Ford Focus WRC

The Ford Focus WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus ST production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship.

Like all contemporary World Rally Cars, the car is heavily modified from the production version, with which it shares only the basic shape and some parts of the bodyshell. The car features four wheel drive, rather than the front wheel drive of the road car. The engine used in the 2007 Focus WRC is based on Ford's 2.0 Litre Duratec from other models in the focus range as rallying rules do not permit the standard 2.5 Litre engine of the Focus ST. As with most rally cars, the 2.0 Litre engine is heavily modified and performance was increased using a Turbocharger. [cite web|url=http://www.modelsupermarket.com/cm/Sunstar-FocusWRC2007.htm|title=Sun Star Ford Focus 2007 WRC Models Launch - Modelsupermarket.com]

History

1999

The first version of the car was built in 1999 to replace the Ford Escort WRC. It debuted in the Monte Carlo Rally with Colin McRae and Simon Jean-Joseph behind the wheels of the two cars. It was immediately on the pace, setting many fastest stage times, but the use of an illegal water pump meant that the two cars were excluded from the event. McRae gave the Focus its first win two events later on the Safari Rally Kenya finishing over 15 minutes ahead of the second placed Toyota of Didier Auriol.

2003

In 2003, Ford released a newly designed Focus WRC for competition during the second part of the season. The car, with most parts redesigned from the ground up, featured a lighter body shell and a new aerodynamically enhanced front bumper and wing.

2006

From the last rally of 2005, Ford campaigned a brand new Focus WRC, following the launch of the new road-going version of the car. The engine chosen for this Focus was a Duratec motor developed by the French engine specialist Pipo Moteur. cite web
url=http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22884
title=THE ALL-NEW FORD FOCUS RS WRC 06: TECHNOLOGY AND INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS
accessdate=2008-02-26
publisher=media.ford.com]

References

External links

* [http://www.m-sport.co.uk M-Sport]
* [http://www.rallyguide.co.uk/officialnews.php Ford Official Press Releases]
* [http://www.zone.ee/focushistory Ford Focus WRC History and WRC Events entered]
* [http://holiday.monacoeye.com/motorsport/rally/photo/03_Gronholm_4.html Photo of Grönholm returning to Monaco victorious in Ford Focus WRC 2006]