Someplace between Chicago and Flat Rock, is a railcar containing my Fiesta. 🙂 Actually, by this time, the car should be at the intermodal in Flat Rock being unloaded. From there, it will go on a transport and be shipped to the dealership. Wheels and tires are mounted and balanced, so those are ready for next week. No word yet on the spoiler and body kit, so I am not sure if those will be ready for installation when the car arrives. ETA is still set for 06/29.
Fiesta #707 Update 6/15/10
Fiesta #707 passed thru Laredo Texas over the weekend, and is heading north via train to the mixing station. ETA is set for anytime between 6/28 and 6/30. Modifications will start as soon as the car arrives, and will include a 3D Carbon body kit, Axis Touring Cup wheels, Ford of Europe rear spoiler, Ford alloy pedal pads, and removal of all the chrome bits. Should be a great looking car by July 4th!
Fiesta #707 Update for 6/09/10
She’s Alive!
According to my reservation agent, my Fiesta has been produced and is ready to be shipped! The next step is to order the Ford Accessories so they are here when the car arrives. Next update will be when the car is released to the rail company for shipping.
Fiesta Order Update 6/1/2010
2011 Ford Fiesta #707 is scheduled to be built the week of 6/7/2010 and is to arrive at the dealer during the week of 6/28/2010! I will be posting updates next week as the car begins to roll down the assembly line.
Timeline for ordering a Ford Fiesta
12/03/09 Back home from the LA Auto Show, I built a number of Fiesta’s on Ford’s build site to determine what options I want for my car.
12/04/10 After a couple of configurations, I finalized my order and reserved a Fiesta. I am rumored to be either the 4th or 5th person to reserve a Fiesta.
2/11/10 I headed to the local Ford dealership to place my order, but they said ordering has not started yet and they have no information on how to order a Fiesta.
2/12/10 I called the dealership and told them that other dealers were accepting orders, and to double check to see if they could start ordering.
2/15/10 Headed back to the dealership at 4:00pm to start the ordering process after they said the ordering banks had opened. I was at the dealer until 6:30 trying to order the Fiesta. The ordering guy refused to place my order since I had reserved a car with dealer installed accessories. We called Matt at the reservation center, and Matt confirmed that the order was good to place and the accessories were from the parts department and not the factory. The order guy at the dealer demanded that we call Sam Delagarza or else he would not order the car. Neither Matt nor I would waste Sam’s time with a phone call in the evening. After 2 ½ hours, the order guy sent me home without my car being ordered. I did get an order number, but it was never submitted to the order bank.
2/16/10 After many phone calls back and forth to the dealership, they finally ordered my car. I stopped by after work to pick up the confirmation. Turns out, my confirmation was for a white Fiesta sedan with an automatic! More phone calls revealed that they used my name to build a fake car that was never ordered, and stuck it in my order folder. Ok, not a big deal, everything should be ok.
2/17/10 The dealership faxes me the correct order confirmation in the morning, and I notice that the order number and priority codes don’t match from my first order. They said not to worry since the first order was never sent.
4/21/10 I get an email from Matt at the reservation center saying that my order did not show up in the Retail Order Verification Program database, and it needed to be there by May 1st for me to get discounts and be part of the reservation system. Back to the dealership I go. My salesperson says she will call Matt and get it taken care of. She even offered to drive the paperwork to my office if I need to sign anything.
4/26/10 I called the dealer to make sure everything was sent in for the ROVP, and was told it was all set. The salesperson talked to someone at the reservation center who said everything was received for my order.
4/27/10 To double check, I called the reservation center and asked about the status of my order. The person I talked to asked “Do you even have a Fiesta on order?” I was shocked since I thought I was all set. I give them my order number and they can’t find my order anywhere.
4/30/10 My salesperson calls and says there is a problem with my order and I need to get to the dealership ASAP. I head down around 4:45 after taking one of our cats into the vet. I was there until after 6:30 working with both the dealership and reservation center to fix my order. The dealership faxes in all of my info, and it is confirmed that it was received by the reservation team.
5/20/10 While on vacation at a large car show, I was talking to a few people who used to order cars for dealers in the past. I was telling them about my issues and about the delays in getting my car scheduled. I was asked for my priority number, and I told them my number. They were shocked since the number was not set up for a high priority. We began to talk about why a dealer would do that, and one theory was that the dealer could order another Fiesta with a better priority number and get it built first. Since my order is an x-plan order, there is less profit for them. One number better and the computer would pull their order and build it before mine.
