The Phantom story dates again 51 years to 1973, when Jaguar engineers Chris Greville-Smith and Richard Cresswell constructed their first Clubmans automobile. Cresswell received his class within the 1974 Silverstone-based Tricentrol championship, however CG-S – who subsequently transferred to Ford – continued the venture solo, racing and growing his chassis and constructing a handful extra, amongst them the ex-Kimber Crossley/David Childs P79 nonetheless raced by Steve Chapman.
Arguably probably the most constant challengers to Mallock’s choices over the interval, Phantoms have been subsequently created by a number of corporations, together with John Maguire Racing in Coventry, earlier than being taken over by Jan Nordgren in Sweden, from whom Alex Champkin acquired the venture. Greville-Smith nonetheless engineers vehicles, serving to current Manufacturers Hatch race winner Michelle Hayward in Tom Commander’s Zetec-engined P82TR.
Having polished wheels as a lad for Clubmans racer dad Jamie Champkin – now Motorsport UK’s authorized eagle – Alex developed a Imaginative and prescient chassis earlier than beginning his mainstream enterprise VMEP [Vision Motorsport Engineering Products]. Initially, it made chassis set-up flooring, air jacks and pit gear, however is now a market chief in bespoke flight circumstances for race groups and different industries which depend on safe transportation of precision gear worldwide.
Since bringing Phantom again to Warwickshire, near its Coventry birthplace, Champkin received the MSVR-badged Clubmans Register CSP1 championship in 2022 with Ford Zetec energy. In 2023 there was double success working James Clarke within the present CSP1 automobile and Mathieu Gaulthier-Thornton to the CSP2 crown with Rover motivation.
In a four-category construction cut up equally between historic and fashionable idea front-engined sportscars, the Clubmans Register’s front-running P1 division’s rules present the identical scope for innovation as the unique BRSCC’s Clubmans did when Nick Syrett launched a contest for Lotus 7-type vehicles in 1965.
The motorcycle-engined choice appealed to Alex Champkin and ignited the keenness of Ashley “Captain Aerospace” Pearce, whose first automotive ardour stays bikes. He joined VMEP as a welder, however has introduced his ability set and instinctive know-how to creating and detailing the PR24.
Phantom boss Alex Chamkin (left), and Ashley Pearce have introduced the PR24 to life
Picture by: Pleasure Batchelor
Lightning fast from its debut at Citadel Combe in August, Champkin received each races, leaving a blistering 1m05.119s (102.14mph) lap document as proof. A month later the combo accomplished a hat-trick within the moist at Oulton Park, then added a Manufacturers double for a five-from-seven win fee.
Chassis
The tubeframe chassis, fabricated in-house by Pearce, is predicated on the earlier PR22s, however the Suzuki engine/gearbox is mounted considerably additional again inside its wheelbase. However for a ‘energy bulge’ within the bonnet’s flank, completely different water radiator necessities and higher oil cooling – fed by twin nostrils within the nostril – the PR24 retains the distinctive low-slung Phantom look.
To optimise dealing with given the revised entrance/rear weight steadiness, the chassis requires higher rake than typical variations. One other body is on the shares for 2025 supply.
Engine
1340cc engine powering the PR24 revs to 11,000rpm
Picture by: Pleasure Batchelor
Constructed by racer Richard Webb’s famend RLM Racing concern in Leicestershire, the engine chosen for the Phantom utility is 1340cc capability, with inventory internals, though some rivals use 1500cc derivatives. Weighing simply 84kg, the shrill Hayabusa revs to 10,500rpm in first to fifth and 11,000rpm in high. It’s rolling-road tuned to offer 180bhp on the wheels, the CSP1 class most for bike engines.
A 55kg weight saving over 200bhp Ford Zetec or Rover Ok collection engined vehicles endows the PR24 – weighing in at 500kg, much less driver – with 360bhp/ton efficiency and 145mph potential.
Transmission
Tim Grey Motorsport developed the longitudinally-mounted transmission
Picture by: Pleasure Batchelor
Mounted longitudinally, versus transversely in motorbike purposes, the Suzuki Hayabusa engine is mated to its personal compact six-speed gearbox, operated by a paddle-shift system – flat up, autoblip down – developed by the highly-rated Tim Grey Motorsport.
Two extra cogs than typical Clubmans ‘automobile’ containers is advantageous, though general gearing to swimsuit completely different circuits is altered by altering between 3:3:1 and three.1:1 ratio diffs. Drive is transmitted by an extended shaft to the left of the cockpit, with stout influence safety for security.
De Dion axle
The de Dion tube rear axle is a continuing of Phantom vehicles
Picture by: Pleasure Batchelor
A relentless of Phantom vehicles, the de Dion tube rear axle – an idea pioneered within the late nineteenth century – reduces unsprung weight and supplies a stiff secure location for the impartial pushed wheels with zero camber change throughout cornering. Static camber changes are made by way of shims, to maximise tyre contact patches, and there may be additionally toe management for alignment.
Laterally mounted centrally by a Watts linkage, with outboard radius arms, the sturdy tube is suspended by Spax dampers with bump and rebound valving inside vertical coil springs. Entrance suspension is inboard, pushrod operated.
Wheels are 13-inch diameter, with 9.5 and 10.5 inch widths.
Phantom PR24 has already been a winner in Champkin’s arms
Picture by: Pleasure Batchelor