Maybe Ford is staying in WRC after all

[G.Irish]

I found this little snippet on autoextremist.com (note: Although sometimes their opinion pieces are on point other times they are utterly idiotic).

Choosing to move on from its crushing disappointment with its Jaguar F1 program, Ford unveiled its new World Rally Championship challenger last week. Ford, through Ford of Europe, announced a major commitment to the World Rally Championship last Tuesday, entering into a four-year agreement with Malcolm Wilson's British-based M-Sport company, which has operated Ford's WRC program for the past eight years...

The commitment ensures Ford's continued presence at the top level of world rallying with the Focus. The existing Focus RS WRC will be the Company's challenger in the 2005 championship, but an all-new Focus RS WRC rally car (below), based on the new road car which goes on sale in Europe later this month, will be introduced from 2006 onward, after a full season of development in 2005.

What happens next, with French car manufacturers Peugeot and Citroen both announcing their withdrawal last Thursday from the World Rally Championship at the end of 2005, is anyone's guess. It means that only two manufacturers (Ford and Subaru) will be fully committed to the WRC for 2006, with Skoda and Mitsubishi (scheduled to compete in '05) very big question marks for '06.

Here are some pics of the Junior WRC Fiesta and the 2006 Focus RS, based on the all-new Focus that Europe already has but we won't get for at least a couple of years if ever.

[ScottyB]

good stuff. i'm glad ford is moving it's resources to WRC after getting manhandled in F1. hopefully the new focus won't have the teething issues the evo 8 WRC car had

[Feersty]

Sweet looking WRC car.

[BLINGMW]

THAT'S a Fiesta?! I like that even more than the Focus.

[CaptainHenreh]

THAT'S a Fiesta?! I like that even more than the Focus.

To me, that's alot like saying "I like anal rape alot better than electroshock therapy!" but whatever.

[Maengelito]

THAT'S a Fiesta?! I like that even more than the Focus.

To me, that's alot like saying "I like anal rape alot better than electroshock therapy!" but whatever.

well, you dont know chan!

[G.Irish]

I think the Focus is actually a very good little car. Unfortunately it suffered through a lot of early recalls. I'm sure the next gen Focus will be even better and Ford Europe is actually getting a 280 hp AWD RS.