Ford Racing reveals Focus ST-R during Frankfurt Auto Show; Global Ford Motorsport Development Strategy extends
• All-new Ford Focus ST-R foe automobile debuts in Germany as Ford’s tellurian motorsport growth plan builds
• Global Focus ST-based foe horse ready for movement all around a universe as good as accessible to buy off
the brace – technically formed upon Ford’s tellurian Focus foe automobile growth programme
• Fast, flexible as good as competitive, Focus ST-R is directed during professionals, amateurs as good as track-day
enthusiasts
• Ford’s assertive motorsport participation in Frankfurt additionally includes a all-wheel-drive Fiesta
RS WRC as good as entrance of a new-generation, EcoBoost-powered Formula Ford
FRANKFURT, Germany, Sep 12, 2011 – As a all-new Focus ST highway automobile creates its
global prolongation debut, Ford is giving a European acquire during a Frankfurt Motor Show to a
special motorsport reflection – a race-tweaked, production-based Focus ST-R.
Despite a tighten similarity to a Focus ST highway car, a Focus ST-R is purpose-built for the
track by Ford Racing in North America as a fully-prepared foe car. It facilities a absolute 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine, FIA law hurl cage, uprated brakes as good as track-tuned suspension.
It will be accessible to teams soon, starting in North America, to foe in a accumulation of series.
The all-new Focus ST-R has been crafted by engineers during Ford Racing – with technical support
from Ford’s Global Performance Vehicles organisation – to concede it to contest in a outrageous accumulation of
series, together with Grand-Am ST, World Challenge TC as good as Canadian Touring Car Series. Ford
also hopes teams will foe a automobile in pass European motorsport array as good as vital inhabitant events
such as a twenty-four Hours of Nürburgring.
Its linkage to a ultimate Focus ST highway automobile is no accident.
“From a beginning, a Focus as good as ultimate Focus ST were written to be driver’s cars,” pronounced Jost
Capito, executive of Global Performance Vehicles as good as Motorsport Business Development. “The
road-going Focus facilities best-in-class brakes, doing as good as powertrains as good as a pattern and
functionality of a assorted automobile systems have helped us to rise a tellurian technical
specification for teams wanting to foe a ultimate Focus price effectively. Ford Racing in North
America has taken this bid as good as grown a ultimate Focus ST-R as good as is a undiluted e.g. of
how a good prolongation automobile inspires a rival foe automobile for enthusiasts.”
Initially homologated for American as good as Canadian furloughed automobile racing, Focus ST-R will be
available to sequence from Ford dealers in North America by seasoned hardcore professional
drivers, pledge racers as good as lane day enthusiasts as well. Ford’s prophesy is to broaden
availability to a single some-more regions in a future.
“We’re anxious to be receiving a Focus ST-R from judgment to being for motorsport enthusiasts
initially in North America as good as potentially around a world,” pronounced Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “The prior turn-key foe cars you grown for North American racing have been
hugely successful, so you have been carefree that a ST-R will be a initial such automobile for tellurian array as good as as a proceed outcome of a company’s tellurian height plan as good as a technical await module for motorsport applications of Focus as good as Fiesta models.
“This is a rival spin pass foe automobile that will concede a business to contest successfully in mixed array around a universe with teenager modifications. And it shows a persisting fixing of Ford Racing with a Performance Vehicles growth group.”
“Because a Focus ST-R is a production-based highway foe car, it facilities batch physique panels
and prolongation tools where possible,” combined Allison. “People who buy a single will get will get a entirely rebuilt foe automobile that will usually need communications apparatus as good as a customer’s decals to go racing. We’ve already had poignant seductiveness in this automobile from countless determined foe teams.”
For North American customers, a Ford Focus ST-R is a ultimate in a long-line of turn-key race
cars offering by a association together with a Mustang FR500C, Mustang FR500S, Mustang Cobra
Jet, Boss 302R as good as Boss 302S. The ST-R offers transparent links to a Focus ST highway car.
