[Silverkat]

Hi Everyone,
Today I got some exciting news, we have been given the go ahead for a new Puma racing series.
The series is based on the 1.7 Puma and is designed to be a budget series for novices and old hands alike.
The series is very cost controlled with few modifications allowed, the Puma Cup runs a package of fixed components to make sure that no one can spend loads of money to gain an advantage.
Dunlop are sponsoring the championship and providing trophies, podium caps for 1st, 2nd and 3rd and a discount to competitors on tyres, the tyres we are using are Direzza DZ03G 195/50/15 so standard wheels can be retained if you wish. You should be able to do a season on 8 tyres, maybe less, but we will know better after testing the prototype. The whole package is designed to be easy to fit and the car can be assembled and maintained by any workshop or individual with a basic knowledge of the cars, the cage is the only tricky to fit component.

There are 3 packages of parts available.
Package 1 - The minimum parts to be Puma Cup eligible (Roll cage, suspension Kit, bush kit, exhaust manifold and 4 tyres) this allows people to get the other required components from their own sources.
Package 2 - Everything you need to make a Puma Cup car, as above plus all the MSA required parts to make a car race legal. This kit plus a Puma is everything required to make a race car including seat, belts, extinguisher, battery cut off etc
Package 3 - As per package 2 plus a kit of upgrade parts such as wheels, uprated clutch, full exhaust etc.

All parts can be brought individually, but as a Cup Kit, they are much cheaper, this is to help encourage cars to be prepared for next season, all the Puma Cup Kits will come with a build manual to help novice builders assemble their cars.

For novices, at various races through the season, we are having presentations on racecraft and basic car setup from some well known figures in motorsport.

The rules have been finalised and are just being tweaked before being published in the next few days.

For the first season the Puma Cup will be run as a separate series within a series to allow us to build up the numbers in preparation for our own series in 2015.
If, however, we get 30 cars for the first race then we will have our own race from day 1, so get building!

The final price lists and regulations will be available in the next few days, if anybody has any questions then post them up or message me and I will answer as quickly as possible.
We are building a prototype that we will be testing in November and I will keep everyone updated as to how the car is performing and what breaks or falls off.
The Puma Cup kits will be available during November if you want to get building over the winter.

Like I said before, if you have any questions then please fire them my way.

Regards

Alex

[Ian G]

Be interested to see more about this.

[happy-kat]

Sounds great, excellent.

[Turby]

Cant wait to see a load of puma's racing - theres actually quite a bit of knowledge of racing pumas in CSCC already, including our 1.6 and Stuarts, Waynes and Marks 1.7's. Shame you cant get the prototype out for Snet in 2 weeks time!

Come to think of it we got some proper bilstein puma cup rear struts in the shed at home

[happy-kat]

With the cost that a Puma can be bought now this sounds real potential into getting into racing.
Other single Mark series like say Ginetta cost lots of dosh just to buy the car I think.

[Silverkat]

That is the beauty of this new series, just to buy a Ginetta Junior is £20k plus which, to be fair, is good value for such a bespoke car, however, the entry fees and running costs are frightning if you want to be competitive. You will need a set of slicks each race weekend (a grand a pop) and then control fuel (£75 per 25 litre barrel) and then there are entry fees and the cost of paying a professional team to run it.
To do a season in Ginetta's, I would expect to spend £40k, if you have a good season with no unplanned visits to the gravel trap.
If you have access to a tame garage or a mate who is handy on the spanners, you will be able to build and maintain a Puma Cup for very little and these are not just a road car with a cage, they are running proper tyres, proper safety equipment and will look and drive like a proper race car should, with good handling and enough pace to put a grin on your face.
Once the car is built, we are working to a seasons racing for £4k give or take, that's entry fees, fuel and tyres, so if you don't go off piste, then it will probably be the most cost effective way to compete in a proper car.
I can't wait for next season, we just need to get 20 or so people to start all the races and then we can have our own race from day 1.
The rules and price list are almost ready, I'll put them up in the next few days.

