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.....machine is designed to tear round twisty UK club tracks, not make massive speeds on Silverstone's rear straight. However, Richard is finding out that traction isn't all that great when he floors it out of bends. "It really can skid," he smiles, "which is quite fun, but I'll be putting a limited-slip diff in over the winter."
Making good time on gnarly circuits, of course, requires more than just decent power and good gearing. Despite the ancient design and Meccanoesque simplicity of its suspension, any Mkl Fiesta with the right hardware can handle very competitively indeed. Richard chose the right hardware if the tight, unruffled high-speed cornering he was demonstrating at a recent track day is to be gone by.
Up front, 24-point adjustable Leda dampers allow him to set the geometry and rebound exactly where he wants them. Unusually, he uses standard bushing rather than polyurethane. "It's tight enough like that," he reckons. He should know, it's him who has to punt the thing round circuits at irresponsible speeds while avoiding other nutcases. The set-up is helped by 350 Ib springs all round. At the rear, a strut brace and Bilstein dampers keep things in shape.
Once you've lightened out a Fiesta, it doesn't take much to stop it. It does, how ever, require a little more work than the shocking stock solid front discs do. Mkll XR2 callipers bolt straight up, just clearing the 13 inch RS alloys. Using decent pads plus drilled and grooved discs, the setup works a treat, without the need for improve ment at the rear. Just in case, however, braided Goodrich hoses are employed all round......
Captions -
Middle-Right - Rear strut brace keeps the otherwise stock rear end in place. Original Supersport rims still look best.
Bottom-Left - Mk1 Fiestas are known for lavish trim, but then Richard didn't need it anyway. Old skool recliners a nice touch.
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