Centrally operated Focus Cup for 2019
The new Focus Cup series has been launched for 2019, which will be centrally operated and cost £16,500 for a full season.
The series has secured a six-round calendar with Motorsport Vision Racing and will use 20 centrally run 2009/2010 Focus chassis with two-litre 160bhp turbocharged diesel engines and touring carstyle bodywork, with two spare cars available.
The winner of the series will also receive a fully funded British Touring Car Championship test in a Motorbase Performance NGTC Ford Focus RS.
Each Focus Cup round will operate similarly to an arrive-and-drive karting event, with each driver being assigned a car following a random draw but will keep their seat, harness and tyres throughout the year.
The Focus Cup is the brainchild of Mini Challenge and Volkswagen Cup racer Simon Walton and team owner Rob Sims, who are assembling a team of 10 technicians to run the fleet of cars.
“Motorsport can be a daunting thing to get into because trying to find the right car and the right team can be stressful and put a lot of people off,” said Sims.
“Using the centrally run format we remove all of the stress and make it simple, purely arrive-and-drive with no teams or logistics to worry about.”
The first three cars have already been built and are set to start testing soon. The entry fee – split into £2100 with £14,000 for running costs, covers Dunlop tyres, fuel, brakes and Friday testing.