5/21/10 I called the dealership to ask for updates, and they said there are problems with my order, again. The info they faxed in for my ROVP was sent using the order number that was never submitted to the order bank. My real order sat out in space with no verification it was for retail. I also asked if any other Fiesta’s had been ordered, and was told a few for stock and one retail. They would not tell me the priority numbers. Some digging around reveals that indeed another order was placed for a Fiesta, with a better priority number than mine, and placed just a few weeks ago. The order computer will pull the better number and leave mine for later. I am not sure if this was deliberate, or just an accident, but it surely isn’t helping my order. Later in the day, I did learn that the order numbers had been fixed in the ROVP system, but no luck on changing the priority code.
This is where I stand with my Fiesta order, 24 weeks after I reserved my car. No updates, lots of unanswered questions, and many mistakes along the way. All I want is for my car to get build; after all, I have been waiting for almost half of a year!
Fiesta Track Analysis
Thursday April 30th, 2010 saw the last outing for the Fiesta at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven Michigan. The 2 mile, 11 turn complex is where I have been running my cars since 1997. Knowing that the Fiesta would be going back to Ford within the next few days, I drove the car a little harder than normal. The result was the car performing even better than it did last summer when I ran more reserved.
The only change I made to the Fiesta for this session was to adjust the tire pressures to what I thought they should be. Last July, I ran pressures based on Mission Control’s cold PSI recommendation of 42 psi. Adjusting for a hot target of 42 psi on all corners made the car feel less connected to the track. The traction control was very active with trying to control wheel spin, and after a few laps, the tires became too greasy to continue. I decided for this attempt I would set the pressures to 37 psi hot for the fronts, and 42 psi hot rear. Lowering the fronts reduced the tendency to understeer since I effectively lowered the wheel rate. Keeping the rears at 42 psi hot allowed for more oversteer since the wheel rate was increased. The result was a car than handled considerably better and I was able to run 9/10ths for an entire 20 minute session. From a driving standpoint, I changed my braking habits as I was getting brake fade last summer. I focused on going deeper into the corner, braking harder, but staying on the pedal less. This would allow for maximum cooling times between corners.
Session 1
I ended up gridding first, which meant the entire field was behind me at the start. There was a large group of vintage racers who where there to practice, and I really did not want to hold them up. Our group was for everything under 2.0L of displacement and a roof. After the first warm up lap, I let the field go by on the back straight so the racers could practice without traffic. That left a newer VW Golf GTi and a Civic Si for me to run with. The GTi was actually faster than all the racecars and lead the session. The Civic Si was at the back of the racers, so I ran with him. For 20 minutes, I was able to keep a constant distance behind the Civic. He was faster on the long straights, but I would catch him thru the slower corners. I adjusted my driving style to be more aggressive with my braking and turn-in. Instead of staying away from the curbs and rumble strips, I was aiming for each of them. I braked much later and was on the throttle much sooner than normal. Under hard braking I would get ABS engagement just as I was beginning to let off for trail braking. At mid corner on the longer sweepers or the 5-6 complex, I would lift throttle or touch the brake with my left foot to encourage rotation. Turns 3, 10, and 11 are possible places to use 2nd, but I kept it in 3rd and that slowed my lap times. The traction control may have come on in 2nd around those corners, which would be worse than leaving the car in 3rd and exiting at a lower RPM.
The traction control and stability control was much less active for this session, which I think was due to the tire pressure changes. The high speed esses of 8-10 would cause the stability control to engage, but it was not overly obtrusive. Since the system was there, I decided to exploit it by running more aggressive and just let the computer keep the car under control. Traction Control engaged only a few times, and mostly at corner exit when the track was bumpy. The tires kept their grip for the entire session and I felt no need to let them cool down mid session and take a few laps slower. I kept the car running hard for the entire session. Brake fade was present, but not bad. The pads seemed to fade to a point and stayed there for the session. My Mustang requires me to run a few laps at 8/10th and then a few laps at half speed to let the brakes and tires recover. The Fiesta needed no recovery time, it just begged to go faster. At the end of the 20 minute session, I was still behind the Civic Si. I was not fast enough to pass, but was able to keep a good distance. Besides, it is way more fun to chase than to be chased.
