Always on top
Today, Mountune remains heavily invested in the BTCC as engine supplier to the Motorbase Ford Focus ST team, which has raised its stakes this season with the signing of reigning champion Ash Sutton, with whom the tuner has tasted for the last time to title success in 2017, when he was powering the engines of his Subaru Levorg.
“We’re involved because we still want to win the BTCC,” says Mountain. “These days, half of our business is modifying road cars, mostly Fords. Many of our clients follow the BTCC. If we can win, it pays off for the road car business.
Still, he can’t help but admit that he misses the old days of the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s: “It’s just not the same. In 1990 there was a set of rules, but in terms of boost pressure and horsepower, it was up to whoever did the best job, who had the best drivers and chassis. It’s much more controlled now. Back then, we were rebuilding engines all the time because they were on the edge. It was much more exciting. Now the engine has to cover 5000 km and the only way to win the championship is to use only one throughout the season.
Yet Mountain also acknowledges how ruthless the BTCC remains between rival tuners: fellow independent specialist Swindon Powertrain; M-Sport, which this year took over the supply of Next Generation Touring Car series engines; and Neil Brown Engineering, which builds engines for BMW and Honda. Then there’s the added complexity introduced by Cosworth’s new spec hybrid system.
“It’s had a pretty big effect, and the competition is tough,” says Mountain. “Neil Brown is doing a fabulous job and the BMWs are very fast, but the rear-drive cars may have a slight advantage. If we can find something in the oil or an oil additive, that helps.
Clever new move
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-11 23:01:23
