1975 Crossle 30F Formula Ford

History

This Crossle, chassis number 75-30F-02, has had only four owners from new, which is very rare for a Formula Ford.

The Crossle was purchased new in 1975 as a 1600 c.c. by Richard Sloane. Sloane raced it in SCCA Nationals in the mid and late 1970’s. The car was later sold and converted to FC specs with a 2 liter Pinto engine, a Crossle 55F nose, side radiators and front and rear wings. Thereafter the Crossle was repurchased by Sloane who continued to race the Crossle in FC. See photos in its red livery below. The car was always maintained to a high standard. 

Sloane then sold the car to its next owner, Kelly Heil in early 2020. Kelly and his brother/skilled race car mechanic and fabricator, Kris Heil, restored the Crossle back to its original 1975, 1600 c.c. Formula Ford configuration.

The 2020 Season:

The Hiel brothers brought their new Crossle to the track for the first race of the 2020 season, the HMSA event at Laguna Seca. Right out of the box the car was quick, finishing 2nd in Club Ford and 5th overall. 

At the June, 2020 CSRG Formula Car Festival, the Heil brothers and the Crossle would go even quicker. This time they ran laps in the 1:46.7 range, and picked up their first Club Ford victory.

In July, the Heils and the Crossle struck double gold at the CSRG David Love Race at Sonoma. This time they finished 1st in Club Ford, and 1st overall.

August saw the Crossle back at Laguna for the HMSA Drivers Appreciation Race. Kelly and the Crossle again took home first place honors in Club Ford, and 4th overall.

Unfortunately Kelly could not complete the season due to health reasons, and he skipped the remaining races. However, the Crossle did make one more appearance, this time at Thunderhill with Ethan Shippert behind the wheel. The car qualified on the pole and won all three races, turning laps in the low 1:58 range.

The 2020 season, the Heil’s first year with the Crossle, saw them capture multiple pole positions and multiple wins. Despite not being able to attend all of the highly competitive Crossflow Cup Championship races, the Heils and the Crossle still captured 3rd in the Club Ford Division Championship. But there was more.

Kris Heil won the coveted 2020 Crossflow Cup Best Formula Ford Award. As described on the Crossflow Cup website:

“Best Formula Ford – Chris (sic) Heil. When Kelly Heil entered his car for the first race, it was breathtaking. His secret weapon was his mechanic/fabricator brother, Chris. The car is beautiful and prepped to as high a standard as is possible. Chris’s focus and dedication are evident in everything about it.”

2021 Season:

For 2021, the Heils and the Crossle were locked and loaded to go after the Club Ford Crossflow Cup Championship. At the first race of the season at Laguna Seca, Kelly put the Crossle on the Club Ford pole, and 3rd overall on the grid. Unfortunately, ignition problems sidelined the car at mid-race.

At the second race, a CSRG event at Sonoma Raceway, the Heil brothers had the Crossle back on form. This time they qualified on the front row, again capturing the Club Ford pole. Kelly and the Crossle would not be denied during the race and came home 1st in Club Ford.

The third Crossflow Cup race was held in conjunction with Masters Historic Racing at Laguna Seca. Again, Kelly and the Crossle claimed top Club Ford honors.

The fourth Crossflow Cup race, a CSRG event, was also held at Laguna. Kelly put the Crossle on the Club Ford pole, but suffered a DNF after a spin left the car resting against a barrier with too much damage to continue. So zero points after a promising start for the second time this season.

The fifth Crossflow Cup race was held in conjunction with the famed Rose Cup Races at Portland International Raceway. Kelly and Kris decided to skip this race, and focused on getting the Crossle ready for the final Crossflow Cup race of the season, the showdown for the Championship at Sonoma Raceway.

The Crossflow Cup returned to Sonoma Raceway for their finale at CSRG’s highly popular Charity Challenge. Kelly was leading the Club Ford division championship, but by only three points over Brian Forster. The race would decide the championship.