Session 2
The final session was cut short after a Mustang in the previous group suffered a mechanical failure and was stranded on track. Finally the car was removed and we could go out. The Civic and GTi were not on course, so it was the Fiesta and a collection of vintage race cars. I let the faster racers go by on the back straight, but did find one vintage race car that I could chase. The Fiesta was faster, and I would let off the throttle and coast down the straights so I did not have to pass him. I wanted to focus on my ability to follow closely to another car during the corners. The vintage car had more lateral grip thanks to slicks, but suffered down the straights. The session was cut short by diminishing sun light and only lasted about 10 minutes. I enjoyed chasing after the vintage racer, even if it meant slower lap times. I watched his line thru the course and tried to follow his or use my normal line to see where we ended up. The Fiesta is easy to drive at speed, and that allowed me to focus more on the correct line and braking points rather than fighting for car control.
Final thoughts
So many reviewers say the Fiesta needs more power. After running multiple sessions on a race track, I don’t think it needs more power. The car is perfectly balanced the way it is. More power means faster speeds, which means you need bigger brakes to slow down, which is more weight, and then you need a beefier suspension. It becomes an endless circle of change to get back to the car being balanced. The Fiesta is the perfect balance of power, gearing, braking, tire selection, and driver feedback. With less power, the driver can focus more on momentum and following the proper line. Lower lap times with the Fiesta are a result of being smooth and accurate with your driving. A high powered car can use brute force to make up for poor handling or car control. My Mustang is blistering fast on the straight, but suffers everywhere else. The Fiesta may suffer on the straights, but is a blast to drive thru the turns. The steering is deadly accurate as well. I could pick a spot at the apex I wanted to hit, and I had no problem putting the car on that spot. Braking was well controlled, and fade was minimal. Leaving the car in 3rd and 4th eliminated the issue of the sloppy gear lever and I did not worry about going from 2nd to 1st or 5th instead of 3rd. With the pressure changes the tires performed much better and I had little sidewall rollover. Traction Control was less obtrusive with the lower front pressures, and the stability control wasn’t fighting understeer with the adjusted pressures. Overall, the Fiesta has proven itself to be a worthy track car, an outstanding daily driver, a predictable winter traveler, and does it all at a fraction of the cost of most cars.
Getting Ready to say Goodbye
How quickly a year goes by! It is hard to fathom that a year ago I was arriving in Chicago to take delivery of a 2010 Ford Fiesta. The amount of work, tears, and joy that lead to that event was something most people will never experience. Some know the struggle that took place behind the scenes, and others may not. In the end, a team came together, and I ended up in Chicago to help introduce a car I have been dreaming about since the Verve concept was shown in Geneva.
The first night in Chicago was spent meeting the other agents, many of which I have become friends with online and we continue to talk about cars and life. The next morning was the technical briefing, which had me jotting down notes and asking questions at every opportunity. After all, I had been planning on buying one before the program was ever dreamed of. We were loaded onto buses and driven to Shed’s Aquarium and the planetarium. Rows upon rows of European spec Ford Fiesta’s sat glowing in the dark overcast day. Each of us had our key fobs, and were dispatched to find our Fiesta. After a few tries, I found a Hot Magenta 5 door Fiesta with leather sitting with two other cars. Instantly I fell in love, and after going for the sign-off drive, I was ready to head home. I now understand what it must be like to be a father.
It is strange to think that day was a year ago, and now I must prepare to say goodbye to a car I have loved so much. Being a part of the Fiesta Movement has been a wonderful experience that took me many places and introduced me to some great people. There was stress involved trying to balance family, work, and school. In the end, it was all worth it. I can’t thank Ford Motor Company enough for the opportunity they gave me. I am forever in the debt of those who worked hard to get me my Fiesta. I am thankful for the great people at Mission Control who where there to help me along the way. I am honored to have such great friends that I have met thru this program.
Some people may have signed up for the Fiesta Movement in search of fame, some just wanted a free car, others looked at it as a door opener for future endeavors, but for me, it was for the Fiesta. There was no interest in gaining fame or exposure for myself. The reason I wanted to be part of the Fiesta Movement was to accomplish a life time goal. I wanted to drive a pure European Ford. After realizing how great the car was, my mission changed to doing whatever it took to preserve the dynamics and feel of the European model for our market. I may have stepped on some toes and turned people off, but I was always honest and direct with my thoughts. I decided to make sure I would have a say in my next car, and for every other Ford enthusiast who has begged for a model from Europe. As reports start flowing in for the US model, I can start to relax and think I may have helped preserve the soul of the European model for the US Fiesta.