Regards

Alex

[V4FRP]

Looks great Alex and superb that you've got this sorted. It's got to be the best chance to get into racing on a budget. Looking forward to seeing arranged venues so we can come along to support..

[formulastuart]

This sounds great! I race the grey puma in the CSCC tintops. If people need assistance preping the cars and knowledge on starting racing I would love to help!!!!!!!! I have been through the whole process with the puma from track days to racing in the CSCC against the other pumas! I am willing to be race assistance man once the calendar comes out and more is published!

SOUNDS A FAB IDEA!

[Silverkat]

That's brilliant, just the sort of thing we are looking to do and any help will be greatly appreciated, it's a fairly mammoth task starting a new series, especially when you have to develop a kit of parts to a tight budget!
As part of the series, at a few of the meetings, we are having a few well known people in motorsport come along to do presentations on race driving, racecraft, basic car setup and car prep for novices.
We are also going to push a 'buddy' system, getting newcomers to park with seasoned competitors and learning where to be and what to do and it sounds like we have our first 'buddy'!
The race driving and racecraft is something that I feel is missing from motorsport, everybody goes on about driving standards but nobody tells anyone what is acceptable race etiquette and what isn't, most people watch BTCC and think that is how things are done which is becoming a problem in a lot of series. Because we are having strict driving standards in the Puma Cup, we felt we should tell people what the standard is and then we can enforce it and hopefully provide people with very close, competitive and fair racing without having to spend a fortune.
The other point to note is that whilst all Puma Cup kits sold will come with a basic build manual to help novice preparers get going, having willing competitors on hand to offer help and advice will make the build process that bit more harmonious!

Regards

Alex

[Gary76]

Hi does anyone have anymore info on this as I'm very interested in entering a least one car for 2014.
Thanks
Gary

[Sjoerd]

Send me a PM if you want the contact details of a German member of the Dutch club who actually designed the cars for this series:

http://www.pumadrive...cup/story01.jpg

He is an overall great guy that still drives a Puma

This post has been edited by Sjoerd: 09 November 2013 - 06:38 PM

[cartledge]

Sounds interesting.

Who is the series with 750mc?cscc?

[Silverkat]

Hi folks,
Sorry I haven't added anything further lately, we have been busy assembling the prototype for the Autosport show.
For anyone who is interested, I will be posting the regulations on here very soon, it is all finalised and going ahead, it just needs the final prices sorted for the control parts.
The rules are unique for the UK Puma Cup and they are based around most of the production parts.
There are 6 control components, the Tyres, Suspension kit, Rear beam bushes, Roll cage, ECU map and exhaust manifold. These are fixed and will prevent people spending money to gain an advantage, you can spend £20k building a Puma Cup car if you want but it won't be any faster than a £5k build.
The series is being run by the CSCC as a separate series within Modern Classics to give people a chance to build cars and will lead to a stand alone series in 2015. If we get 20 cars for the first race, however, then we will get our own grid from the start.
Once again, sorry for the delay in getting everything online, it has been a bit mental lately but I will get the regs uploaded this week.

Regards, Al

[Silverkat]

Hi Folks,
I have finally got the regulations available for your viewing pleasure! There is still a bit of fine tuning to do but they won't change on the technical side. I will post the dates and the price list up in the next day or so. Have a look and please fire any questions my way and I'll answer them as quickly as I can. I'm sorry it's not in an attachment but I haven't figured out how to do that yet!
Remember as well, this is going ahead, we have a series and we just need competitors.
Once the price list is posted, the parts can be ordered and we can get cars built, we are building 3 cars to get the ball rolling, and the other company involved with us on this project will probably build a few as well, so no excuses!
Let me know what you think or if you have any tech queries.

Regards, Al

Dunlop Puma Cup



Competitor Regulations

Series structure

A race series for cars built to Puma Cup specification.

The Puma Cup will consist of 2 classes.

