Silverstone Sampler Day a sell-out within days of being announced

Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 set to be the quickest single-seater series in the UK thanks to new aerodynamic aids and more power

Championship joining forces with BTCC to generate the highest profile of any junior single-seater series in Britain

Within days of its announcement, this months Silverstone Sampler Day for the new Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 chassis has been fully booked by young drivers looking to join the BTCC-supporting championship in 2013.

All 18 test slots for the 15 December event on Silverstones Stowe circuit already have names pencilled against them, with championship organisers starting to compile a list of reserves.

We have been greatly encouraged by the amount of interest shown in the new Formula Ford for 2013, said Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine, particularly since we fixed the date for the Silverstone Sampler Day, which will offer drivers the first opportunity to try the car with its front and rear aerodynamic wings and power-boosted 1.6-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine.

There are drivers from previous seasons keen to try the new car, drivers fresh from karting and other junior motorsport series and, most encouragingly, new teams looking at contesting Formula Ford.

The MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain is set to transform the junior motorsport scene in Britain next season, becoming the fastest junior single-seaters in the UK.

And Formula Ford next year returns to Britains premier motorsport package to race alongside the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. The three-year deal will see Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 become the sole regular single-seater support championship for the BTCC, with three races at each of the 10 TOCA-organised events, with the benefit of live TV coverage.

Alan Gow, BTCC series director, said: I am delighted to have Formula Ford back supporting the BTCC. For many seasons Formula Ford provided some of the best support-event racing we have ever seen and I have no doubt that with the introduction of the new Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 car we will see more of those gloriously competitive races.  It is clear that the UKs motorsport ladder needs a clear step between karting and Formula 3, and the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain looks set to firmly establish itself in that position. This is a positive step for the championship and for TOCA.

Formula Ford enjoys the distinction of MSA championship status, and the governing body of British motorsport is to continue to show its support in 2013 with its specially developed driver training programme for the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.

Colin Hilton, Chief Executive of the MSA added: As an MSA-titled championship we welcome Formula Fords return to the premier British Touring Car Championship package for 2013. Formula Ford offers the perfect recipe for close, exciting racing because the diverse chassis perform differently at each venue, creating spectacular entertainment and enabling different drivers and manufacturers to reach the podium.

The open chassis regulation is of course the very thing which differentiates Formula Ford from other single-seater formulae and provides designers and engineers with great flexibility to be creative, an opportunity found elsewhere only within F3 and F1.

Inspired partly by the success of Formula Ford 2000 in the 1980s, the technical revisions to the new Formula Ford engine and chassis incorporate feedback from drivers, teams and manufacturers. The 1.6-litre turbocharged EcoBoost power unit has been tuned to develop in excess of 200PS and is mated to a Formula 3 specification six-speed sequential gearbox, with front and rear aerodynamic wings added to the chassis to provide young drivers with the most technically advanced junior single-seater racing car in the world, and an unrivalled learning experience.

Drivers and teams have made it very clear that todays marketplace requires a car with a high-output engine, slick tyres and aero wings, said Ford Racing motorsport manager Mike Norton. Our teams are an integral part of the championship and we work together to make our championship a success, which is in part why Formula Ford is approaching its 47th consecutive year in the UK. With the Ford 1.6 EcoBoost engine we can offer in excess of 200PS and we have been developing the wings with Ford Design over the summer months. Drivers want wings because they have the desire to learn from day one of their careers the effects of aerodynamics, and combining these with a high output EcoBoost turbocharged engine, Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 ticks all their boxes.

Seat time remains a cornerstone of the Formula Ford ethos. A 30-race championship is believed to offer the highest number of races of any junior single-seater formula, giving all drivers the maximum competitive time behind the wheel, and exceptional value for money.

As has been the case since Formula Fords inception, unlimited testing days will still be permitted. However, championship regulations will for the first time impose some limits upon which circuits can be used for testing, and when, to equalise the opportunities for all drivers.

Gerard Quinn, senior manager for Ford Racing in Europe, said: This is the most exciting development in the 47-year history of Formula Ford. We are enormously pleased that the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain is to rejoin the TOCA package. We believe that the new and aerodynamically enhanced Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 cars will make a spectacular addition to the BTCCs programme of races and that the exposure to be gained by being with the UKs top-tier series will be of major benefit to competitors and their teams.

Key features and benefits of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great BritainCurrently the only tubular steel space frame cars in the world to have fully complied with the FIAs latest stringent crash test requirements equivalent to that of Formula 3Proven and reliable power source. Fords 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine has a seasons race development behind it. The engine electronics will be remapped to boost power output in excess of 200PSUnrivalled exposure. The BTCC TOCA package is the most widely followed motorsport in Britain, with huge regular trackside attendance as well as hours of live coverage in HD quality on ITV4. As the sole regular single-seater support event on the TOCA package, Formula Ford will enjoy new-found status as the leading junior championship in BritainFormula Ford will remain an open chassis formula for multiple manufacturers, with designers free to offer their own interpretations based on Fords rigorously developed technical regulations, which are designed to meet the latest FIA safety standardsExisting EcoBoost chassis easily adapted to accommodate wings which will require little in the way of additional modifications. It is anticipated that existing cars can be adapted to meet the new regulations for around 4000Sophisticated on-board data logging system and track mapping integrated into the electronics of the cars, providing race engineers with detailed analysis of car and engine behaviour on trackOpportunities to progress. The race training gained in Formula Ford has long been recognised by F3 teams as a vital commodity; Formula Ford champions from four of the last five seasons have graduated to F3The MSA Academy development programme for all Formula Ford drivers develops crucial aspects outside of the car for aspiring professional driversPromotional extras. All Formula Ford championship registrants receive high-quality race suits and championship leisure clothing, and can take advantage of the championships dedicated paddock race centreProfessional help. Ford personnel provide technical back-up at all race meetings. As a part of Fords commitment to the championship, dedicated technical and electronics scrutineers are on hand to ensure technical compliance between carsProfessional teams. Formula Ford has a long and illustrious history and is famous not only for developing the World Champions of the future but also the rising-star technicians behind the scenes; the teams supporting the championship are long-established and of the highest calibre

Sam Roach of RacingLine, the promoter of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, believes the overhaul of Formula Ford for 2013 will transform it: The combination of 10 events in front of the BTCCs massive spectator fanbase, allied to the speed and durability of the new EcoBoost Formula Fords - not to mention the exciting new element that will come with the additions of greater power and aero wings - will make Formula Ford the best and most attractive junior single-seater series in the UK.

Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain Provisional 2013 calendar30/31 Mar  Brands Hatch Indy20/21 Apr  Donington Park04/05 May  Thruxton08/09 Jun  Oulton Park22/23 Jun  Croft03/04 Aug  Snetterton24/25 Aug  Knockhill14/15 Sep  Rockingham28/29 Sep  Silverstone12/13 Oct  Brands Hatch GP

Drivers wishing to be wait-listed for the Formula Ford Sampler Day are asked to submit their applications and racing CVs to championship co-ordinator Penny Mattocks via email: p.mattocks@racingline.com