- Ford presents all-new MSA Formula race car powered by 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine at the Geneva Motor Show
- Single-seat race car, equipped with a technologically advanced carbon fibre chassis, will compete in FIA-accredited Formula 4 championships around the world
- MSA Formula gets under way at Brands Hatch Circuit, U.K., is natural evolution from the highly successful Ford-backed Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain
Ford Motor Company at the Geneva Motor Show today presented the all-new MSA Formula single-seat race car, which is powered by Ford’s 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, and heralds a new chapter in Ford’s history of junior category single-seat racing.
The single-seat race car will compete in FIA-accredited Formula 4 championships in Australia, Britain, and Spain. The successor to the highly successful Ford-backed Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, and known in the U.K. as MSA Formula, the inaugural season will rev into life at the Brands Hatch motor-racing circuit, U.K., on April 4 – offering young drivers the opportunity to compete behind the wheel over 10 meetings and 30 rounds.
MSA Formula picks up the junior single-seat torch first lit at Brands Hatch in June 1967, with the first Formula Ford race. In the following years, legends including Ayrton Senna, Johnny Herbert, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, James Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button cut their racing teeth in this series.
FIA-accredited F4 series are springing up around the globe as motorsport’s governing body seeks to streamline its preferred pathway for junior drivers, with series supported by other manufacturers taking place in Italy, China and Germany.
“The migration to the FIA Formula 4 chassis, which employs the latest carbon fibre technology designed to meet FIA F3 safety levels – and similar to that used in the body shell of the new Ford GT – gives Ford the ideal showcase in which to display its latest technology,” said Gerard Quinn, head of racing for Ford Performance in Europe. “The 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine employed in the new car is the same basic engine a Ford customer will find under the bonnet of their Fiesta ST, tuned to race by our partners Sodemo.”
“The MSA Formula package is absolutely perfect for the young career-minded driver, proven by the rapid sale of all 32 available cars,” added Quinn. “World champion karters and young drivers from all over the globe, including India, Romania, and the U.S, will participate this year. MSA Formula is set to be the pre-eminent FIA-accredited Formula 4 championship; people want to race in the U.K. because it is a centre of excellence for motorsport and racing technology.”
Ford EcoBoost power and sophisticated chassis
Ford’s 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine uses turbocharging, Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing technology, and high-pressure direct-injection to deliver 160 PS. A development of the unit that successfully powered Formula Ford in the U.K. between 2012 and 2014, it is designed and manufactured by Ford in the U.K. and supplied at a price to meet the FIA’s mandated price cap.
Engines and electronic management systems are supplied by Sodemo in sealed form after dyno-testing and power matching to +/- 1.5 per cent tolerance, to ensure a level playing field for competitors.
The MSA Formula race car’s carbon fibre monocoque chassis is designed to meet exacting FIA safety standards and supplied by respected French manufacturer Mygale. Based at Magny‑Cours, France, Mygale was founded in 1989 by Bertrand Decoster. The company’s first car was a Formula Ford and Mygale chassis have won championships around the globe, including the last 10 Formula Ford championships in Britain.
The Mygale F4 chassis is designed around the FIA F3-level safety requirements, and features front and rear impact-absorbing structures, anti-intrusion side panels, roll hoops, FIA head restraint system, wheel-restraining cables, FIA safety seat and retractable steering wheel and column.
MSA Formula cars will race on Hankook slick tyres identical in compound and construction to those employed in the FIA F3 European Championship. Drivers will be able to gain valuable experience of the tyres and their characteristics ahead of their next step up the FIA’s racing career ladder. In conjunction with Hankook, Ford will award the 2015 MSA Formula Champion a test with a leading FIA F3 team. Additionally, there is a €40,000 (£30,000) cash prize fund and the chance to gain points towards an FIA Superlicence.
MSA Formula will be contested over 30 races in 2015 as the single-seater support series to the U.K.’s premier motorsport package, the British Touring Car Championship, and will be televised in the U.K. live on ITV4.