Class M: Masters class. For competitors with more than 1 years racing experience.

Class N: Novice class. For competitors with no or very limited experience.

In all classes 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in class will receive a trophy and a Dunlop Podium cap

Series standards

The Puma Cup requires that all competitors present their cars and themselves in a professional manner, taking pride in your cars appearance will help the series with promotions and sponsors, to the benefit of all competitors.

Driving Standards

The Puma Cup is a series, designed to be competitive and fun without requiring a substantial budget and entry to the series is by invitation only. The organisers of the series will take driving standards very seriously, if a competitor is felt to be too aggressive or robust, on or off the track or bringing the series into disrepute in any way, the series organisers can, and will, refuse the competitor entry.

Driving assistance

The Puma Cup benefits from a vast amount of experience within the organisers and supporters of the series. If you need any help, guidance or tuition with your driving, please ask, they will be only too happy to help. At selected meetings there will be presentations on overtaking and defending positions, racecraft, racing etiquette and basic car setup.



Technical Regulations

The Puma Cup is open to the 1700cc Ford Puma, 125ps model only and any of its variations i.e.: Puma Black/Thunder/Millennium with the exception of the Ford Puma Racing

For the purposes of clarity, unless it states specifically otherwise, the car is to remain unmodified.

No Ford Puma Racing model parts may be used.

All Puma Cup kit parts are eligible.

All Puma Cup competitors must buy the Puma Cup kit for their vehicles to be eligible. The kit contains the 6 control components to ensure a level playing field and consists of; 4 x Tyres, Puma Cup roll cage, Puma Cup suspension kit, Puma Cup exhaust manifold, Puma Cup rear beam bushes and a Puma Cup ECU remap. The Puma Cup kits are available from the suppliers listed below, the Puma Cup ECU remap is provided by Superchips and competitors are required to send their ECU and £100+VAT to Superchips who will re-flash it with the correct Puma Cup map and return it to the competitor.

Body

The body shape and silhouette must remain unmodified. The bonnet may be replaced with an exact replica of the original in GRP, all other body panels must be their original shape and material. The bonnet and boot lid may have their lock mechanisms removed, but they must have a positive locking mechanism to secure them. The outer wheel arch seam may be rolled to allow clearance and the inner arch chassis seam may be flattened to prevent wheel fouling (see diagram in build manual). The car must be finished to a good standard and must not be liveried in any way that may offend or provoke fellow competitors or spectators.

Exterior

All the lights must be in full working order. The heated screen may be swapped for a none heated screen and vice-versa. The exterior pull cables must be fitted below either the front or rear windscreen.

Interior

The car must have a Puma Cup cage fitted to MSA regulations, no other cage is allowed, check build manual for fitment details. The seats, carpets and headlining must be removed; the dashboard must remain with all original dials, switches and gauges. The dashboard can be modified to allow the fitment of the safety cage. The radio may be removed but a cover panel must be fitted. The heater blower may be removed or disconnected from the water circuit; however, it is recommended that a de-misting device is fitted. The drivers seat must be an FIA approved seat, securely mounted according to MSA rules. The harness must be an in date, minimum 6 point FIA approved harness, fitted to MSA regulations, for safety reasons, no 4 or 5 point harnesses are allowed in the Puma Cup. The airbags must be removed, the steering wheel is free. The extinguisher is free but must meet MSA requirements. The interior must be finished to a good standard. Door cards/linings may be modified or replaced to clear cage, however they must be presentable. The roof mounted aerial may be removed but the hole must be blanked off neatly.

