03-03-2011
Geneva Show Debut for New Arena International
Motorsport Ford Focus Touring Car
• |
New Focus will make its global debut in motor sport just weeks after
going on sale in Europe and North America |
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Team Aon's British Touring Car Championship Focus is the first
application by a private team under Ford's new global technical support
initiative |
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Ford's support for one common race car enables private teams around the
world to build competition vehicles for their regional needs |
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Ford Focus scheduled to appear in BTCC for the full 2011 season under
Team Aon banner |
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Underlines Ford motor sport ambition to lend technical support to
professional private teams competing with Ford products |
March 1, 2011 – The world's first touring race car based on Ford's
all-new Focus makes its global debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, just
weeks before it is scheduled to appear on the track for the first time
in the ultra-competitive British Touring Car Championship at Brands
Hatch.
Developed by Arena International Motorsport, with technical support from
Ford, it is the first car to emerge from a global initiative by Ford to
support private teams around the globe in developing one common race car
to S2000 specification, to help private teams win major touring car
categories worldwide. The first application appears on the track only a
few weeks after the road-going Ford Focus will be on sale to customers
across Europe and North America.
Arena International Motorsport's UK-based Team Aon has been a successful
long-term competitor in the British Touring Car series with a version of
the previous Focus ST model. Just 18 months after their first race with
this car, the team and driver Tom Chilton secured both the 2010
Independent Teams’ Championship and Independent Drivers’ Championship
titles in the UK.
The new Team Aon Focus touring car is expected to compete in all 10
rounds of the 2011 British Touring Car Championship .
"There has been tremendous interest in new Focus from the racing
community and it's the perfect fit for a global touring car. This new
BTCC Focus is the first result of a collaborative effort between Ford
and race teams around the world that have already built and raced
successful Focus race cars," said Jost Capito, director of Ford Global
Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. "The teamwork
has resulted in a global technical
platform for racing using a common Focus with a safety cage built to FIA
regulations – a competitive platform that can be tailored for regional
competition, based on different rules."
The Team Aon car typifies the flexible approach possible in this
programme. Its specification includes running in the 2011 season with a
turbocharged 2.0-litre port fuelled Ford engine to meet current local
regulations, rather than the 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost engine other teams
will use in Championships in line with international FIA regulations.
"It is always very satisfying to see privateers taking Ford products and
racing successfully with them," said Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe
Motorsport senior manager. "This demonstrates a real level of trust and
confidence in our product and when we are able to bring some help as
well, that faith can be rewarded with even more success."
Global Technical Support Initiative
Arena International Motorsport and other teams are being brought
together by Ford to harness their strengths and define roles for the
development of the race car. Ford has supported by providing data,
advanced engineering tools, state-of-the-art testing facilities and
production parts, which will result in teams racing more competitive
cars, developed with greater efficiency.
Beyond the British race series, the new Focus race car has the potential
to run in many national and regional championships globally, such as the
China Touring Car.
"Ford has a long and very successful history of using motorsport to
influence the development of high-performance vehicles. This will become
very evident as the Focus touring car programme will also provide
valuable input as we develop the upcoming Focus ST production car," said
Capito.
Touring car activities involving the new Focus in Europe will be funded
and run completely by private teams with only technical support from
Ford.
Small Fords Lead the Way
The all-new Ford Focus road car is the latest product of the company's
One Ford philosophy driving the development of global vehicles. It will
be sold in 122 markets worldwide and manufactured in Europe, Asia and
North America.
As the new Focus takes to race circuits around the globe, however, Ford
continues to focus its 'factory team' efforts on its official global
motor sport car and series - the Fiesta RS WRC competing in the 2011
World Rally Championship.
First time out, the Fiesta RS WRC achieved a tremendous 1-2-3 debut
victory in Rally Sweden, just two weeks ago. Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally
Team's Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen won a thrilling opening round
of the FIA World Rally Championship by just 6.5sec from Mads Østberg and
Jonas Andersson. Hirvonen's team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka
Anttila were third.
"With a global approach to small cars like the Fiesta and the Focus, it
makes real sense for Ford to invest in global motorsport opportunities
for these vehicles," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's Group Vice President for
Global Product Development. "While Fiesta is the basis of the company's
official World Rally Championship car and team for 2011, we also wanted
to give technical support to private teams looking to race the new Focus
with cost-effective and co-ordinated technical specifications that
ensure wherever these teams compete in touring car racing, they can all
benefit and, hopefully, win."
Bron | Media Ford
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