SWB MOTORSPORT TO JOIN FORMULA FORD

SWB's Jack Dex samples the new Formula Ford EcoBoost 200. Photo: www.jakobebrey.com

Leading single-seater team SWB Motorsport plans to contest the forthcoming Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain with a two-car team, it is confirmed today.

SWB is the first squad to confirm that it will race the new Sinter chassis, designed and built in Norfolk by experienced Formula Ford chassis manufacturer Lindsay Allen. SWB team chief Simon Baldry said: “We are definitely in Formula Ford for next year, alongside our existing Formula Renault and karting commitments, and we are going to go with the Sinter – hopefully the first one should be ready for display at the Autosport International show.

“We are in discussion with several potential drivers; there certainly seems to be a lot of interest out there in Formula Ford for 2013, especially due to being on the TOCA package, which is a great opportunity for sponsors to get the best value from their investment. Two cars is our current target. For us, Formula Ford is a logical progression from what we have been doing in BARC Formula Renault, and the ‘development formula’ nature of the series will allow the team and I to give much more input into chassis development; it’s a very interesting opportunity for us.”

Motorsport engineering graduate Baldry created SWB Motorsport in 2010 after several seasons of service with Fortec Motorsport; the team has won races in Formula Renault and has enjoyed considerable karting success. Twenty-year-old Jack Dex, who has driven for SWB in FRenault and the JK Asia Racing Series, and who oversees driver coaching for the SWB kart team, tested the new EcoBoost 200 Formula Ford car at Silverstone last month.

The new car will be the quickest junior single-seater in the UK thanks to a remapped engine producing in excess of 200 PS. The chassis is equipped with a fully adjustable aerodynamic package, FIA safety compliant chassis, Formula 3-specification six-speed sequential gearbox and on-board data logging and track mapping.

Formula Ford has signed to support the UK’s premier motorsport package, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, for the next three seasons. The deal includes live TV at each of the 10 events, broadcast on ITV4.

Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine, said of SWB Motorsport’s news: “It is gratifying that a team with as much experience and enthusiasm as SWB is planning on joining Formula Ford for 2013, and bringing a new chassis to the grid as well. I am sure that they will add to the competitiveness of the championship as it enters its new era.”