Ken Block has announced his 2016 season plans, revealing that he will be competing a full season in the FIA World Rallycross Championship with Ford Performance.
The American driver comes from a background of Rally and competing in the Red Bull Global Rallycross championship, the latter sees him as the winningest driver of the series. In 2014 he narrowly missed out on the title by five points whilst in 2015 he led the championship for 10 of the 12 rounds before hitting trouble and missing out. His efforts in the last year haven’t gone unnoticed though as he helped Ford secure its 5th GRC Manufacturers Championship.
“For a big portion of my career I’ve maintained a mixed focus and kept a diverse race calendar, but now I’ll be focusing myself fully on one single championship,” said Block.
“I’ve been stoked with what my team and I have accomplished so far with my Ford Fiesta ST racecars and I’m excited to see what we’ll be able to do next season with factory support. It’s going to be a very exciting 2016 and I can’t wait to get started. Thanks again to Ford for being an awesome partner.”
Block on the World RX podium in Norway 2014 – Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
Block has had two outings in the World Rallycross Championship previously, in 2014 he made his debut and took third place in Norway which he followed up with a fourth place finish in France.
“I’m stoked to be able to compete for an FIA World Rallycross title!” said Block. “I’ve really enjoyed my past six years racing with Ford and to renew my relationship with them moving forward, as well as receiving an increased level of involvement from Ford Performance, to compete for a World Rallycross Championship, well, I couldn’t be happier!”
Dave Pericak, Global Director of Ford Performance added, “The past year we have been working hard to celebrate Ford Performance as a global brand serving enthusiasts with world-class products and motorsports fans with on-track success around the globe,
“In looking at the great success we’ve had with Fiesta ST in the Global Rallycross Championship—29 race wins and five manufacturers’ championships the past five years—everyone felt the time was right to take on a new challenge of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
“Ken is more than a driver or a partner to us, he’s a member of the Ford Performance team. He continues to be an advocate for enthusiasts around the world and we engage him frequently in product and motorsports discussions,” Pericak added.
“We know Ken’s team is the right one to help us pursue our goal of winning an FIA World Rallycross Championship title and tell the Ford Performance story. Ford and Ford Performance are global brands, just like Ken, so it’s a great match for all of us involved.”
