The latest season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship is upon us, and taking up the challenge is Gymkhana superstar Ken Block at the wheel of this brand-new Focus RS race car. Joining him is Andreas Bakkerud, a 24-year-old from Norway with back-to-back championship titles in the Super 1600 category (2011 and 2012). The duo recently debuted the fresh Ford->ke31 in Montalegre, Portugal, but before the green, they had time to shoot this sub-three-minute peek at their new ride.

Ford Performance and M-Sport did the prep, and the specs are impressive – 600 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. Mated to a Sadev six-speed gearbox and AWD system, 0-to-62 mph is done in about two seconds flat.

“To let go of the handbrake, pulling up the gears, it’s just a massive beast,” Bakkerud says.

“This is a bit different package as far as aero is concerned, because the last car that I had was actually designed for stage rally,” Block reveals. The team looked at the tracks and speeds they would face and specifically designed the carbon-fiber exterior “… to try and get the maximum grip that with the entire car.”

Block ended up struggling with a stuck throttle at the outset of the race, placing him at the back of the pack, but Bakkerud managed to finish fourth and take home vital points when it was all said and done.

Ford Focus RS RX By Hoonigan Racing

Read the full review here.