Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally WINS SCCA RallyCross!

[ChasingCoral]

A Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominated an SCCA RallyCross

JOEL FEDER NOVEMBER 13, 2024

• A Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally was the quickest car around an SCCA RallyCross course
• The Mustang Mach-E Rally won both its class and the outright event
• A Ford engineer was behind the wheel, simply as weekend fun

Attendees and participants at the Detroit Octoberfast RallyCross event at the Auto City Speedway didn’t hear it coming, but an EV came and dominated the competition.

The car was stock, and it both previewed the future while proving enthusiasts are still going to have fun in the EV era.

On October 27 Ford off-road attributes engineer Anthony Magagnoli took a stock 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally to the local Detroit region SCCA rallycross in Clio, Michigan. Magagnoli won the Stock All Wheel Drive (SA) class with the lowest cumulative time, and he took the single fastest lap of the day.

Motor Authority heard through the grapevine this all took place and spoke with Magagnoli about the event, the competition, the car, and his background. Here’s how this eye-opening performance unfolded.



Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross


Is the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally the one to race?
The SCCA RallyCross event wasn’t Ford-sanctioned or even associated with the Blue Oval. Magagnoli proposed the idea at work as an opportunity to prove the Mustang Mach-E Rally is more than just a tire-and-sticker package. “It’s genuinely designed to do this,” he told MA.

Over the course of the weekend for the event, Ford allowed the engineer to use a development car that had already been beaten on. Magagnoli drove the car to the event, in the event, and then back home.

The car was “bone stock,” according to Magagnoli. The only difference between it and a Mustang Mach-E Rally a customer buys off the showroom floor was that this one didn’t look pretty (development cars live a hard knock life), and it had the accessory battery shield and mud flaps, both of which are Ford Performance accessories off the shelf.

Magagnoli is a professional racing driver, coach, and on the dynamics developing team at Ford. But he’s no RallyCross champ and his only experience driving RallyCross before the event was during development of the Mustang Mach-E Rally on Ford’s course at the automaker’s proving grounds. His racing experience is rooted in years of autocross before getting into track and wheel-to-wheel racing.


Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross

The RallyCross competition
The Mach-E Rally ran against a wide-range of participants from the run-what-you-brung group to people showing up on true rally tires and full cages. The typical assortment of Subaru WRXs participated, but there were some notable standouts that rolled up, or out of trailers, according to Magnagnoli.

Two 1987 AMC Eagles participated in the same SA class with Magnagnoli and the Mustang Mach-E Rally. One of those rolled up to the event in a giant enclosed trailer. “The most unassuming car that I would’ve thought would’ve come out of that trailer,” Magagnoli said.

A 2015 Lexus RC 350 AWD also participated in the class, with Toyota engineer Cort Bouse behind the wheel. That Lexus, which is driven by a team of engineers at RallyCross events, has won nationals before.

While a 1988 Yugo GVX painted in what was called Crimson Failure was certainly noteworthy, it was a 2004 Subaru Forester, rumored to be making 900 hp, that caught Magagnoli’s attention. The Mustang Mach-E Rally has 480 hp, with 700 lb-ft of torquesent to all four wheels from its dual-motor powertrain.

Off the line, the Mach-E Rally is also pretty ridiculous, according to Magnagnoli. “That thing launches violently,” the race starter told the engineer.


Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross

The RallyCross course
The course itself wasn’t more severe than the one Magnagnoli had put been putting the Mustang Mach-E through during development, according to the engineer. That development saw the EV thrashed over the course of 500-plus miles, which was supposed to prove the car was effectively good for 10 years of competitive RallyCross driving, and beyond.

Ford developed its own 0.8-mile-long course for Mustang Mach-E Rally development, at the automaker’s proving grounds, around specific limits.
The course Magagnoli drove during the rallycross competition was on a 10-acre field and about 1.2 miles long. Magagnoli only got one shot at a lap time per time out.


Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross

Dominating the competition in the Mach-E Rally
Magagnoli figured the Mustang Mach-E Rally would be competitive. Fun and to prove this car could hang was the objective. Then he won.
On Magagnoli’s third run the white Mustang Mach-E Rally ran its winning 101.946-second lap.

