Παρουσιάσεις Αγωνιστικών - Racing Vehicles | Emanuel Mangion (Dilja) - Altered Escort
21.06.05
  

An over-view to one of Malta’s best ever Altered Escorts.
by Holger Camilleri

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Without any doubt Emanuel’s (known as id-Dilja) Competition Altered Escort Mk1 is now in its top class, and surely is one of Malta’s best ever. Mangion is now a veteran in Maltese the drag racing scene, having more than 15 years experience. At that time drag racing was shifted from Ta’ Qali to Hal-Far, where at the time, it was still an abandoned military runway.

After experiencing an accident year 2003, Mangion decided to have a break from racing and handled his steering wheel to Alan Zammit. Driving Mangion’s Escort for two years, Zammit is now the leader of the MDRA national championship. The project took its kick off in 2004 at the Bambinu Garage in Rabat, where brothers Joe and Richi Galea (Bambinu Brothers) started re-building the 105-inch wheelbase full Chrome-Molly chassis and roll-cage.

After a rigid chassis and roll-cage where ready the Galea brothers where also commissioned to create the whole fibre body, which I have to say they both made a good job. After it was finally finished, Churchills Garage spray painted the body with AutoPaint International’s products.

While the chassis/body where being worked out, tuner Charles Camilleri of Zoqdi Racing Team was mounting the 2.0 Ford Cosworth engine’s main components onto its aluminium racing block which is obviously the most important feature on this Drag Racing engine.


The T8 Turbonetics Turbo

A Turbonetics T8 Turbo was fitted to the engine with a Charge Intercooler to keep it cool along the various custom-made parts. This Turbo will surely give that extra horse power to touch the 7 seconds marks. The engine is given C-16 VP Racing Fuel for better performance. The Zoqdi Team also installed an HI Power Nitrous System, which is obviously mostly used in the nitrous classes. As for the engine management system a DTA ECU was chosen to work with the MSD ignition system. Apart from all these important features, Camilleri decided to fit a Liberty 5-speed air-shift transmission. To finish the whole job a Mark Williams rear-end and drive shaft where also fitted.

Emanuel Mangion is now riding the wave of success of his driver Alan Zammit, who has been driving this Escort for the last two years. When asked about the teams future prospects, Mangion said: “We are really optimistic to break the national record and why not, may be also the European Record! We are registering a personal best in every event with the best one being 7.858sec, so things are looking to be on their good way”.


The Master-piece of the Bambinu Brothers and Zoqdi Racing

For the next MDRA night event many are the competitors who are expected to clock very good times. This especially applies for the Competition Altered Class, where as usual all its respective participants will be an attraction and also in the Dragster Top Alcohol class where the Elbros Racing Team will be competing Fontana dragster.

Also present in Malta in the past weeks were the media team of Performance Ford magazine. The crew where invited by Charles Camilleri of Zoqdi Racing Team to feature Mangion’s Altered Escort in their magazine. The Escort project couldn’t arrive to this stage with out the sponsorship of Gree Air-Conditions, Churchills Garage and AutoPaint International.

Article by Holger Camilleri, MALTA
Photos by Holger Camilleri, MALTA

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