The Monster ST PT.1

On February 16, 2019, Shane Simpson experienced every Focus ST owner's worst nightmare. He was on his way home from a successful night of drag racing his Focus ST when he blew his motor. After about an hour of highway cruising around 80 mph, he approached some slower moving traffic. To accommodate the slower traffic he downshifted to 4th. When he hit the gas is when the motor decided it wanted to self-destruct.

After getting the car towed back home and torn apart, the best diagnosis made was a case of LSPI in cylinder #1. Shane had shown interest in a built motor from Panda Motorworks previously, but talks intensified when a motor shifted from a want to a need. Our visions of building a "Monster" of a drag car lined up, thus a sponsorship was born.

Shane purchased his Focus ST new in 2016, and right out of the gate he started modifying it. He had a Stage 1 tune on the car by the time the odometer read 500 miles. Stage 3 was achieved by the time he rolled over 2,000. Once he was satisfied with the power, he started focusing on his driving ability. He was new to FWD and it took some time to figure out how to drive the car, but once he did it started to pay dividends. On April 27th, 2018 he ran the the 1/4 mile in 12.92@106.00 on the stock turbo. Shortly after that pass, the turbo was the next to be upgraded. He choose the Garrett 2971R and got his times into the 11s. On February 16, 2019, prior to the engine going, he ran an 11.51@121.80.

Shane's goal is to get into the 10s, and he has done a lot to get the car ready to accomplish this. The car has been gutted to fit the custom Chromoly roll cage, and the factory seats have been replaced with lightweight Kirkey aluminum drag seats. The radio and climate controls have been removed for the insertion of gauges. The engine has been built to using only the best parts and processes. The 2.0L Block was sleeved by LA Sleeves. Callies supplied the 2.3L Drag Crank & I Beam rods. JE Pistons and King XP bearings call the 2.0L block home, along with a Massive Speed Systems balance shaft delete. The 2.0L head was heavily ported to make room for the larger Ferreira valves and SuperTech Dual Valve Springs. Stage 3 cams by Esslinger were also added.

To help add more power, a JMF intake manifold with built-in AUX fuel. FIC 1100cc injectors a Radium auto surge tank with dual fuel pumps were added to help round out the custom fuel system. The 2971R was replaced with a Gen2 3071R. A Nitrous Outlet nitrous system was added to help aid in the larger turbo's spool. A custom intake and hood-exit exhaust fabricated by Shane himself have also been added.