CLUB RACING 750 FORMULA Jon Elsey
Secret Formula It’s one of the oldest racing series in the UK, features a wide range of cars and is a hidden gem of motorsport engineering. Say hello to 750 Formula By MIKE BRESLIN
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ormula 1 carries the perpendicular digit because it’s considered the highest level of motor racing, literally numero uno. But it is not the first formula ever to race. That honour goes to a UK championship that has been around continuously, with very few major regulation changes, since 1949: 750 Formula. Run by the organisation that owes the category its name, the 750 Motor Club, 750 Formula (750F for short, never Formula 750) is thriving, with healthy grids and, perhaps more interestingly in these days of spec formulae, a huge variety of cars. In fact, when Racecar attended the first 750 Formula meeting of the 2022 season at Silverstone, it proved impossible to find two identical cars. That’s all thanks to a rulebook that allows for plenty of engineering creativity and encourages competitors to
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build their own cars. That, and relentless car development over the years. ‘With 750 Formula you’re able to race a sports formula car, on slicks, with aerodynamic wings, yet it’s still affordable motorsport,’ says championship representative and Darvi Mk5 owner / driver, Steve Boother. ‘A major part of the attraction is that people are actively encouraged to build and develop their own cars, which is why we have such a diverse grid.’
Down on power There are some things that do have to be the same across the field, though, such as the engine, which is not the most exciting element of the package. But then this formula has never been about outright power. Through the years, 750F cars have used the 750cc engine that powered the Austin 7
(hence the name), then a Reliant motor and, since 2003, the 1108cc Fiat FIRE engine, as found in a variety of Fiat models, including the Panda, Uno, Cinquecento, Seicento and – more usefully – in many scrapyards. ‘You can buy a bog-standard 1.1 engine out of a Fiat Panda, as long as it’s got the right cylinder head on it [with a required part number], for £200. It’s about £300 for a control camshaft, and then you can put that in and race it,’ says Boother. ‘You don’t need to do anything else with it. ‘There are a few people who swear by just putting engines straight out of a Panda in the car, with the control camshaft, and off you go. And you can be competitive with that.’ To keep things on an even keel, engine modifications are tightly restricted. ‘We are not allowed to do porting work to the cylinder head or lighten the cranks and
