Ford Fiesta RS WRC set to receive green light

Ford’s all-new Fiesta RS World Rally Car is set to receive final clearance for its FIA World Rally Championship debut this week when motorsport’s governing body gives it the seal of approval to compete in Rally Sweden next month.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is ready to approve homologation of Ford’s challenger for the 2011 championship after the car successfully cleared tough technical inspections to ensure it complies with the sport’s new cost-effective regulations.

This means that Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will put the Fiesta RS WRC through its paces for the first time in the WRC when the 13-round season begins in Sweden (10 February).

"We worked closely with the FIA throughout the development of the car to ensure our understanding of the regulations was aligned with that of the governing body," said Ford of Europe’s motorsport chief, Gerard Quinn. "We expect the paperwork to be finalised this week, and everyone involved with the programme is looking forward to an exciting season ahead, with the action beginning over Sweden’s frozen roads in 10 days."

Ford’s four-wheel drive WRC challenger is derived from the best-selling Fiesta road car. It was developed from the 2010 Monte Carlo Rally-winning Fiesta S2000 rally car by the Blue Oval’s long-term British-based partner M-Sport, with support from Ford of Europe. It forms part of a new era in the World Rally Championship, for which a revised cost-effective formula is introduced this season.

The WRC is acknowledged as the toughest form of motorsport for production-based cars, which battle for world titles in such diverse and demanding conditions as the barren, frozen countryside of Sweden and sweltering temperatures and boulder-strewn roads of Greece.

M-Sport, together with Ford’s engineering team, undertook a varied and structured development programme with the Fiesta RS WRC in readiness for the 2011 season. Work will continue, with the car shortly due to be taken to the Environmental Testing Laboratory at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the UK to evaluate and optimise engine performance.

Ford Abu Dhabi technical director Christian Loriaux said the team had not compromised on anything. "We obtained plenty of data from the standard Fiesta road car, and the S2000 which competed in the S-WRC and other championships last year. We re-evaluated every area and if we thought certain areas could be improved, we went ahead and did so," he said.

"Apart from the roll cage and chassis there aren’t too many parts that the Fiesta RS WRC shares with the S2000. Plenty of parts may look similar, but they have been modified to be lighter, stiffer or whatever we felt would bring an improvement," added Loriaux.

The Fiesta RS WRC has covered more than 11,000 kilometres of testing on gravel, asphalt, snow and ice in preparation for its WRC debut – the equivalent of more than two full seasons of WRC competition.

The team began by installing a 2.0-litre engine from a 2010 Focus RS WRC into the Fiesta S2000 rally car in March last year.

Testing was stepped up significantly in August when a 1.6-litre prototype engine (without direct injection) was installed for the first time. Since then the car has been trialled on gravel roads in Britain, Portugal, France and Spain and on asphalt in Britain, France and Spain. Snow and ice tests have taken place in Sweden.

"We’re encouraged by both the car’s performance and its reliability over thousands of kilometres of testing, and we’re confident we can transfer that into competition. But the true test will come during the opening round in Sweden next week," said Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson.
"It was a challenging test programme. Matching the car to the tyres of our new supplier, Michelin, was a demanding process. We’ve made excellent progress but I believe Mikko and Jari-Matti will learn more about the way the tyres behave as we encounter new conditions on different rallies," added Wilson.

Ford Fiesta RS WRC Technical specification

Engine: Ford EcoBoost 1600cc direct injection engine developed by Ford, M-
Sport and Pipo Moteurs.
Four cylinders, 16 valves. Bore 83.0mm. Stroke 73.9mm. Cosworth electronic engine management system. Garrett turbocharger (with FIA required 33 mm inlet restrictor). Air intercooler. Catalytic converter.

Power: 300 bhp at 6000 rpm

Torque: 450 Nm at 4000 rpm

Transmission: Permanent four-wheel drive.
Mechanical front and rear differentials and a clutch disconnect fitted to handbrake.
M-Sport / X-Trac six-speed sequential gearbox with mechanical shift. M-Sport / AP Racing twin disc clutch.

Suspension: Front and rear: MacPherson struts with Reiger external reservoir dampers, adjustable in bump and rebound. Fully adjustable fabricated steel links. Front and rear anti-roll bars. Machined aluminium uprights.

Brakes: Gravel (front and rear): 300mm Brembo ventilated discs with Brembo four- piston monoblock calipers.

Asphalt (front and rear): 355mm (maximum) Brembo ventilated discs with Brembo four-piston monoblock calipers.

Hydraulic handbrake; Adjustable front / rear bias.

Steering: Power-assisted high-ratio (12:1) rack and pinion. One and a half
turns lock to lock.

Wheels: Gravel / Snow: 7in x 15in (aluminium) wheels with Michelin
650mm tyres.

Asphalt: 8in x 18in (aluminium) wheels with Michelin 650mm tyres.

Bodyshell: Unitary construction. Unique composite side panels. Welded T45 steel safety roll cage. Aerodynamic rear wing. Unique front ‘bumper’ treatment.

Electronics: Full Cosworth chassis and engine data acquisition for on-event diagnostics and performance development.

Fuel tank: FIA FT3.5 tank, 80 litre capacity, located centrally.

Dimensions: Length: 3963mm. Width: 1820mm. Wheelbase: 2480mm.
Weight: 1200kg minimum.