As I celebrate my one year anniversary with my Fiesta, I know that it is with great sadness since I need to return her in the very near future. I had worried that I was saying goodbye to the car I always wanted, but now it seems that Ford is making one for me. My attention now shifts to the future, where soon a white 5-door hatch will roll off the production line. My new baby will be built soon, and she is coming home. I will never forget the time I spent with the Hot Magenta Fiesta, and I hope she finds a safe place to live. She was the star of my videos, the center of my blogs, the subject of many of my tweets, and the focus of so many of my pictures. She has been driven hard on tarmac, gravel, and on ice. She raced thru narrow snow covered paths in the woods on the way to catch a glimpse of rally cars. She dodged cones (and hit a few) on autocross circuits. She lapped GingerMan Raceway and seemed to beg for more. The Fiesta did everything I asked of her, and she will be greatly missed.
MONSTER WORLD RALLY TEAM
CONTACT: Brian Scotto Marketing Director Monster World Rally Team brian@monsterworldrallyteam.com
KEN BLOCK AND ALEX GELSOMINO IMPRESS ON THEIR WRC DEBUT AT RALLY MEXICO
March 24th, 2010, Brooklyn, NY– When Ken Block threw his flat-brimmed hat into the World Rally Championship ring earlier this year, expectations were mixed. But three weeks ago, at Rally Mexico-Monster World Rally Teamʼs inaugural WRC race-Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino proved that they have what it takes to become a competitive force on the world stage.
“We even surprised ourselves, when, after the first few stages, we were not only not dead last, but we were keeping pace with a few veteran WRC drivers, and even ahead of F1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen,” says Ken Block.
By the end of the first leg, on Friday, Block and Gelsomino had secured a position on the leaderboard for the American flag to fly. Unfortunately, an off on the first stage of Day 2, left the Monster Energy Ford Focus RS WRC unable to continue. “It was a rookie mistake,” says Block. “We should have noted the change in surface, the section went from a grippy dirt road to very loose gravel and there was just no traction at all, especially for the speed we were trying to carry into the next turn.”
Thanks to SuperRally rules, which allow competitors to return to the stages the following day along with some heavy time penalties, Block and Gelsomino were at it again on Sunday morning. The two put on a repeat performance of Day 1, finishing stage 19, eighth fastest, with a 13.7 second gap between them and ninth place. Then, on stage 21, the Monster World Rally Team shocked naysayers once more, being second fastest on the road after the first split. But, a puncture caused by an unfortunate meeting of rim and rock later on this stage, robbed Block and Gelsomino of over a minute.
“In the WRC, we had heard of Ken Block, but more for his stunts than his driving, but after his performance in Mexico, I think it is very clear to everyone that he has the potential to become a competitive WRC driver,” says M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson. “For his first WRC event, he did extremely well.”
“Ken is shining a bright light on what we at Ford have always known…that Ford makes the best fun-to-drive small cars in the world,” says Ford Racing Director Jamie Allison. “Ken’s rally efforts globally with Fiesta and Focus help us to tell that story to a new generation of car enthusiasts and it’s great to see Ken, as the lone American, competing at the highest level in WRC and showcasing his great rally talent. All of which will help expand the appeal of the sport in the U.S.”
The next WRC round for MWRT will be Rally Turkey, on April 16-18. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com
For official television coverage of the 2010 World Rally Championship in the U.S. tune into HD Theater (Check local listings for repeat broadcasts of the Rally Mexico Event Highlights this week).
About Ken Block
Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy number of podium appearances, as well as X Games medals. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand. His keen branding and marketing acumen not only elevated DC to their current eminent status, but has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a national rally driver through his wildly successful viral video campaigns. Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009. In January 2010, Block signed with Ford Motor Company to campaign both the Rally America series and the World Rally Championship, being the first American to do so.
About Monster World Rally Team: Created and assembled by Ken Block, the object of the Monster World Rally Team is to redefine the race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also market motorsport through innovative, creative and interactive ways. The goal: To become the best- known team in the WRC and bring rally to the masses along the way. The team is supported by Monster Energy, Ford Motor Company, DC Shoes, Castrol Edge, Pirelli Tires and the Dirt2 videogame. monsterworldrallyteam.com
M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 on song in Sweden
Written by M-Sport
Rally Sweden proved to be another highly successful event for M-Sport’s new Ford Fiesta S2000 as three finished in the top four places of the S-WRC category and the car scored an overall WRC stage win for the first time.
Four of the new generation rally cars were in action at the opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Bernardo Sousa and Andreas Mikkelsen entered with Fiestas prepared by M-Sport, while Martin Prokop and Janne Tuohino were run by their own private teams.
