Ford considering building a Ford Fiesta WRC to comply with the new technical regulations

Ford's European motorsport director Mark Deans has admitted to Motorsport News that they are planning to base their next World Rally Car on the new Fiesta.

Deans stated they would build a new car for the 2011 season if Ford commits to the WRC in the future. He admitted that the Fiesta would be considered but no decision will be made until the new WRC technical regulations have been finalised. This should happen at November's WMSC meeting.

Deans commented to MN that there were a number of models Ford could choose from:

We would need to look at the technical regulations to see which car gives us the best chance of winning. We want to win and we will deploy whatever products are necessary. Until the regulations are sealed and sent out so that we can look at them, who knows what car it can be? Certainly two, if not a third car, could fit that broad description we are seeing with the regulations as they are at the moment.

But it's only when you get down to that absolute definition of a restrictor size and boost pressure that you can then run simulations and see what you are doing to find out which of the cars is the right product."

Deans went onto state that no work would be carried out until the new rules had been ratified and that may mean a new car wouldn't be ready until 2011. It is felt that the rest of the manufacturers wouldn't have new cars ready until 2011 anyway even though the regulations will be adopted from 2010.

This may change though if the FIA introduce the winter calendar in 2010 and Deans said that a new car could be rushed through ahead of schedule.

The Britek S2000 Fiesta in Australia was built from the S1600 Fiesta and has recently been granted a regional homologation. Malcolm Wilson confirmed to MN that M-Sport is evaluating an S2000 project with the Fiesta in mind.

The Britek Fiesta S2000:

Source: Motorsport News

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