Fiesta Championship gets a revamp with new ST Turbo
The British Racing & Sports Car Club’s Fiesta Championship is set to be revamped next year with the introduction of an uprated version of the Fiesta Mk7.
The ST Turbo will produce 250bhp from its 1.6-litre Ecoboost engine, over 100bhp more than the current Zetec S
Mk7 used in the championship, bringing its performance and lap times close to that of a Renault UK Clio Cup car.
The new car also features 17-inch wheels and bigger brakes as well as a new ECU, uprated gearbox and Milltek exhaust. Extensive testing has included several race outings in the category’s invitational class as well as the Clubsport Trophy, which was won by an ST Turbo in Jessica Hawkins’s hands at Donington Park last weekend.
“Either converted from a Zetec S or buying a donor car and building it from scratch costs no more than £18-19,000,” said Greg Mcilwraith, who is leading development of the car. “We’ve got 16 in build, plus the six that we’ve already built.”
Double Fiesta champion Jamie White has converted his Zetec S to the new specification and ran it for British
Touring Car Champi0nship race winner Paul O’neill at Silverstone last month.
“Everyone who’s got in one so far is just like, ‘I love it, I want one next year’,” said White. “Value for money-wise, you’re not going to find anything out there that’s as quick as that for that sort of cost to run.”
A class for existing Mk6 ST models will remain, with the aim of providing a ladder of progression, starting from Fiesta Junior.