bucky. Dominic Flitney took third and Lewis Jones rounded out the top places in fourth.

Dmitrij was now undefeated for all three rounds of this season.

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Expect then upsets as we move into rounds four and five when a new champion emerges and previously undefeated battlers are unseated in a sobering reminder that whilst every second counts, precision is key and a single mistake can cost you the win.

Look out for Rounds four and Five coverage in November 2020.

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FOCUS|FIVE MINUTE FEATURE BUILD SHEET ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION SR20DET, Walbro in Tank Pump, Bosch delivery pump, K&N Filter, 3� exhaust to HKS rear can, Front Mounted Intercooler 280BHP / 280ft/lb Torque estimated BRAKES MTEC discs and Brembo pads, hydraulic handbrake.

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WHEELS AND SUSPENSION Rota Grid fronts wheels 17x9.5, Calibre Rears18x8.5, Cusco Coilovers, Fully adjustable arms INTERIOR Gutted interior, Cobra bucket seat AERO Impreza front End (not strictly Aero!) Ducktail spoiler

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WILD HYBRID Steve Moore mashed Nissan and Subaru together in an unholy union to create something rather unique.

Photography by Delta Pixels and owner.

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You can see the extensive framing required to fit the Impreza front end Steven has dabbled in Track racing, Drag racing, Rallying, Karting, a bit of a Jack of all trades if you will but competitive racings actually started for him with an entry into the Fueltopia Barrel Sprint series and then onto FormulaG. Steve’s best memory of FormulaG so far was Speed Machine 2019 at Silverstone.

Mixing with some of the world’s greatest Drifters, Rallycross drivers and performing for all of the spectators was a true honour in his opinion. Steven told us the track on Sunday was amazing. We know from our Speed Machine feature that the track was preferred on the Sunday and having the ability to push to the walls for the crowds just added to the excitement.

So, what made Steven Moore look at his 200sx one day and say, mmmh I reckon an Impreza front end would look good on there? The answer is pretty simple actually, he wanted a challenge. A few rust spots were starting to blight the S14a and when looking for new bodywork it just struck him that most kitted S bodies looked the same and panel prices were

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starting to get ridiculous so maybe it was time for a change. Steven was able to pick up Impreza panels cheap and decided that he fancied a unique look for his Racecar build so, why not!

Mechanically the car was good, the engine was a low mileage perfect runner so he didn’t see the need to split that open, so it just had a clean up a lick of paint and some small tweaks power wise.

The engine bay on the other hand needed quite a bit of work given the car was about to be about 300mm shorter.

Whilst apart Steve took the opportunity to clean, repair, shotblast, paint and renew as required to ensure it was in the very best condition for track duties. Steven is a firm believer that handling needs to come before big power hikes, an opinion a lot of us will share with him.

Steven carried out the work with D+D projects, shortening the car, space framing it as required, effectively producing a completely one off front end.

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Your Mum wouldn’t let you go out and play if this car knocked for you Filling the huge bumper cutout is an intercooler fabricated by D+D projects.

Steven increased the boost to 1.2 bar with a manual boost controller and upgraded the fuelling to match adding a Walbro in tank pump pumping to a swirl pot which is then sent onwards by a Bosch 044 through braided lines to the engine. The exhaust has been upgraded to a 3” straight through mounted to a HKS tail pipe and the intake treated to a K&N filter, routed from a side vent on the bonnet.

Underneath the car the diff has been welded for easier sideways action, Cusco coilovers handle the ride and are joined by fully adjustable front and rear arms, all polybushed or hard mounted. Mtec brake discs and Brembo pads take care of the stopping up front and the rear calipers have been upgraded to R33 Skyline ones.

The wheels are Rota Grid 17x9.5 up front with RB5 Maxsports and Calibre 18x8.5 on the rear paired with VR2 Extremes.

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This car has been a four year build for Steven, starting off pretty much stock and each iteration taking him to where it is today become more and more track focused. Steven reckons the car has another couple of iterations to come yet and given the cosmetic stuff has already been done we can’t help but think its time for more power.

Steven’s racing obsession runs in the family with his daughter Peyton, the other part of Team ALLTHEGEAR,NOIDEA is just eight but has been racing since she was three, starting in mini moto quads progressing to electric karts when she was four then since the age of five she has been prepping to compete in the age eight to 12 category of the GX160 Stretton Circuit Sprint series. Peyton has a serious kart build with a 200cc carb, Tillit seat a 20t race clutch and custom pedal extension kit. We reckon there’s the next female F1 driver right there, good luck and we look forward to reading about her progression over the years.

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The Nisubaru in action at FormulaG

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STEVEN MOORE

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FOCUS|FormulaG Championship Edition HERO CARD

FASTEST LAP 1:57.608 The Ridge Motorsport Park

Steven Moore Nisubaru 200SX RACE EXPERIENCE I have tried circuit racing, drag racing and Karting but found my calling competitively with the Fueltopia series, first in The Barrel Sprint Event and then in FormulaG. I hope to continue to build my Nisubaru or the Frankenshed as the locals call it to include more power next and then further develop it to become a real contender in FormulaG.

BUILD HIGHLIGHTS SR20DET running 1.2 bar boost. Front Mounted intercooler. Walbro in tank pump, Bosch delivery pump from Swirl tank. 3� cat back and HKS rear can.

Cusco Coilovers and fully adjustable front and rear arms. Space framed front end to fit Impreza panels.

POWER OUTPUT 280bhp / 280ft/lb Torque(Estimated)

STAR PARTS For me its my hoodies from hashtagsixty6 as he’s made them to my custom design so I can proudly show off the companies that supported me to get to the point I have got to.

THANKS & SPONSORS D & D projects Burton, Myson detailing, Black pearl tattoo studio, Motormania Burton, Wedding Angels Burton, Harold potters lifting gear Nottingham, Car transport hire Nottingham, Extreme performance tyres, Malvern Tyres.

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Michelle Westby

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THE CHAMPIONS ISSUE WE CRAM AS MANY CHAMPIONS AS WE CAN INTO ONE ISSUE!!

DRIVERS HERO CARDS LONG TERM BUILD REPORTS FORMULA G 2019 PART 2 TIME ATTACK COVERAGE