Fluid Motorsport Development
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport, Racing car manufacturing |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Lindsay Allen, Roger Littin |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Sinter Formula Ford vehicles, racing team operations |
Fluid Motorsport Development is the manufacturer behind the Sinter Formula Ford vehicle and managed a racing outfit in British Formula Ford from 2002 until 2012. The organization also took part in British Formula 3 competitions between 2005 and 2008.
History
In 2002, Lindsay Allen, who had experience as a race engineer, partnered with Roger Littin to establish Nexa Racing; both had previously been associated with Van Diemen. Their initial achievement was immediate in British Formula Ford when Sebastian Hohenthal secured victory in the Winter Series. Two years later, Finnish racer Valle Mäkelä clinched the championship title by winning 10 out of 20 events.
Fluid Motorsport made its entry into British Formula 3 in 2005 by running a single Lola-Dome F106/4 car for Ben Clucas in the National class, where they earned a class win at Monza. The following year, Cristiano Morgado competed full-time, capturing four wins and finishing second in the National class standings. The team advanced to the Championship class in 2007 with Sean Petterson but experienced limited success. In 2008, Stefan Wilson and Jay Bridger drove Dallara F307s in the National class; Bridger secured the class championship while Wilson ended the season in fourth place.
Within British Formula Ford, Fluid Motorsport enjoyed success with drivers such as David Brown and Marco Sørensen. Brown claimed victories in the last two races held at Donington Park. For the 2009 season, the team entered three full-time drivers: Garry Findlay and Ben Barker competed in the Championship class, while Fabio Gamberini participated in the Scholarship class. Findlay earned one win alongside nine podium finishes, concluding third overall; Gamberini achieved third place within his category.
Beginning in 2010, Fluid Motorsport initiated development of their own Formula Ford cars by converting Van Diemen DP08 chassis into Van Diemen LA08 models, named in honor of Lindsay Allen. That year, Dennis Lind brought the team their first Formula Ford Festival triumph. The 2011 campaign marked their final season using Duratec engines before transitioning to Ford EcoBoost power units; drivers Matt Parry and Matt Rao represented the team but recorded modest outcomes. Rao continued into 2012 and won the Duratec sub-class title.
With the adoption of EcoBoost engines, Fluid Motorsport created their inaugural bespoke Formula Ford car, the Sinter LA12, designed for competition during the 2012 season. Nevertheless, rule amendments for 2013 required aerodynamic components such as front and rear wings. Initially, SWB Motorsport and Radical Sportscars campaigned Sinters but subsequently switched allegiance to competitor chassis manufacturer Mygale after experiencing unsatisfactory results.
Racing cars
| Year | Car | Engine | Championship | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Van Diemen LA08 | Ford Duratec 1600cc | British Formula Ford | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Great Britain |
| Van Diemen LA09 | ||||
| 2011 | Van Diemen LA11 | Ford Duratec 1600cc | British Formula Ford | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Great Britain |
| 2013 | Sinter LA12 | Ford EcoBoost 2000cc | British Formula Ford | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Great Britain |