Mygale Formula Novis (as in Hovis)- Mick Kinghorn lifts the lid

What’s the connection between Newcastle and Portimao, Portugal?
Answer: Mygale Formula Novis.

On track in the 2001 series in Portimao

And what exactly is a Formula Novis? Well read on if you’ve ever wondered that in the past three years.

The first thing to point out is that it is pronounced Novis (as in Hovis) not Novice as many commentators and programmes have proclaimed much to the drivers' irritation.

Seventeen identical cars plus a two seater were manufactured at the Mygale factory near Paris during 2000 for a one-make series run the following year in Portugal based at the Portimao circuit. It was a collaboration between the event organisers, Ford of Portugal and sponsored by Portugese communications company Novis, hence the name.

Despite being only 20 years in business, Mygale have grown steadily and achieved much. Four times World FF Champions (including Jenson Button), makers of the Formula BMW cars driven early in the careers of several current F1 drivers, and now running in British F3 for the third year having had their first victories last year at Snetterton with the Ultimate Racing outfit.

The Novis cars are very similar to Mygale’s US 2000 Spec car and have a tubular steel chassis, 2 litre Ford Zetec engine, 5-speed LD200 gearbox and Bridgestone cross plies.

Although the series title went down to the last round in 2001, sponsors Novis pulled out at the end of the year and the cars were mothballed. After several years of waiting to see if the championship would return, the cars were put up for sale. Neil Gregory and a pal acquired two of these cars plus a third which was minus gearbox and rear suspension earlier that year from a man who had brought them across from Portugal and I bought one of the complete cars from Neil’s pal.

When Neil came 4th at Croft in September 2006 on his car’s maiden UK outing, it announced the arrival of a new entrant to Mono 2000. The cars ran with fuel injection in Portugal at a very low ride height with rock hard non-adjustable Bilstein dampers, monoshock up front. Neil did his own conversion and preparation work via his 27/47 Race Engineering concern, having built up years of experience in building, converting, maintaining and racing a variety of sports and race cars. When mine was acquired in early 2007 27/47 Race Engineering did the work to prepare it for Mono 2000. It had been 25 years since I’d driven a single seater and 2007 was a steep learning curve for me, trailing around mostly near the back of the field whilst Neil diced nearer the front of the pack in his Novis. The spare parts package is now somewhat smaller than it was due to us both having one or two “racing incidents” that year.

I was unable to race at all in 2008 but from five starts Neil grabbed five podiums after some sterling drives, most notably in the monsoons of Cadwell Park, again when it dried up on the Sunday, and dicing with our fellow Geordie pal Barry Smith in his Van Diemen. Neil cites a changeover to Quantum dampers as instrumental in his push up the grid. So Kinghorn had to have new dampers this term, duly fitting adjustable Protech units which have transformed things from nervous and twitchy whilst vastly improved the car as well!

The “Learn2Drive” logos will remain until the next repaint (ie. End of the year and not before I hope!) despite my no longer working for them.
Sadly, Neil has his car up for sale now so for the foreseeable future my 37 car will be the only one of the Novis “sisters” having fun, which apparently is what girls wanna have?

Described as “pretty” cars by some commentators, they still attract interest wherever they race. Whilst they will never become true “Dallara beaters” I’ll be doing my best to have fun in mine and hopefully keeping her pretty.

I’m indebted to Neil for improving both me and my car and for his continuing help and support this season.

And what of the remaining Formula Novis cars? Well, Mygale have lost track of them. I’m not aware of any others in the UK so can only presume they are either scattered around Europe – or still sat in a Portugese lock-up.

Have a great season everyone.

Mick Kinghorn

Pictures: Norwich Photo, Mygale Cars, Daily Telegraph, Andy Soucek

F2, formerly GP2 man and sometime F1 tester Andy Soucek shows his 2001 car on his website

Arrowed car looks familiar....

Mick's car as we know it, seen at Anglesey

Neil Gregory's Novis, a bit worse for wear

Richard Bastow's "cousin" car , US FF2000