Sousa, Prokop and Tuohino were all registered to score points in the new S-WRC category for S2000 specification cars, and with the new car having taken victory in its competitive debut in Monte Carlo and Qatar, plus ex-Ford WRC driver Marcus Grönholm having completed 230km of set-up in the Fiesta prior to Sweden, all were confident of putting in a strong performance on the snow-bound stages.
Day one saw the Fiesta S2000s fighting at the front of the S-WRC category. Janne Tuohino was chasing the early leader P-G Andersson from the off, but was trying to measure his driving rather than going flat out and risking a mistake. Andreas Mikkelsen followed closely behind Tuohino and looked strong throughout the day. Reigning Junior World Rally Champion Prokop was around 20seconds further back after a relatively incident–free drive, but Sousa didn’t have it all his own way after hitting a snow bank and losing his light pod.
The second day of the event was action-packed. Mikkelsen started to get to grips with the conditions and mounted a charge on the first stage of the day that saw him overhaul Tuohino to go second of the S2000 cars in the overall standings. Prokop continued steadily throughout the day but then put a real marker down as he recorded the fastest time on the short SS16 Hagfors Sprint – beating every other car in the field to take an overall stage win and a create a new first for both the S2000 class and the Ford Fiesta S2000. In another stunning performance Sousa recorded the second-fastest time on the same stage, while Tuohino was fourth and Mikkelsen eighth. That meant four Fiesta S2000s in the top eight overall stage times, a fantastic effort against the more powerful WRC-spec cars.
On the final day of the rally all of the Fiesta S2000 drivers reported themselves happy with the way the car was performing and continued to enjoy a smooth run towards the finish. Andreas Mikkelsen hit a blip when a cable that helps to select reverse gear came loose after SS18 Varmullsasen and he was late leaving service, costing him a ten-second penalty. However, the rest of the Fiesta S2000 crews enjoyed a smooth final loop of stages to bring home a clutch of outstanding results from the supremely tough Rally Sweden.
Andreas Mikkelsen said:
“It has gone very well. We only had a short test before the rally so everything still felt new when we started and we had to learn as we went along. It felt good all the way though, and there was a lot more grip than I expected in these conditions. The tyres did a very good job and we didn’t lose many studs. The rally was difficult but everything went fine for us. I think the season ahead will be very good for us in this car.”
Janne Tuohino said:
“The stages were hard because the first loop was always nice but the second was very hard on the tyres. The car has been very strong but maybe we need a little more time to learn how to use it better. We lost too much time on Friday so since then it has really been focusing on developing our feeling with the car. In a few more events we will be very fast.”
Martin Prokop said:
“This rally has been nearly perfect, we have had no problems at all. The car was really special all the way. We didn’t do anything special in terms of our driving so to get the stage win on Saturday was great. It was hard to fight with the others in front because they have a better understanding of these conditions. The rest of the year we will be more confident back on gravel and it is a big opportunity for us to do something really good.”
Bernardo Sousa said:
“It’s been an unbelievable event for me. I don’t have much experience of winter rallies but I have really enjoyed every minute. It’s always so different driving in these conditions. The only problem we had was a small thing with the intercom on the last day, everything else was great. The pace of the competition was very high, which is good, but we know we are here to pick up experience and would not really be able to fight to win. On the gravel and tarmac events I think we can go really well this season in this car.”
M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson said:
“I’m delighted with the Fiesta S2000’s WRC debut. At some point every Fiesta driver has put in a great performance and to achieve a fastest overall stage time on its debut was just remarkable. All four Ford Fiesta crews have had no major problems and it demonstrates that we found both the performance and reliability with this new car. Andreas drove very well and it was great to see Janne Tuohino top of the registered SWRC crews in his Fiesta.”
Final SWRC Result
1. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000 3h21m39.3sec
2. J Tuohino/M Tuohino FIN Ford Fiesta S2000 +57.3sec
3. M Prokop/J Tomanek CZ Ford Fiesta S2000 +2m56.4sec
4. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000 +4m40.1sec
5. E Brynildsen/C Menkerud NOR Skoda Fabia S2000 +4m58.0sec
6. B Sousa/N Rodrigues P Ford Fiesta S2000 +7m15.6sec
7. P Saav/K Lexe SWE Skoda Fabia S2000 +17m49.4sec
FIA SWRC driver standings
1. P-G Andersson – 25 2. J Tuohino – 18 3. M Prokop – 15 4. P Sandell – 12
5. E Brynildsen – 10 6. B Sousa – 8 7. P Saav – 6
M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 Set for WRC Debut in Sweden
M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 Set for WRC Debut in Sweden
M-Sport’s new Ford Fiesta S2000 will make its first appearance in the FIA World Rally Championship at Rally Sweden next weekend.
