The origins of FF1600 by David Parkinson and Patrick Huston

This piece started as a book review, but Dave Parkinson became busy at work and agreed that I should add material to his review and turn the piece into an article.

A friend of mine was recently having a clear out and discovered a book on Formula Ford. Thinking I’d be interested, which I was, he thoughtfully handed it over.
The book is written by a guy called Phillip Bingham and was printed in 1984 by Haynes, the car manual people. The book is split into nine chapters which are entitled:

1. The Formula Ford story.
2. Sponsorship.
3. Counting the cost.
4. Going to school.
5. Formula Ford 2000.
6. Setting up and driving technique.
7. The top ten circuits.
8. Formula Ford design.
9. The manufacturers.

There are also two appendixes, the first of which is a list of FF champions whilst the latter is a business directory.

The Formula Ford Story
I doubt that the single seater motor racing word fully appreciates how much it owes to Formula Ford 1600. Formula Junior predates it, but it's 1000cc production block engines were highly tuned, fragile, and expensive. What made Formula Ford a great success was the realisation that a single seater could be a worthwhile proposition when fitted with an untuned production engine, a philosophy that both lowered the cost of racing, and moved the emphasis from the skill of the manufacturer or team, to the ability of the driver. With this came the concept of the level playing field composed of near identical cars. Classes now exist (Formula Renault) where the cars are (reputedly) identical, the intention being to select the best driver. Is F1 now so tightly legislated that it is moving into this category?

I’ve read different accounts of how and why Formula Ford started. This book lays the blame solely on expense and advises that the first step was taken by a company called Motor Racing Stables who were located at Brands Hatch. The idea was suggested by John Thomlinson, one of their instructors of the time. MRS was one of a number of racing schools that operated at differing circuits. Cost was a major problem as the lowest, cheapest formula was Formula 3 which ran 1000cc screamer engines. The cost of these engines was £1,000 and a set of slicks was £80. This was costly machinery for mere amateurs to slide around in. So JT had the idea of fitting the standard 1500cc Ford Cortina engines into their F3 chassis’s. At £65 the engine was a much more cost effective unit. Soon to follow would be standard Cortina wheels and Firestone road tyres. This was an ideal package for the first steps into motor racing. The less powerful engine had a much wider power band and the road tyres, being more flexible, skittered across the track and were better for learning car control.

Naturally the school required a bullet-proof engine, the Ford Motor company had just such an engine, the 105E block had proved its worth by becoming the Formula Junior 'engine’ of choice, its big brother, the Kent, was selected to power the then new formula, a formula that we can now predict will existed for at least half a century. There is nothing exotic about the Kent engine, a pushrod, cast iron lump, but it was well designed and cheap; an initial batch was released to chassis manufacturers at £50 per engine. An inlet manifold from a production Ford limits power output and restricts the useful rev range. The latter being necessary because the crankshaft was one of the cast iron items. It is this item that dictates the interval between rebuilds as Ford did not design it to take the shock loadings of a rear engined installation.
Production tolerances half a century ago were more tolerant than they are now so about 25% more power was available when the engines were blueprinted i.e. rebuilt to the optimum specification. A minor industry soon developed rebuilding these engines some of the engine specialists remain in business, it is obviously steady work. Naturally some of these firms went on to more prestigious projects.

A similar situation soon developed with gearboxes. Nearly all FF1600s have been rear engined, initially the VW Beetle gearbox was favoured. But Mike Hewland designed a cluster of interchangeable straight cut gears that fitted inside the alloy VW casing, and the Hewland gearbox empire was born. I am continuously amazed at the abuse the Beetle casing tolerates. Some builders took to feeding suspension loads through it, and quite how it tolerates the power and torque of one of our 2litre engines escapes me; Dr Porsche did not abandon quality design when he drew the VW Beetle.

The MRS Manager was called Geoff Clark and he discussed these ideas with John Webb who was the Motor Circuits Development Managing Director of Brands. Whilst MRS were simply looking at furthering their racing school business, John Webb realised that a grid of these cars could put on an entertaining race at one of his future promotions. Henry Taylor was then the Competitions Manager of the Ford Motor Company and after discussions with Webb he agreed to supply the first fifty Cortina engines at a discounted price of £50 per unit. Webb then approached several chassis makers to come up with a design rather than modify existing F3 cars. Bruce Mclaren was not interested, but Colin Chapman was and the design of the Lotus 51 F3 car was soon amended and renamed the Lotus 31 Formula Ford. A complete car could be purchased for the previous cost of an engine with running costs that more people than previously could afford. The first race was held at Brands Hatch and the rest, as they say, is history.

The formula was introduced with the headline grabbing intention of marketing a proper racing car for less than £1000. Colin Chapman advertised the 51A at this price, but £1,000 was artificially low and soon dropped. By 1984 a new FF1600 was costing ten times more, and according to MotorSport magazine the realistic cost of a season’s racing was £30,000. Being an avid MotorSport reader at that time, I took this at face value, and did not see motor sport as something that I could afford, so I stayed with yachts. Ignoring the true club end of the sport creates the impression amongst the general public that participation in motor sport is only for the playboy rich, or those in the motor trade, a view that Monoposto tries to dispel.

The shape of a FF1600 car has changed over the years. The classic front radiatored shape being superseded in the eighties by slippery side or central radiatored shapes. This move was partly dictated by fashion, and partially by trying to sell in America where the straights are longer. By the 1980s FF 1600 had become a truly international formula.

It is humbling for the average Monoposto driver to read that the FF1600 lap record for the Brands Indy circuit was 50.00s in 1976, ten years later it was 49.00s. Intense competition refined the breed and produced competent racing cars from the race school based originals. However, the view in the MotorSport article is that the improvement of a second a lap had been gained at considerable expense because it was the consequence of extensive testing.

