Following a winning end to a dramatically successful debut season for the Ford Fiesta in global rallying competition, Ford is running works Fiesta models in the 2012 British Rally Championship.
The move adds another step in Ford’s ‘ladder of opportunity’, which allows aspiring rally drivers to develop from motorsport’s grass roots to the top using Ford cars.
In 2012 the British Rally Championship is a two-wheel-drive series, making it the ideal platform for R2-level Ford Fiesta rally cars.
The climax of the 2011 World Rally Championship at Rally GB saw Fiesta RS World Rally Cars claim eight of the top 10 positions in the event, with the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Jari-Matti Latvala taking the top spot at the event.
Within weeks, Fiesta had also won the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and the FIA African Rally Championship, while in South American ‘Maxi Rally’ specification, it also took the 2011 Argentine Rally Championship crown for Federico Villagra.
“Without doubt, 2011 was a good time to be a Ford Fiesta driver on the international rallying scene,” said Anthony Ireson, Ford Britain marketing director. “Now we’re strengthening both our domestic UK rallying presence and our own ladder of opportunity, by bringing Fiesta to the BRC.”
“This is great news and I am delighted that Ford has decided to join the BRC,” said championship manager, Mark Taylor.
“It further underlines that our decision to keep in step with current trends by making the championship eligible for modern-day, front-wheel-drive cars, is the right one. I am also pleased for our teams, who will now have an even greater opportunity to represent the manufacturer of the car they are driving.”
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