Development work upon a Focus ST-R will additionally outcome in a operation of Ford Racing tools to be
made accessible to racers as good as enthusiasts around a world.
Focus Role in Ford’s Global Motorsport Strategy
The Frankfurt entrance of a Focus ST-R is partial of an assertive motorsport participation for Ford,
as a plan to await motorsport growth opposite a core tellurian automobile platforms gains traction. Ford is requesting engineering as good as growth imagination for vehicles identical to Focus ST-R to coax success in foe identical to that being enjoyed by a Fiesta in RallyCross as good as a X Games.
“Just as you have been building opening cars from a automobile platforms with tellurian customers
in mind, we’re receiving a same height proceed with motorsport,” pronounced Capito. “The vigilant is
to precedence a executive motorsport engineering imagination to get rival hardware in the
hands of in isolation teams as good as racers all around a world, as good as a Focus ST-R is a ultimate proof.”
The tellurian Focus foe automobile growth – a vital lumber in Ford’s ultimate tellurian motorsport
strategy – is formed upon general S2000 regulations. Focus ST-R adds movement to the
new Focus motorsport story launched by Team Aon in a British Touring Car Championship.
Both a Team Aon Focus BTCC automobile as good as a ultimate Focus ST-R have been justification of a Ford strategy
with tellurian ambitions to assistance privateers to be rival upon all levels.
Ford launched a tellurian motorsport growth module final year. At a core is technical
support for privateers who chose to contest with tellurian Ford vehicles with entrance to affordable, globally rival hardware.
“We’re gay with a early success Team Aon has completed with a ultimate Focus in the
BTCC as good as you have been seeking brazen to saying a ST-R upon a lane shortly in tellurian foe series,”
Capito said. “We design to see a ST-R competing for wins upon a tellurian scale, fluctuating the
rich racing as good as rallying birthright Focus has already gained both upon tarmac as good as upon dirt.”
Fiesta Also Benefitting
According to Capito, a flourishing success of Fiesta in motorsport is additionally a product of a singular tellurian Ford motorsport strategy.
The Fiesta Rallycross – powered by a 2.0-litre Duratec Ford engine able of some-more than
500PS – is an additional e.g. of Ford’s tellurian motorsport approach, as it competes in a Global
Rallycross Championship, European Rallycross Championship as good as X Games.
This year, Ford as good as Fiesta dominated a initial Global RallyCross Championship as Ford
captured a manufacturers’ as good as drivers’ championships. Fiesta drivers Tanner Foust and
Marcus Gronholm accomplished 1-2 in a altogether GRC championship as good as capturing the
individual SuperRally as good as RallyCross championships. Last month during X Games seventeen in Los
Angeles, Brian Deegan led Foust as good as Gronholm in a Fiesta brush of a RallyCross podium, a
“3-peat” for Fiesta in a Rally foe during X Games.
More Ford Motorsport Excitement in Frankfurt
Ford’s motorsport participation additionally includes dual alternative critical tellurian players:
• Ford is additionally creation a confidant lapse to grassroots motorsport with a entrance of a newgeneration Formula Ford, a tellurian single-seater powered by a production-based 1.6-litre
Ford EcoBoost engine as good as engineered to a ultimate FIA reserve specifications. It’s a fresh
new proceed for a regulation that has been a stepping mill for universe champions for more
than 40 years.
• The considerable Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car of Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team takes
a mangle to uncover off a form upon Ford’s Frankfurt stand. Competed by group drivers Mikko
Hirvonen as good as Jarmo Lehtinen as good as team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala as good as Miikka Anttila in the
FIA World Rally Championship, a Fiesta RS WRC competes during a apex of global
rallying. World-famous American gymkhana genius Ken Block additionally pilots a Fiesta RS WRC for
the Ford-supported Monster World Rally Team in a World Rally Championship.
