RSOC MEET
We join the Hampshire & Berkshire RSOC for a night...
We join the guys and gals from the Hampshire & Berkshire RSOC at one of their monthly meets...
The Hampshire & Berkshire arm of the RS Owners’ Club may be one of the newest groups to emerge in the fast Ford scene, but it has a distinctly oldschool vibe about the place. And we’re not talking about the cars either – the club attracts a healthy mix of Blue Ovals from classic Mk1/2 Escorts right through the very latest, Focuses, and even Mustangs! Instead, we’re talking about the way the club is run, and the simple old-school ethos of a bunch of like-minded mates all getting together to enjoy their passion for a fast Ford. No InstaFace chat messages, no live streaming, just a group of real people talking to, and enjoying the company of, other real people!
The friendly, approachable, and open nature of its members means that club politics have been deliberately kept to a minimum too, which allows everyone to get on with the important business of enjoying their cars and not worrying about how the club is run! Any ‘attitude’ or big egos among members is simply not tolerated; if you’re not here to enjoy yourself, you’re not welcome. And that all adds up to create a truly fantastic, friendly, family-orientated atmosphere – just like a car meet should be!
And this family atmosphere
was part of the reason the group was born in the first place. The Hampshire & Berkshire RSOC came to be after the original Hampshire group lay dormant for a good few years. Then a few local key members of the scene, Jay Leer, Mathew Webber, and Peter Christie decided something needed to be done. They secured the perfect meeting point in Longbridge Mill (just off the A33 outside of Basingstoke), and before they knew it a new regional group of the RSOC was born!
That was back at the end of 2015, and now, just over a year later, the fully-fledged RSOC group has over 125 members on its Facebook page and regularly attracts over 30 people to each meet. And, according to Club Chairman, Jay Leer; “it keeps getting bigger. At each meet there’s a new face or two.” And this is a point reinforced by the club’s presence at shows and events throughout the summer, with the number of cars on their stand increasing with each event!
So, with a selection of tidy Blue Ovals sure to be on display, and the legendary friendly atmosphere to soak up – complete with obligatory banter and mickey taking, of course! – we thought we’d pop along to see what the Hampshire & Berkshire RSOC was all about…
Nigel has owned his stunning S1 RS Turbo for over 17 years now, and it’s fair to say that it’s come a long, long way over the years. Nigel admits his love for the Mk3 Escort started with a modified RS Turbo-powered van he used to own, before he got his hands on this nowtrack ready RS Turbo.
The car was standard when he first bought it, but things didn’t stay that way for long. “At first I increased the power to around 160165bhp… followed by all the bits required to run 22psi of boost and take the power figure to around 220-225bhp… and then I fitted the Autronic ECU to make even further improvements…” explains Nigel.
But the car’s biggest turning point came when Nigel turned his attention to getting the S1 to handle. “As standard, the handling was really very poor. That’s why I spent so much time and effort on improving things for the track. Now, it handles like a dream, and really can embarrass much more powerful machinery on the track,” he smirks.
You can see why when you learn that the total weight if this Escort is just 900kg, thanks to a serious diet that has seen the interior stripped of anything that isn’t totally necessary. Under the skin lurks a custom handling kit from MEF Motorsport, complete with race-spec rose-joints, adjustable TCAs, beefy anti-roll bars, parallel bars, custom turrets, adjustable top mounts, and remote canister Ohlins coilovers all round! And the geometry is all kept in exactly the right place at all times thanks to a custom X Sport Racing rollcage, built to Nigel’s own spec. The cage, along with the Recaro bucket seats and four-point harnesses also helps keep Nigel safe and sound when he’s blasting around the track too.
QUICK SPEC
CVH, JE pistons, Carillo con-rods, tubular manifold, Garrett GTX2860 turbo, RS1600i inlet manifold, dry sump, Autronic ECU, custom X Sport rollcage, Recaro bucket seats, digital dash, Ohlins coilovers, MEF Motorsport handling kit, AP Racing 4-pots, Azev A alloys, estimated 250bhp