Engine

The engine must be completely standard; the engine can be rebuilt using OE or pattern parts, as long as they are identical to the original components. The cylinder head must retain the standard port shape, no matching or flowing is allowed. The head may be re-surfaced for the purposes of rebuilding but only down to the maximum OE limit. The rods and pistons may be matched, as a set, to the lightest. For clarity, the piston and rod cannot be separated and then matched individually. The crank may be dynamically balanced with the flywheel, only 8mm drillings can be used and the crank and flywheel must remain within 10 grams of the factory weight. The cams must be standard Ford Puma cams, FRP cams are not allowed. The throttle body must be a standard Ford Puma part and must be unmodified. The exhaust manifold must be replaced with the Puma Cup replacement part, from the manifold back, the exhaust is free but subject to MSA silencing requirements. An oil cooler may be fitted, however, it may only be of the sandwich plate type, it must flow oil using engine oil pressure only and the cooler itself must be fitted in front of the engine. A direct replacement performance air filter may be fitted but the intake system must be unmodified in its entirety. The coolant pipes can be replaced with silicon pipes but only if they are a direct replacement for the originals. The ECU can only be re-flashed using a Superchips Puma Cup map, no other map is allowed.

Clutch and Gearbox

The clutch must be a direct replacement for the original, the material is free and the diaphragm must be standard. The gearbox must be a standard Ford Puma part, the ratios must be unaltered and the standard open diff must be retained. No type of torque biasing or limited slip device allowed. The standard ratios are shown in the build manual. The gear shift mechanism must be standard but the gear knob may be replaced. The first gear torque limiter must remain connected.

Suspension

The suspension must be replaced with a Puma Cup suspension kit; the springs and spring rates are free. The rear beam bushes must be replaced with a Puma Cup bush kit. The Puma Cup anti roll bar bush is optional. The anti roll bar must remain standard.

Brakes

The brake pad material is free. The discs must be standard 240mm or 260mm Ford Puma discs. The caliper must be standard and the pad must be the standard shape. The flexible brake lines may be replaced with up rated items. The brake fluid is free. The ABS system may be disabled, but the pump cannot be removed and the brake lines must be as per the original factory shape and route. A proportioning valve may be fitted in the rear brake circuit but it must operate both rear brakes equally, must be used to reduce rear brake effort only and cannot be operated or adjusted by the driver whilst the vehicle is in motion.

Wheels and Tyres

The standard 6 x 15 wheels may be replaced with OE Ford wheels or with aftermarket/motorsport wheels of up to 6.5" width only. All wheels are to be a maximum of 15 inch diameter. The control tyre for the series is the Dunlop Direzza DZ03G in R1 compound and in size 195/50/15, available from Mr Tyre Motorsport exclusively; quote your competitor name and number to receive your Puma Cup discount.

Electrical

The battery may be relocated to the rear of the car if fitted in an FIA approved battery box. The wiring loom must be standard, however, an ABS reset switch may be fitted (see build manual for details). The wiring loom must be secured to prevent rubbing or excessive movement.

Weight

The minimum weight for Puma Cup cars is: 240mm brakes – 1000 kgs including driver

260mm brakes – 1040 kgs including driver

Misc

Cars equipped with 240mm discs may change to the 260mm front discs; however they must then run at the higher minimum weight.

Scrutineering

The organisers reserve the right to seal any car and /or request that the car is presented in a parc ferme condition at a later date to check eligibility.

Safety

It is recommended that all drivers buy the best safety equipment possible and that a HANS device is used.

Series Decals

All cars competing in the Puma Cup are required to run series graphics and number boxes; these will be provided at first registration. All drivers are required to run their name in the rear ¾ windows.

[Bentleya]

Sounds great! i look forward to seeing the prices and the dates.

[Ian G]

Sounds good. Sure it would have been cheaper to insist on a standard ECU map? What is the benefit to giving money to Superchips?

[V4FRP]

Reading between the lines this does seem to be looking to be a rather expensive "economy race series" but no racing is cheap anymore and it certainly looks well thought out . Luckily I cannot even be tempted as FRP's are excluded, but I will look to support any events close to me. Good luck to all who compete.

[MattC]

Morning Al,

Do you have an option to carry out the full works package if a standard 1.7 is provided?

Our company may be looking at one or two entries- one for a permanent driver and also one for a guest driver at each round, but we have little mechanical experience...

