M-Sport World Rally Team have tested their M-Sport Ecoboost-powered 2017 Ford Fiesta RS WRC on a series of preliminary tests in Cumbria.
After 12 months of development and a complete redesign of the car, the 2017 M-Sport Fiesta is in line with the new FIA World Rally Championship regulations for next year despite testing their new 2017 car for the first time last month.
M-Sport’s new 2017 Ford Fiesta RS WRC will have 60 brake horsepower more (380 bhp) than the current cars (320 bhp) for next year’s cars, as well as a central differential for improved handling.
During the progress of the 2017 Fiesta RS WRC, Managing Director Malcolm Wilson OBE was keen to get behind the wheel of the prototype before the Cumbria-based team headed to Rally Finland. 2009 Junior WRC Champion Martin Prokop took over testing duties whilst Wilson was in Finland.
M-Sport’s Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE said “Whenever a new car gets its first run out in the forest there is always an air of excitement, and rightly so. Time and again we have proven that we have the engineering expertise to produce winning cars, and the initial findings suggest that this one will be no different.
“This is only the first prototype but the speed really is incredible. We’re still fine-tuning the aero-package with our colleagues at Ford, but we have been able to run all of the mechanical components on the current bodyshell and the first tests have only strengthened my confidence in our ability to produce a winning car.”
