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A Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally was the quickest car around an SCCA RallyCross course
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The Mustang Mach-E Rally won both its class and the outright event
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A Ford engineer was behind the wheel, simply as weekend fun
Attendees and participants at the Detroit Octoberfast RallyCross event at the Auto City Speedway didn’t hear it coming, but an EV came and dominated the competition.
The car was stock, and it both previewed the future while proving enthusiasts are still going to have fun in the EV era.
On October 27 Ford off-road attributes engineer Anthony Magagnoli took a stock 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally to the local Detroit region SCCA rallycross in Clio, Michigan. Magagnoli won the Stock All Wheel Drive (SA) class with the lowest cumulative time, and he took the single fastest lap of the day.
Motor Authority heard through the grapevine this all took place and spoke with Magagnoli about the event, the competition, the car, and his background. Here’s how this eye-opening performance unfolded.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross
Is the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally the one to race?
The SCCA RallyCross event wasn’t Ford-sanctioned or even associated with the Blue Oval. Magagnoli proposed the idea at work as an opportunity to prove the Mustang Mach-E Rally is more than just a tire-and-sticker package. “It’s genuinely designed to do this,” he told MA.
Over the course of the weekend for the event, Ford allowed the engineer to use a development car that had already been beaten on. Magagnoli drove the car to the event, in the event, and then back home.
The car was “bone stock,” according to Magagnoli. The only difference between it and a Mustang Mach-E Rally a customer buys off the showroom floor was that this one didn’t look pretty (development cars live a hard knock life), and it had the accessory battery shield and mud flaps, both of which are Ford Performance accessories off the shelf.
Magagnoli is a professional racing driver, coach, and on the dynamics developing team at Ford. But he’s no RallyCross champ and his only experience driving RallyCross before the event was during development of the Mustang Mach-E Rally on Ford’s course at the automaker’s proving grounds. His racing experience is rooted in years of autocross before getting into track and wheel-to-wheel racing.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross
The RallyCross competition
The Mach-E Rally ran against a wide-range of participants from the run-what-you-brung group to people showing up on true rally tires and full cages. The typical assortment of Subaru WRXs participated, but there were some notable standouts that rolled up, or out of trailers, according to Magnagnoli.
Two 1987 AMC Eagles participated in the same SA class with Magnagnoli and the Mustang Mach-E Rally. One of those rolled up to the event in a giant enclosed trailer. “The most unassuming car that I would’ve thought would’ve come out of that trailer,” Magagnoli said.
A 2015 Lexus RC 350 AWD also participated in the class, with Toyota engineer Cort Bouse behind the wheel. That Lexus, which is driven by a team of engineers at RallyCross events, has won nationals before.
While a 1988 Yugo GVX painted in what was called Crimson Failure was certainly noteworthy, it was a 2004 Subaru Forester, rumored to be making 900 hp, that caught Magagnoli’s attention. The Mustang Mach-E Rally has 480 hp, with 700 lb-ft of torque sent to all four wheels from its dual-motor powertrain.
Off the line, the Mach-E Rally is also pretty ridiculous, according to Magnagnoli. “That thing launches violently,” the race starter told the engineer.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross
The RallyCross course
The course itself wasn’t more severe than the one Magnagnoli had put been putting the Mustang Mach-E through during development, according to the engineer. That development saw the EV thrashed over the course of 500-plus miles, which was supposed to prove the car was effectively good for 10 years of competitive RallyCross driving, and beyond.
Ford developed its own 0.8-mile-long course for Mustang Mach-E Rally development, at the automaker’s proving grounds, around specific limits.
The course Magagnoli drove during the rallycross competition was on a 10-acre field and about 1.2 miles long. Magagnoli only got one shot at a lap time per time out.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominating an SCCA RallyCross
Dominating the competition in the Mach-E Rally
Magagnoli figured the Mustang Mach-E Rally would be competitive. Fun and to prove this car could hang was the objective. Then he won.
On Magagnoli’s third run the white Mustang Mach-E Rally ran its winning 101.946-second lap.
Magagnoli said the team’s work on managing the car’s weight, which checks in at 4,975 pounds with a 50:50 weight distribution, really came into play on the course. The calibration and tuning, of the adjustable dampers specifically, was done for this type of environment. Added measures like virtual bump stops and jounce bumpers really helped keep things under control on the course.
Magnagnoli said that engaging the car in a different environment armed him with information that could be used for future tuning and calibrations.
Between an outright win, a class win, and the fun Magnagnoli had, it’s clear the future won’t be less fun with EVs. It’ll just be quieter.