Regards

Matt

[Silverkat]

Hi folks,

I'll answer the 3 responses in order.

For Ian's comment, it is so difficult to monitor ECU maps that we felt it was easier to let Superchips remap the ECU and then seal it. That way we can have a master Bluefin handset and check that the map is the correct one very easily at the circuit, it is all for practical reasons really.

With regards cost, we could have made the series more 'budget' by specifying road tyres and bolt in cages and naff suspension but having raced for many years and driven 'budget' race cars, they aren't much fun to drive. On road tyres you spend most of the time squealing round the track, understeering and shredding tyres. The Dunlops are fantastic to use and they are only about 3-4 tenths of a second slower from brand new to worn out, that way if you want to put new tyres on every race, carry on, Mr Dunlop won't mind, but it will not give you any advantage and you should get a season out of 6-8 tyres depending on how much testing you do. The suspension kit is also very robust and easy to setup and makes the cars handle really nicely.
With the cars in this series I wanted them to go well and and drive like a race car should, there are plenty of race series that cater for road cars with cages, I want the Puma Cup to stand above these.
The safety side is also very important, yes we could have specified a cheaper cage but having had and seen some very nasty accidents over the years at the track, a full weld-in cage was the only option.
I don't want to have our competitors put at risk to save a few hundred pounds, so to counter the fact that the cage is probably the biggest fiddle when building these cars, if you don't have the facilities to weld a cage in yourself, we have 2 designated fitting centres that will fit the cage at a discounted rate to a professional standard.
The rest of the car is designed to be easy to build and maintain with basic mechanical knowledge, which will also make for a big saving. If you can get a tame garage to sponsor you for your mainainance for the year, that saves a huge cost paying a race team like us to run it.
The other flip side is that by making the cars a bit more serious, it should help deal with the problem that most budget series have, which is that because the cars are 'cheap' people turn up with cars that are tatty and poorly assembled. They then go out and knock the hell out of each other and don't bother repairing the cars as there is no point. I'm not into that, having spent my first season in a 'budget' series having my car bashed every race and written off by someone in the last race, I am determined that this series won't have that. If you have spent £5K building a car for some plonker to come along a destroy it with a car that was poorly assembled and dangerous, it doesn't inspire you to come back and leads to a bad atmosphere in the paddock.
Which then leads onto the presentations that will be at certain venues on driving standards, racecraft and car setup, there will be help and advice available for you at any time for all competitors, novice or experienced and trust me, that is worth the extra pennies to build the cars.
Sorry this sounds like a bit of a rant, but this side of things is very important to me and I had expected that people would question the cost side at some point.
I have thought very carefully about the rules, everything that is fixed stops people being able to spend money to win, I know how we spend money as a race team and as a driver I know how frustrating it is to race against people who can spend £20k on 4 way adjustable suspension and then spend a solid week testing to set it up, it is very demoralising. By fixing the parts that you will have to buy anyway, we can stop people spending to gain that advantage. Like I say, not a rant and thanks for giving feedback, it helps to explain to poeple why the rules are as they are.

And to MattC, we can do a full car build or just a cage fit option, the cars are very easy to assemble once the cage is in, only very basic mechanical knowledge is needed so don't be afraid of getting stuck in!
I will put the price list up along with the kit suppliers and fitting centres in the next day or so with the dates for the year so you can have a look.

If anyone has any tech queries or questions about building a car then phone EMC Motorsport on 0121 328 2225, ask for Alex and I can help point you in the right direction.

Keep the questions coming!

Regards, Al

[Ian G]

Very comprehensive Al. I did think the rest of the spec was fairly sensible, as you say, you still want it to go fairly quick. In fact I'd have got rid of the awful standard brakes as well

Just don't want to give Superchips £120 for nothing, can't see it would offer much of a performance gain on a naturally aspirated engine. When you say seal it, does it need to come apart to be mapped? Is it not possible to do one over ODB while its plugged in? That would make a bit of tape on the case a bit redundant.