Copy of Article Text Below
.....with 146lb/ft of torque at 7500; the 2-litre gives 246bhp at 8200rpm and 180lb/ft at 7500. Don't believe the typical pre-race bullshit as rivals wind each other up with tales of 300bhp from a 2-litre Rallycross BDA: it just ain't true . . .
These engines could produce more, but they are built primarily for low-down power with quite mild L1 cams to make them less snatchy. Traction is what the mechanical side of Rallycross is all about and that's where the Ripp-Mason combo comes in. 'I don't think anybody other than Nick has ever got an off-road Fiesta going really well,' says Keith. 'Ford spent a fortune on it, and now they've just said to us: "Do what you please" ..."
When it comes to the technical talk, Nick is in his element, a rare breed of expert that can turn it into terms that anybody can understand. The steering is no problem on a Fiesta,' he says. 'We use a lot of castor, but you can still drive it with one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearlever. We set up Keith's car so that when he decelerates it oversteers, and when he accelerates, it understeers . . . We'd like him to use his hydraulic handbrake more to set up the car into a bend, because Trevor (that's Mr Big Rival Hopkins) is outstandingly good that way. But Keith can't get on with it and seems to get himself out of trouble with his right foot! The only time he used his handbrake he left it on for the rest of the race . . . but he still won because it was wet and he skidded in with the back wheels locked!'
Back to lead-foot Ripp: The big :iesta is fascinating because it really is n the Escort class. The major problem is getting it off the line as fast because it's front-wheel drive; but if you can get up there for a start, you can win because it's faster into the corners. You don't have to throw it at the corners like an Escort . . .'
Back to Mason: 'You can thank our special suspension geometry for that. It's got built-in roll steer and positraction. Sorry, folks, that means that when you brake, the back goes down. It's the opposite to what normally happens with a front-wheel-drive car, when the nose goes down, and it's vital when the back is as light as our car. Come to think of it, a lot of things are the opposite way round on a Rallycross Fiesta. We use three types of brake lining, with the hardest reserved for when it's really wet! The reason for this is because the brakes take longer to warm up with harder linings and as a result they are more progressive on a slippery surface. We keep the soft ones for when it is bone dry . . . then snatch is not such a problem.'
All that BDA power is fed through a steel flywheel and a twin-plate paddle clutch to a standard Hewland Fiesta gearbox. 'It gives no problem provided you don't try to change too quick,' says Keith. 'Slam it in like I did with the dog-clutch box on my old Mini and you're asking for trouble. But it's all right if you pause between gears . . . and you can do that with the Fiesta because you can drive one-handed, unlike the Mini, where you've really got your hands full.'
Comment from Nick: The only thing that's really critical about the box is getting the selection rods right. Their settings are vital.'
With his well-known allegiance to Auto Performance, Corbeau seats, Richard Grant spoilers. Shell, Ford, and so on, Keith uses a special Ferguson limited-slip differential. 'It's still a development item, so we hadn't better say too much about it, because it might not be in its final form yet,' says Nick......
Captions -
Top-Right - One of the massive four-pot front calipers on the Fiesta, with vented disc, Group Two front suspension, and Quaife's quick rack.
|