Below is the race as reported in the Norwest FF Blog:

“…. While all this was going on though, the peloton (led by Jellyman Kelly Heil) had closed down on Wait and a hand to hand battle at 100mph was to ensue. Weaving in and out through lap traffic, the lead pack fought it out, swapping positions and lines for the final 3 laps of the race. Heil found his way though first and stretched out a gap, leaving Wait, Lauber and Romak in a three way battle for second, with Carter just adrift ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Passes and repasses occurred as the laps wound down, in typical FF fashion. As the leaders headed for T11 on the last lap, Lauber and Romak were side by side, and that would be how they would finish. Lauber taking the Historic Ford win, Romak off to his side just inches behind, Wait in 3rd and Carter just off the podium. Andrew would have to settle for fastest race lap when it was all done, having fought it out to the end. Heil came home with the overall win and Club Ford win, with Forster P2 and Duncan P3. “

Kelly and the 30F would claim the Crossflow Cup Club Formula Ford Championship by just 7 points. Brother Kris would also capture the Cypress Lane Trophy, a tribute for his work keeping the Crossle consistently at the front of the grid despite their setbacks during the season.

2022 Season:

This was an absolutely stellar year for Heil brothers and their Crossle. They dominated Club Ford, winning at every event.  

At the end of the season, the Heils sold the Crossle to John Plavan. John, completely new to Formula Ford racing, decided to buy the proven best car so that he could focus on driving and improving his racecraft instead of wondering if lack of speed might be due to the car and not him. It turned out to be a very wise decision.

2023 Season:

John launched his Formula Ford racing career out of the box with a podium 3rd place position at his very first race. Over the next eight races, John would stand on the podium six more times, including a win at the last race of the season. Ultimately, John and the Crossle would finish just off the podium in the Championship in only his first year. 

2024 Season:

In 2024, John and the Crossle had another successful season with multiple podium finishes, including two victories in the last two races of the year. Again, he would just miss the podium.

2025 Season:

This time John and the Crossle would not be denied. They won three out of the nine races, and finished on the podium in every other race except two. This time they would claim their Crossflow Cup Club Ford Championship!

2026 Season:

Having now achieved his goal, John is looking for his next challenge. That will be in another car, shooting for the Historic Formula Ford Championship.

Description

The Crossle is powered by an Ivey Engines Ford with an ARE dry sump system. It received a full rebuild in March, 2024, including a new distributor, battery, and ignition system. A typical race weekend might see an hour and a half of run time including some practice on a Friday. So roughly figuring two nine race seasons would total around 27 hours on the engine. However, the head, where most of the power is generated in Formula Ford engine, was rebuilt nine races ago. A typical Ivey engines rebuild schedule is at about 50 hours. So there is still lots of time, seasons worth, left on this engine. The engine was most recently dynoed at 116 h.p.

The Ivey engine’s power is driven through a Hewland Mk9 with a Gear Daddies Rhino case and a Fast Forward differential. The gearbox was fully rebuilt and blueprinted by Scott Young Enterprises after the 2024 season. Everything is in excellent condition and properly set up for smooth and reliable gear changes.

The chassis includes a bonded and riveted floor panel to add structural rigidity.

The Crossle will come with an AIM MXM digital dash with AIM SmartyCam video/data logging system. This was installed new in 2024 and is a fabulous driver enhancement tool.  A throttle position sensor was also added to compliment brake pressure data.

The car is currently equipped with a custom bead seat, an FIA-spec harness, a Fuel Safe cell, and a SAFECRAFT fire suppression system. The gauges feature a Stack tachometer, water temp, and oil pressure gauges.

Spares include the following:

• Suspension: New and used A-arms, suspension arms, and steering components.
• Braking: Brake pads (multiple compounds), calipers, and rebuild kits.
• Drivetrain: CV joints, wheel bearings (Timken), and drivetrain hardware.
• Cooling: Cooling tubes, hose sets, and associated hardware.
• Chassis: Original (shorter) roll hoop and miscellaneous brackets.

Documentation: SOVREN and CSRG logbooks; continuous competition history since restoration.

A full itemized spares list is also available upon request through Katusha Speed Shop.

The car is professionally maintained at Katusha Speed Shop at Sonoma Raceway, inspections are welcome. We have raced against this car for years in the Crossflow Cup Series. We can attest to its performance and level of preparation. The results also speak for themselves.

If you want to be the best that you can be, maybe on the podium, or a race winner, or even a Championship winner, John Plavan has already shown us how to get it done. Buy the proven best car (fast AND reliable) and focus on driving. It will save you lots of time, money, and frustration in trying to sort out a “cheaper” Formula Ford – years worth. Buy the Crossle now, save money, go faster, be more comfortable, and be safer in the proven best car you can have. What’s not to like there?

All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.

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