It is generally agreed that the power of the engines has crept up slowly over the years, as has the rev limit of the engines, but perhaps the greatest improvement in performance is due to changes in the tyres used. The tyre choice was originally unspecified road tyres suited to the 13 in x 5.5 in Cortina rims. Fairly rapidly, and with the connivance of certain tyre manufacturers, some ‘road’ tyres appeared in racing compounds. Competitors found that other dodges worked, e.g. buffing off most of the tread to produce a near slick was beneficial in the dry. To prevent such practices a control cross-ply tyre by Dunlop was introduced, treaded and in a race compound. Later this was replaced by the ubiquitous semi-slick ACB10 from Avon. The Duratecs are now back with Dunlop. Monoposto permit 1600s to use full slicks and wets usually these come from the FF1800 class.

The chapters on both sponsorship and counting the cost are really no longer relevant so have therefore been essentially ignored.

Going to School.

This chapter dealt with the various racing schools in existence at the time and advised that tuition from a professional driver could save you pounds in the long run. The individual could also find out much sooner if he had any talent and future in motor sport other than as an also ran. I suppose it’s as valid now as it was then other than many people now enjoy "low cost" (that’s a joke) motor sport with no illusions that they will ever progress further then club activity.

Formula Ford 2000

This formula was launched in 1975 and had a somewhat hesitant start but its popularity soon increased and it became a stepping stone from FF and also a feeder series to F3. What was particularly attractive that if you’d purchased the right FF car then you changed the engine and bolted on the wings and different tyres and you were ready to go*. There was now a definite path which could take a successful driver from FF to FF2000 to F3 to F1. (Subject to money) F2 was still around in these days but many went from F3 direct to F1. (*I believe that the David Parkinson Reynard and Ian and Sara’s Agent have been modified in the reverse direction. -Ed)
Ayton Senna is perhaps the most notable personality to come up through the ranks as it were and achieve F1 stardom. When the book was written however he had just signed for the Toleman team.

Setting up and driving technique.

This is still as relevant as it was then but I’m sure that most club members are generally up to speed with how to set their cars up.

The top ten circuits.

These are listed as:
Brands Hatch GP
Brands Hatch Indy
Silverstone
Silverstone club
Donington
Thruxton
Snetterton
Oulton
Cadwell
Mallory

The book gives you instructions on how to drive these circuits but because of circuit amendments and different tyres etc these are no longer valid. Snetterton, for instance, which I think is exactly the same as it was in 84, recommends third gear for Riches, second for Sears and then second for both the left and right at the bottom of the back straight. Cadwell also has some interesting gear recommendations which I wouldn’t like to try. Like third round Mansfield and the mountain bottom for instance.

Formula Ford design.

Whilst this chapter is quite interesting, as of 2010, a little bit dated so therefore has been ignored.

The manufacturers.

Adrian Reynard had some input to the book and therefore gets the lion’s share of copy regarding manufacturers.
Other cars available at the time were Crossle, Van Diemen, Royale, Lola, Quest, Ray, Jamun etc.

Champions

I think the most interesting part of this addendum was to spot the names that you’ve heard of.

Tony Brise was second in the championship in 1971. He made it to F1 but was killed in the plane crash with Graham Hill.
There were three championships in 1974. Geoff Lees was second in the STP whilst Tiff Needell was second in the Wella.
1975 saw Geoff Lees win all three of the year’s championships.

By 1976 there were five championships:
1. Brush Fusegear.
2. DJM Records.
3. RAC
4. Townsend Thoresen
5. Dunlop Star of tomorrow.
Derek Warwick was 3rd in 1 and second in both 2 and 3.
In Dunlop Star of tomorrow David Leslie was 2nd whilst Nigel Mansell was 3rd.

In 1977 BARC had taken over one of the championships from DJM Records.
David Leslie and Nigel Mansell were notable as having a 1st and a 3rd in two of the championships.

1978 saw Kenny Achieson win three of the five championships.

1979 saw two 3rds for Jonathan Palmer.

1980 saw Roberto Moreno win one championship whilst our own Simon Davey took second, behind Andy Wallace, in the BRSCC Pre 74 championship.

1981 and now seven championships. Winners were:
John Village. Esso
Enrique Mansilla. P&O Ferries
Phil Kemp. Dunlop/Autosport Star of tomorrow
Mark Peters. BARC Junior
Ayton Senna (two). RAC & Townsend Thoreson
Simon Davey (actually) in the BRSCC pre 74 championship.

1982 saw drivers such as Andy Wallace, Mauricio Gugelmin and Julian Bailey.
There is also a list of the FF2000 champions. One championship only.
Tiff Needell was 2nd in 1976.
David Leslie was 2nd in 1978 and 1979.
Ayton Senna won in 1982.
Mauricio Gugelmin was 2nd in 1983 followed by Julian Bailey in 3rd.

Business Directory
I think if they still exist then the phone numbers will have changed.

David Parkinson and Patrick Huston

The book cover

Ford Consul Capri, from whence derived the 1500 pre-crossflow engine

A Hewland Mk 5

A Lotus 31 spins

Lotus 31 side view

Sales Brochure

RF75 sales handout. Click for a bigger view.

Medina/VD still supplying FF Kent chassis new in 2010

Senna in a Formula Fordat Shaws, Mallory

John Booth started as a Formula Ford driver, started manor Motorspprt and ended up as team principal of Virgin Racing. On the other hand, some people have done well.

Sinon Davey. Whatever happened to .........

FF driver Jonathan Palmer got a namecheck on Motor's cover from 1981. He had rather more success than the Talbot Tagora