Wealden Racing
Mk2 Escort
SVG Motor Sport’s Craig Rainer is a keen motorsport competitor racing this very special Mk2 Ford Escort. Craig is the driver, but the car is owned and run by a team of enthusiasts under the banner of Wealden Racing. These pages are dedicated to the car and include news and updates throughout the season as it races at circuits across the UK.
About Wealden Racing
Wealden Racing have been campaigning and improving their MKII Cosworth Powered Escort for more than 20 years with SVG Motor Sport mechanic and engineer Craig Rainer at the wheel.
They have enjoyed great success in Ford Saloon Car Championship, taking class honours for several years and winning the championship crown outright in 2009. In recent years, they have been competing in the Blue Oval Saloon Series run by the Classic Touring Car Racing Club. This series is exclusively for Ford Cars, was started by the Team in 2009 together with other Ford Saloon competitors.
Wealden Racing has enjoyed exposure from national magazines such as Classic Ford, Performance Ford and Fast Ford, local press and national shows such as Max Power Live, at Birmingham’s NEC drawing interest from many quarters.
History
Craig and the Team started racing 1997 entering their then Ford Escort 2ltr Pinto. In their first year, they managed to finish 3rd in class, while throughout the season steadily improving the car. They replaced leaf springs with a four-link adjustable rear suspension, uprated the brakes and made several other minor adjustments. As the car was improved so did the results and two years later they took their first class title.
More improvements over the next three years took the car from the Pinto to a Cosworth engine and saw them take the Ford Saloon Car Championship overall title in 2002.
The defence of the title in 2003 finished with the team as runner-up by a very narrow margin. 2003 also saw the team start a new project – building their current turbo powered Cosworth Escort from a brand new shell, taking the car into Class A.
The new cars first full season was 2005 season and the team managed to complete every round finishing joint first with Malcolm Wise only missing out on the class title due to roll-back race wins.
The next three seasons racing saw steady results, but with stiff competition the overall class title eluded them.
At the end of 2008, the team decided that it was time for a change and spearheaded a move to create a new series under the banner of the Classis Touring Car Racing Club. Together with several other Ford Saloon drivers BOSS was born.
The inaugural season for BOSS saw the team winning their Class in the first seven races. However, it was not to last as the car was beginning to show its age and they failed to finish three out of the last four races. They still took the Class 1 title but had to settle for 3rd overall in the Series.
The Team have been competing in the BOSS Series since then and have been constantly striving to improve the car. It is now developing 600bhp, larger wheel arches, side skirts and spoilers now adorn the car and for the first time, it now runs on slick tyres. Further modifications are to come and news will be posted on this website.
Ford Escort Mk2 – Specification
Bodyshell: All steel Ford MkII Escort with steel doors, bonnet and boot. Wealden Racing widened wheel arches, splitter, side skirts, boot spoiler, bumpers and all lights.
Paintwork: Sprayed in Vauxhall Solar Yellow inside and out.
Engine: Cosworth Turbo YB. Ford motorsport 200 engine block, line bored with nickel liners, through block studs and oil squirt jets. Steel billet crankshaft, billet con rods, forged pistons. Modified valves and valve seats with uprated valve springs. Piper camshafts to Wealden Racing specification. Fensport hybrid Garrett turbo to Wealden Racing specification with Cosworth 4WD exhaust manifold and custom side exit stainless steel exhausts. Custom airbox with K&N filter. Fully dry sumped oil system with Goodridge hose and ends. Uprated injectors, Water injection. Aluminium Intercooler, radiator and oil coolers. Fully programmable Motec ECU.
Fuel System: Aluminium 45Ltr Foam Filled fuel tank with lift and high-pressure pumps, twin filters and swirl pot fitted with Goodridge hose and ends.
Suspension: Wide track front suspension with all round adjustable links. Custom steering arms, competition steering rack and electric power steering. Six link adjustable rear suspension with watts linkage and adjustable roll centre. Three way Rieger adjustable shock absorbers with coil over springs. Front and rear custom adjustable anti-roll bars.
Transmission: Standard Ford T5 gearbox. Super Clutch twin plate clutch pack and hydraulic release bearing unit. Single piece prop shaft. Fostec lightweight aluminium Atlas axle with 4.4:1 limited slip differential with Fostec half shafts and drive flanges.
Brakes: 330mm front brake discs, AP Racing callipers and Carbon Metallic pads. 280mm rear discs, Cosworth rear callipers and Carbon Metallic pads. Adjustable brake bias and cable handbrake.
Wheels/Tyres: Dry, 17” 3 piece Compomotive split rim wheels
245/40 ZR17 Toyo 888R Front tyres & 275/40 ZR17 Toyo 888R Rear tyres
Wet, 16” 3 piece Compomotive split rim wheels with 225/45 ZR16 Dunlop SP Sport Racing Wet tyres.
Interior: Custom Cages multi-point T45 roll cage. Corbeau Revolution carbon seat with Luke 6 point harness. Sparco steering wheel on quick release boss. Custom dash and instruments. Be-spoke wiring loom and switch boxes. Plumbed in fire extinguisher and racing battery.
Performance
Acceleration: 0-60 approx 3.5 seconds
Top speed: Geared to 159mph
Standing ¼ mile: 11 seconds.
Power: 430 Bhp@ 6000 rpm 420ft/lbs torque from 2500rpm to 7000 rpm