Magagnoli said the team’s work on managing the car’s weight, which checks in at 4,975 pounds with a 50:50 weight distribution, really came into play on the course. The calibration and tuning, of the adjustable dampers specifically, was done for this type of environment. Added measures like virtual bump stops and jounce bumpers really helped keep things under control on the course.

Magnagnoli said that engaging the car in a different environment armed him with information that could be used for future tuning and calibrations.
Between an outright win, a class win, and the fun Magnagnoli had, it’s clear the future won’t be less fun with EVs. It’ll just be quieter.

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1144965_a-ford-mustang-mach-e-rally-dominated-an-scca-rallycross

Sponsored

 

[Mach-Lee]

Wow good job Anthony! I’m pretty sure he’s the engineer that directed most of the MagneRide damper tuning during the Rally development. He gets to see his hard work and expertise pay off! Getting the weight distribution to be exactly 50/50 also helps a lot with the rotation from what I understand.

Glad Ford lets employees do stuff fun like this, keep that up.

 

[Tampamike]

Sounds like fun!
What’s the significance of the “727 SA” on the side of the car? Anybody?

 

[ack154]

Sounds like fun!
What’s the significance of the “727 SA” on the side of the car? Anybody?

Just his number and class for the event. There are workers stations around the course that need to be able to call in any possible penalties (knocking a cone down or driving off course) and identify the car while it's driving. Typically the driver picks the number but the class is dependent on the car and any potential modifications. In this case, SA - Stock, AWD.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Sounds like fun!
What’s the significance of the “727 SA” on the side of the car? Anybody?

“SA” is the class in which the car is classified. “727” is likely the car’s assigned identifier number for timing and scoring purposes. ??

 

[Snakebitten]

Sure would love to get my hands on the VDM from a Rally.

 

[MER-Driver]

Wow good job Anthony! I’m pretty sure he’s the engineer that directed most of the MagneRide damper tuning during the Rally development. He gets to see his hard work and expertise pay off! Getting the weight distribution to be exactly 50/50 also helps a lot with the rotation from what I understand.

Glad Ford lets employees do stuff fun like this, keep that up.

Thanks, Lee. While I provided input to the vehicle dynamics engineers related to damper tuning, I was lent to this program to as a general development driver to supplement my counterpart, Christopher Berchin, who was the main guy who developed the course since he's been an active rallycrosser. We worked with calibrators across all relevant systems to make this car excel in a rallycross environment.

 

[MER-Driver]

Sounds like fun!
What’s the significance of the “727 SA” on the side of the car? Anybody?

727 has relevance to those of us internal to the program and SA is Stock AWD

 

[Tampamike]

727 has relevance to those of us internal to the program and SA is Stock AWD

Thanks. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with stick and throttle work, like on the classic Boeing. Nice job on the win.

 

[markboris]

Sure would love to get my hands on the VDM from a Rally.

Back in May I checked to see if the part number on the Rally VDM was any different than the one on the GT and it wasn't. I assume it's all in the software programming of the VDM unless they changed the part numbers since then. I'm thinking the Magneride struts/shocks may be different (did not check those part numbers) since the vehicle is an inch taller, they might be slightly longer and also be valved differently.

 

[Snakebitten]

Back in May I checked to see if the part number on the Rally VDM was any different than the one on the GT and it wasn't. I assume it's all in the software programming of the VDM unless they changed the part numbers since then. I'm thinking the Magneride struts/shocks may be different (did not check those part numbers) since the vehicle is an inch taller, they might be slightly longer and also be valved differently.

I have no doubt that you would/will be discovering what is/isn't possible.

I patiently await further investigation.

 

[ChehRob]

The original Mustang was based on the Falcon frame (heavily modified of course), but getting picked up by performance honchos is what made its reputation. That rally performance will give Ford a lot of credibility.

 

[User100723]

Aright, that’s one mean looking car- check out that second to last picture with the headlights on!

where that front end come from???

 

[spartan]

Aright, that’s one mean looking car- check out that second to last picture with the headlights on!

where that front end come from???

They used an engineering test vehicle for the event. Those live a less-than-glamorous life and don't always have the luxury of matching body panels ?

 

[ChasingCoral]

Aright, that’s one mean looking car- check out that second to last picture with the headlights on!

where that front end come from???

The Rally front end has integral fog lights.

Sponsored