(continued from above)
Team driver Mikko Hirvonen and Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn
unveiled the livery for the eye-catching Fiesta RS WRC at the Autosport
International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, motorsport's traditional
start-of-season showcase event.
Ford's official WRC squad for 2011 also confirmed its new name and logo - it
will compete as the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.
"Ford's designers
and product development engineers have worked closely and efficiently alongside
the expertise of our partners at M-Sport. The aim was, of course, to produce a
car capable of challenging for world championship titles, but one which also
reflects the much-admired 'kinetic design' styling cues synonymous with Ford's
current road vehicles," said Ford of Europe motorsport chief Quinn.
Ford's WRC challenger, derived from the best-selling Fiesta road car, has been
developed by Ford of Europe and British-based rally partner M-Sport. It is based
on the Fiesta S2000 rally car, which won the legendary Monte Carlo Rally in
January 2010 and other international and national rallies during the season.
The Fiesta RS WRC will form part of a new era in the world championship, for
which a revised cost-effective formula is introduced this season. It boasts
four-wheel drive transmission and a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, based on the
new Ford EcoBoost road vehicle power plant, to comply with the new regulations.
A
New Era for the World Rally Championship
The Fiesta RS WRC
competition car will form part of a new era for the world championship. The
Fiesta rally car will boast four-wheel drive transmission and a 1.6-liter
turbocharged engine, based on the all-new Ford EcoBoost engine family, to comply
with new regulations.
The new Ford EcoBoost engine family features direct
petrol injection and turbocharging to maximize performance and efficiency. "The
introduction of Ford's latest engine technology to its rally program reinforces
further our commitment to motorsport. It also demonstrates our continued support
for affordable competition by using an off-the-shelf production engine on which
to base our WRC power plant," said Mike Norton, Ford of Europe's Motorsport
Manager.
Specialist engineers from Ford and M-Sport have co-operated closely in the
development of this 1.6-liter engine, with highly-respected French tuner Pipo
Moteur bringing additional expertise to the power plant.
Ford Fiesta RS WRC Race Car: Review (2/2)