FORMULA MONZA
The Italian job W
Budget single-seater set to catalyse new Italian cluster
hen you think of the Italian motorsport industry, the area around Bologna is
the first thing you think of, but that is not where Italy’s newest constructor is to be found. Mirage Motor Company was only recently founded, opening its doors in September 2011, in the sleepy village of Spinetoli, just off the Adriatic coast, north of Pescara. It’s first product – the FM2K11 open-wheel racecar – appeared very quickly, only a month and a half after the company was founded, and made its debut at the PMW Expo in Cologne, Germany last November. ‘We are an Italian company with a specialism in composites. Whilst we are new, we still have very strong experience. Our company owner has experience from Ferrari, Maserati, Piaggio Aprilia, as well as other famous Italian brands,’ reveals Marco Pistillo, general manager at composite specialist, MPE. ‘To speed up our development, we acquired the assets of the Novareggiani company, and we are working with very experienced partners, like Santa Barbara who specialise in precision machining.’ The new single seater looks
at first glance rather rudimentary, with simple front and rear wings, but it is designed with a purpose and a customer in mind. ‘It is an entry-level car aimed at being low cost. It is especially designed for inexperienced drivers and gentleman drivers looking to have fun.
‘Because it is a small capacity,
low level training series, we do not have advanced aero. The drivers are not looking for the tiny gains but the big learning steps. So the design is a balance between price, safety and technology, and the safety is that of F3 2011, for which we have passed the homologation crash tests. We have a unique
BY SAMUEL COLLINS
patented steering column, which is collapsible also.’ The Mirage is powered by a
1.2-litre, LRM-tuned BMW engine producing 140bhp. ‘We did not want to build a car that was too powerful for the rookie drivers, so we kept the output low.
the fuel cell by Aerosekur, just outside Rome. So aside from a German engine and French gearbox, this is a very Italian car, and its makers clearly hope that it is the catalyst that kicks off a new industry cluster further south than the traditional Italian motorsport valley. The first tranche of FM2K11s will be used in the newly
“an entry-level car aimed at being low cost”
However, we can supply the car as just a rolling chassis and the design can easily be adapted for other engines.’ The transmission is a five- speed sequential unit from Sadev, mated to the engine via a 140mm clutch. Otherwise many of the components are made in the area and the manufacturing work is done locally. The electronic systems, for example, are supplied by Mektronik and
re-launched Formula Monza one- make series that runs on four tracks in Northern Italy, including the home of the Italian Grand Prix, which lends its name to the category. Mirage has plans to export the car overseas too, and hopes that its low price (29,000 euros / £24,250 / $37,900 for a rolling chassis) attracts buyers globally. Ten cars had been built at the time of writing, but more are under construction.
TECH SPEC
Mirage FM2K11 Class: Formula Monza
Chassis: carbon fibre monocoque, crash tested to FIA F3 2011 specification
Engine: LRM-tuned BMW 1.2-litre, four cylinder, four butterflies, dry sump, 140mm single disc clutch
Max power: 120bhp at 7000rpm
Suspension: double wishbone with pushrod-actuated ORAM dampers, adjustable for bump and rebound; monoshock (front), twin shock (rear); 5in long, 36mm diameter springs
Brakes: Tarox six-piston calipers and steel discs
Transmission: Sadev SL66-14 five-speed sequential
Fuel tank: Aerosekur FIA FT3 25 litre
Electronics: Mectronik MKE1 Length: 2600mm Track: 1445mm Weight: 400kg
Power will come from a 1.2-litre BMW engine, with a Sadev sequential transmission. Everything else is made in Italy February 2012 •
www.racecar-engineering.com 65
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