The latest rally car developed by M-Sport, in conjunction with Ford, made a hugely successful competitive debut when it recently took wins in other championships at Monte Carlo and Qatar in the hands of Ford’s WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen and former Middle East Rally Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah respectively.
Four Fiesta S2000s will now fly the flag for M-Sport in the World Rally Championship when Rally Sweden begins next Thursday.
Bernardo Sousa and Andreas Mikkelsen will enter the opening round of the 2010 season with Fiestas prepared by M-Sport, while Martin Prokop and Janne Tuohino will be run by their own private teams. Sousa, Prokop and Tuohino will be registered to score points in the new S-WRC category for S2000 specification cars.
All four drivers chances of mounting a strong challenge in Sweden will be boosted thanks to help from former double-world champion and ex-Ford WRC driver Marcus Grönholm.
The Finn completed 230km of testing and set-up work in the Fiesta S2000 in Kall, Sweden, to help M-Sport find the optimum settings for the car in the extreme winter conditions expected at Rally Sweden.
M-Sport will make the knowledge gleaned from the test available to its drivers in order to give them the best possible opportunity to produce a good result on the snow-bound Swedish stages. The quartet of Fiesta drivers will have the chance to further fine-tune their preparations when they take part in their own pre-event tests.
The new S-WRC category has already proven popular among competitors, with a mix of experienced crews and exciting new talent signing up to take part in the series for 2010.
M-Sport will look to build on the momentum taken from the wins in Monte Carlo and Qatar and see the new Fiesta S2000 prove to be an equally formidable package in the S-WRC.
M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson said:
“After two incredible victories in Monte Carlo and Qatar, we are now going to another extreme of conditions at Rally Sweden. We are confident that the car can maintain its performance and we’ve been boosted by the fact that Marcus Grönholm has been helping out with the testing; he’s come up with a really good base setting for Sweden. The M-Sport drivers will all have access to the information and it’s all part of the service to try and give our customers the best possible support. We’ve had a great season launch in Paris this week and the S-WRC has certainly got the potential to be a very exciting championship; there’s lots of young drivers signed up and it will really spice things up.”
Former Ford WRC driver Marcus Grönholm said:
“The Ford Fiesta was very nice to drive and I was impressed by the road-holding, it was really perfect. The engine felt very strong and you really get the feeling that this is a proper rally car to drive. It brings back the excitement as you have to be aggressive and drive at the correct revs. I was impressed at how the rear holds nicely on the road and overall the whole package is very good indeed.”
Ford Fiesta S2000 driver Bernardo Sousa said:
“Although I competed in this rally in 2008, I don’t have a lot of experience of snowy conditions. This will be a challenging rally, it’s the start of a brand new championship for everyone and I will need to see what the pace is like. This year I have, I believe, the best car and the best team so now I need to be clever and just takes things step by step. I’m really looking forward to this year, the championship will be very exciting and there will be lots of competition; any one of five drivers could easily win the rally in Sweden.”
Ford Fiesta S2000 driver Andreas Mikkelsen said:
“It’s a great opportunity for me to drive the new Ford Fiesta S2000 in Rally Sweden. This is a rally I really like, and I have good memories from Sweden back in 2008 when I was fifth overall in a Ford Focus RS WRC. The conditions are very similar to what we have in Norway, and we have done four winter rallies in Norway before we go to Sweden; I think myself and my co-driver Ola Floene are well prepared. With the good performance Mikko Hirvonen showed with the Fiesta S2000 in Rally Monte Carlo and with the M-Sport team behind me, my goal is to fight for the win in the S2000 class in Sweden. It would be great for me to give Ford and M-Sport a win in the world rally debut for the new Fiesta S2000.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
Further information about the Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car and copyright-free high-resolution images can be found at www.fiestaS2000.com . Images of Bernardo Sousa’s Ford Fiesta S2000 are available on this website.
For further information please contact:
Media Contact: Glenn Patterson (t) +447920 548976, (e) glenn@the-inside-line.co.uk
Project Contact: Andrew Wheatley, (t) +441900 828888, (e) awheatley@m-sport.co.uk