In the shadows of all the auto shows going on around the world, Ford took to the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, England to unveil the 2012 Ford Fiesta WRC Rally Car dressed in its new livery.
Heading into its sophomore season in the WRC, the Fiesta is looking to build on the surprising success it had last year when it won the season-opening and season-ending races as the successor to the Ford Focus WRC.
Just like last year, the Fiesta RS Rally Car comes with a 1.6-liter Ford Ecoboost turbo engine and has been designed with the Blue Oval’s acclaimed ’kinetic design’ styling language. The car was prepared for rally-spec use by Ford’s long-time partner M-Sport and as has been the case for years now, Castrol remains the team’s primary sponsor.
The Fiesta RS’ surprising showing at the 2011 WRC season has given the team high hopes for a better showing this year. If for nothing else, the team should give perennial title-holder, Citroen, a serious run for its money.
Over the years, Ken Block has treated us to a wide variety of high-octane racing action, having competed in plenty of racing disciplines that has earned him the title as one of the most versatile racers in the world today.
Having had experience with the WRC, Rallycross, and Gymkhana, Block has likewise driven plenty of race cars, each unique to its own depending on the where he is racing at a particular time.
But all that’s about to change with the introduction of the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC HFHV. If you don’t know, ’HFHV’ stands for ’Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle’, which pretty much explains what the car is all about. It’s a modified Ford Fiesta that has been tweaked and reconfigured in such a way that it fits right in on all three racing items Block competes in.
At the heart of this versatile machine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ford EcoBoost engine that produces 600 horsepower and 665 lb/ft of torque mated to a six-speed sequential manual gearbox. Anytime Block and his team need to change the specs of the car, they only need to add and subtract a few elements of the car.
Read more about this versatile vehicle after the jump.
At this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Ken Block was presented with two racing cars: the Gymkhana Three Ford Fiesta and the current Ford Fiesta RS WRC car. Defending the "hooning title" he won in 2010, Block spent the entire weekend sideways or in circles on Goodwood’s hillclimb and rally stages. This video was then released so we could all partake in the mad skills Block illustrated.
The Gymkhana Three Fiesta is powered by a boosted 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers an impressive 850 HP (de-tuned to a total of 650 HP in the name of tractability) and 660 pound-feet of torque. With this amount of power under the hood, the Fiesta will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2 seconds, providing the very reason why Block felt it necessary to have at it during the festival. Enjoy!
A year into driving the Ford Fiesta RS WRC after years spent sitting behind the wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Ken Block is gearing up for the 2011 rally season by unveiling the 2011 Monster World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC armed with a year’s worth of rally experience and, in the case of his refreshed ride, a host of freshly updated livery.
This year, the American rally driver will be competing in a number of rounds of the World Rally Championship as he continues his WRC development while getting his feet wet on racing on a car with a completely different chassis from what he’s used to.
Apart from the WRC rounds Ken Block is scheduled to partake in, he and his new Monster Fiesta RS WRC will also be participating in a number of competitions, including the Summer X Games, the Gymhana GRID, as well as other RallyCar and RallyCross events in the US.
For a lot of us that have gotten used to Ken Block and his rally car wizardry, 2011 promises to be an exciting year for both the esteemed American driver and his legion of fans all over the world.
It also certainly doesn’t hurt to know that he’s going to be sitting behind the wheel of a pretty damn good rally car for the 2011 rally season.
Back at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, Ford pulled off the sheets on the new Fiesta RS WRC rally carr, which will be competing in the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.
Now that the season opening race is only days away - Rally Sweden on February 10-13 - Ford officially unveiled the car decked in all its racing livery.
Set to be driven by the Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and its driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala, and Khalid Al Qassimi, the new Fiesta RS WRC rally car was built by M-Sport and loosely based on the S2000 car that recently took the top step of the podium at the Monte Carlo Rally in 2010.
With a recent triumph under its belt, M-Sport is looking into kicking off the new year on a high note with a lighter yet stronger Fiesta RS WRC that is capable of competing with the big boys of the WRC.
Whether that goal becomes a reality remains to be seen. What we do know is that with the season opening race a few days away, we won’t have to wait too long to find the answer.
