Ready to Race
2003 Focus WRC heads off to New Zealand
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Ford Rallye Sport's new state-of-the-art Focus RS World Rally Car will make its eagerly-awaited competition debut on the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship in New Zealand later this month. The new Focus RS, to be driven by regular pairings Markko Märtin and co-driver Michael Park and François Duval and Stéphane Prévot, is radically different in both looks and mechanics to the car which competed on the opening three rounds of the series.
Technical director Christian Loriaux and his team at M-Sport have worked closely with Ford engineers to add significant performance improvements to the car whilst the new aerodynamic package is certain to make the car stand out.
The new car completed rigorous eligibility checks at the team's Dovenby Hall base in England by technical inspectors from the FIA who completed the necessary paperwork on April 1 to give the car the final go-ahead to compete in New Zealand.
Among the improvements to the new Focus RS are:
· Radical changes to styling and aerodynamic package to increase performance on faster rallies
· New rear suspension system
· Improved weight distribution and weight savings through the car
· New body shell and a roll cage which far exceeds minimum FIA safety requirement
· New lightweight engine developed and built by Cosworth Racing with improved response, more top end power and more efficient cooling
Märtin believes the new rule banning on-site testing for long-haul rallies will add an extra challenge to the event. "New Zealand is a special event and with a new car it will be quite hard to predict the correct set-up before the rally. Start position will also play a major role if the roads are dry. We start fourth and that's not so good because the roads are initially covered in loose gravel. It's slippery and there are some fast drivers lower down the order who will benefit from cleaner roads when the gravel has been swept away. But that's the way it is and we'll just try our best," he added.
Ford Rallye Sport team director Malcolm Wilson has high hopes for the new Focus RS. "It looks sensational but obviously looks are not everything. However, we know from testing that it is quicker than the 2002 version and that gives us great confidence going into New Zealand. What everyone must be aware of is that around 80 percent of this car is new and so we must not become too concerned if we have problems in the early days. But I know that the potential is there for it to be a winner and that confidence is a tribute to all the hard work put in by Christian Loriaux, his engineering team and all the Ford people who have been involved with the car's development," said Wilson.
can't wait to see it on the stages !!
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