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We're here today at Cadwell Park looking at cheap, fast, fun. And to help us we brought
along this Mazda MX-5 and this Ford Focus ST. Now this ST has the new Mountune package,
which brings extra power and performance which should be enough to see off the MX-5 around
Cadwell. Let's find out. Now that's not just any Mazda MX-5, there
is a catch. That is the work of turbocharged MX-5 specialist BBR based in Brackley. And
it's they've turned the wick up on it. It's a 275bhp, which matches the power of this Focus with
the Focus being 200, 300 kilos heavier, it's just getting away on the straights as you
can see. And we can't quite live with him yet. Let's put some heat on the tyres and
hopefully we can catch up again. BBR has been trying for a long while to do
a turbocharged version of the 3rd generation Mazda MX-5. It's only made supercharged ones
to date but they finally found a way of bending the manifold and putting the turbo in there
and that's just the stage 1. There's a stage 2 version coming with 320bhp.
You see it bouncing around, I'm hoping there's been any suspension changes to the BBR MX-5.
He's oversteering there whereas I'm understeering. I think he's just getting more, he can get
the power down quicker out of the corners. It should be a bit sideways here, trying to
catch that, and just slide it in, we gotta have a bit more finesse with this big, brutish
Focus ST. He can carry a lot more cornering speed as well.
By all accounts, that MX-5 is now a bit lively. But he still has to brake for Coppice, the first left,
whereas in the Focus you can just lift off and turn it in at about 110 at the apex speed.
But you can catch him generally through the corners, he's just coming out. He can just
get his power down so much quicker. Again catching him through the corners. He has to,
I can steer it a bit more on the throttle than him.
It's quite lively and we've caught up with him again. He's just understeering and he
can just away so much quicker. You can see there. And with more slow corners to come. That's
not just any Mazda MX-5. Over the hill, that, get the traction there. It wouldn't stand
a prayer against that 320bhp stage 2 version when it comes. That one will set you back
about £30,000, the Stage 1. If I could just catch him here, way more cornering
speed, you see that. And then here, even more. He has to be much firmer on the brakes so
I'm right over him now. But then down here sideways, he's just way faster. He's just
showing off now. He's won the race. Well there you have it, Mazda MX-5 beats Focus ST. Not
just any Mazda MX-5.