Reviving the Steeda Race Focus, Part 1: From Storage to the Autocross Grid

Steeda Autosports built its reputation on motorsports wins and making high-performance Ford parts. In the early 2000s, that meant a yellow Focus ZX3, driven by Steeda president Dario Orlando and chief engineer Steve Chichisola. The car raced SCCA events across Florida, led the 2002 Citrus Enduro at Homestead, and by 2006, Dario qualified it third out of 60 cars at Moroso Motorsports Park, behind only purpose-built race cars. Back then, it had a 2.0-liter Zetec engine with about 200 naturally aspirated horsepower, and every part was something Steeda was testing to sell.

Then it all stopped. The car sat in the showroom for years, gathering dust. That bothered us, so we decided to bring it back to life. The goal was simple: get the Focus running, pass tech, and see what it could do at an autocross. We also hoped to try it on a road course later.

Here’s how we brought the car back to life, took it racing, and how Luke Robinson and Riley McDowell did while sharing one seat over the course of the event.

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How The Focus Is Now

Today, the car is a manual ZX3 with a Cosworth engine, a Pectel T2 ECU, and a fuel cell instead of the original tank. It runs on 93 octane, is naturally aspirated, and revs up to 9,000 rpm.

Inside, the car has no interior and a roll cage where the back seat used to be. This is a true competition car, so bringing it back meant checking every detail and not taking anything for granted.

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Bringing The Focus Back to Life

The Fuel System Goes First

The fuel cell made the first job simple. Draining old gas is much easier without a factory tank in the way. We took off the lid and checked the foam inside, which keeps fuel from sloshing and blocks debris from the filter. We expected it to be ruined, but it was fine, so we put it back and added a gallon of fresh 93.

The car still wouldn’t start, and the fuel pump was the problem. We knew there was a bad ground, but not which one. Damion, our tech, checked everything step by step: 12 volts at the pump, ground looked good, but nothing happened. That meant the fuel pump module was dead. Since we didn’t have a spare, we wired the pump directly to the power to see if the engine would run.

It started right up.

When the new module arrived and was installed, the problem was fixed, and the Cosworth idled smoothly.

Brakes, Fluids, and a Lift Full of Tired Parts

The first real drive revealed that the brakes hardly worked. We began by flushing and bleeding the entire system until the fluid was clean. Next, we installed and bedded in Hawk Blue pads, which are made for the quick, aggressive stops needed in autocross.

After fixing the brakes, we put the car on the lift and found more issues. The bump stops were falling apart, so we rebuilt them on the dampers using urethane stops from our Mustang, cut to fit. These tougher stops help withstand track use.

We also discovered the helper springs were cracked and had been tack-welded, so we replaced them with a good set from another project. Next, we changed the oil with fresh Mobil 1, as it was long overdue, and filled the gearbox with Royal Purple. After cleaning out a gummed-up overflow tank, we drained and refilled the cooling system with Redline. The shifter felt sticky and rough, but some spacing and grease at the base resolved this, allowing it to shift smoothly.

A Hand-Built Airbox

With maintenance done, we focused on the intake. We started with cardboard templates and then used scrap sheet metal to build a better airbox. At some point in the past, a slit was cut into the driver 's-side headlight cover to allow more air to flow into the intake. We decided that this was now inadequate and finished removing the rest of the cover to allow as much air as possible to get to the intake.

With a complete airbox, we can keep hot engine-bay air out and pull in cooler outside air. This should cool the engine, especially on hot track days.

Bigger Tires, More Ride Height, and a Lucky Find

The new tires we grabbed from the warehouse were wider and had taller sidewalls than the old ones, and after a few test drives, we noticed they were rubbing the fenders. We raised the front ride height for more clearance and put the car on the alignment rack. That’s when we found the best surprise of the project: the original alignment sheets from the car’s Steeda race days were still on file. Instead of guessing, we set the alignment back to those proven race numbers for the weekend.

Steering Issues, a Misfire, and a Shift Light That Wouldn’t Behave

During testing, the steering felt loose. Tightening a single bolt at the steering shaft/rack connection made a big difference.

A misfire showed up on a shakedown and was traced back to a spark plug wire snapped clean in half, with the boot missing entirely. A fresh set of wires sorted it out, and we kept the better-fitting boots from the old set rather than tossing them.

The next issue was the AutoMeter Pro shift light. At first, we suspected a bad resistor. After further testing and help from AutoMeter, we realized it was user error; the shift light was set to trigger near redline. So, we needed to treat it like a racecar and stop babying it.

Before trailering, we installed a new serpentine belt for reliability. With that done, we loaded the Focus and headed out to race.

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Running Autocross with The Steeda Focus

Getting The Car Through Tech

The Steeda Race Focus’s first event back was with the Red Hills Region SCCA at Spence Field in Moultrie, Georgia, and tech inspection was a learning experience. The car passed tech easily, but Luke and Riley had trouble with their helmets. The autocross tech required a motorsport-rated helmet, not a DOT motorcycle helmet, so they had to share the only approved one.

Figuring out the right class was the real challenge as well. With a cage, no interior, and an engine swap, the Focus clearly belonged in Prepared, but the SCCA’s online tool only covers Focus models from 2012 onward, and this car is older. After checking the rulebook, we settled on E Prepared, and the numbers matched. At the event, EP was confirmed, but since Luke and Riley were the only ones in that class, tech put the car in Novice for the day so they’d have real competition.

Two Drivers, One Seat

Having only one seat affected the whole day. Luke and Riley took turns driving, with Luke going first, then Riley, and so on. Since there was just one seat, they couldn’t ride along to coach each other or get extra laps as passengers.

Like everyone else, they walked the course before the first run to memorize it.

Both drivers started with times in the high 50s and improved from there. Luke finished with a 50.632. Riley said he pushed hard early, trying to catch Luke’s time before he really knew the course. He started at around 58 seconds and dropped to 51.884, improving by about 7 seconds. Riley also got an extra run when another car’s incident caused a rerun.

What the Focus Taught Them Throughout The Weekend

Front-wheel-drive cars usually understeer, but this setup let the rear slide out on corner entry, which surprised Riley. He was used to rear-wheel-drive cars, so his instinct was to hit the brakes, but that just made the back end swing out more. The solution was the opposite: add throttle to settle the car, then lightly tap the front brakes to lower the nose and load the front tires. On a long, wide turn at the back of the course, they found they could use the throttle to rotate the car, then tap the brakes at the exit cone to help the front tires grip and speed out.

Another racer watching from the fence noticed what the drivers already felt: the tires were folding over onto their sidewalls. Along with the car moving around under them, this meant it was time to adjust tire pressures (they started at a soft 25 psi) and do some real suspension tuning.

The Times

Both events used PAX, or index time, which is a handicap system that lets cars with very different abilities compete on the same scale.

Event 1 — Red Hills Region SCCA, run in Novice

Where Does The Steeda Race Focus Go From Here

Once a Steeda SCCA racer and later left sitting, this car now starts easily, passes tech, and runs hard. The Cosworth revs to 9,000 rpm, the steering is tight, and the custom airbox keeps it cool. Most importantly, the autocross weekend helped both amateur drivers learn car setup and get seat time.

Next up for the Focus

Our future plans include refining the suspension and tire pressures, weighing the Focus, adding a second seat to accommodate a second driver, and performing running dyno pulls. We are excited to continue this build and see what the future holds.

Stay Tuned for Updates

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