Ford Focus RS WRC 08, 2008 Focus RS WRC 08 | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History


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Image credits: Ford

Ford of Europe revealed the exciting new look for its 2008 FIA World Rally Championship campaign as the team was unveiled at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham.

The Focus RS World Rally Car, which powered Ford to the manufacturers' world title in both 2006 and 2007, sports a striking modern livery that took centre stage today at Europe's largest annual motorsport exhibition. It was also announced that the squad will be named the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team for 2008.

The team's new driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala were joined by Ford of Europe's new motorsport director, Mark Deans, and team director Malcolm Wilson as they revealed the Focus RS WRC's colour scheme for the first time.

'The Focus RS WRC has a new, contemporary livery which blends perfectly with the outlook of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team,' explained Deans. 'This is our first full season in partnership with BP and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and their importance to our WRC program is reflected in the team's new name and their prominence on the car.

'Of course, there is far more to a successful WRC campaign than the color of the car and the name of the team. But in the few weeks since I took up my new role as motorsport director I have seen enough to convince me that we are again capable of being fully competitive in 2008. We have a dynamic, young driver line-up supported by one of the most enthusiastic and hard-working teams in motorsport at M-Sport and I look forward to a year that I'm confident will be a successful one,' he added.

Deans also sprung a surprise on Wilson, presenting him with a replica of the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship's manufacturers' trophy on behalf of Ford of Europe. 'That was a fantastic gesture and one that I really appreciated,' said Wilson. 'It brought back the memories of what a remarkable year 2007 was for Ford in the WRC.

'But that is history and we're now fully focused on the 2008 season. In Mikko and Jari-Matti we have two young drivers who are hungry for competition but also have experience that belies their years and I'm looking forward to watching them develop further during the season. Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi has a comprehensive program of 10 events in a third Focus RS WRC and I hope to see him gain further in both experience and confidence during the year,' added Wilson.

Source - Ford

WRC

source: WRC.com
Preparations for the hard-fought season begin months before the first rally. The governing body, the FIA approves routes, stages and final locations of the 16 rallies around the world, and passes on a copy of the proposals to the manufacturers.

Each rally must allow two days for the reconnaissance (or recce), one day for technical checks (or scrutineering) and three days for competition. The rally is divided into three legs, and typically has between 15 and 25 special stages.

The manufacturer-backed factory teams will enter two or three cars each, and arrive on location weeks before the start of a rally for on-site preparation. The competing World Rally Cars are seeded and start the event according to their ranking, with the leader of the drivers' championship setting off first. Often there are up to 90 cars taking part - the rest of the field made up of the Junior Rally Championship (smaller, lower-powered cars for younger drivers), or the Production Car World Rally Championship and private teams.

The Recce
Driver and co-driver familiarise themselves with the stages before the start of the event. They drive the leg in a standard road-car (fitted with extra safety equipment) in the three days preceding the rally. It is here that the co-driver jots down detailed pacenotes for use on the stage itself.

The Stages
The special stages are the competitive sections of the rally - where the drivers and co-driver drive as fast as possible to achieve the quickest time. They take place on private roads or public roads, which are closed to the general public while the rally is in progress. A typical rally will have about 25 special stages over three days. The stages are linked by public roads - called road sections - on which competitors must obey all local traffic laws. Each day contains about 400km of driving - a third of which are the competitive special stages. Stages vary in length from five to 60kms, with the cars' times being recorded after each stage to the tenth of a second.

The ClockForget about 'first across the line'. WRC cars don't race directly against each other. They compete against the toughest opponent of all - time. Cars start at one or two minute intervals, racing against the clock, their times monitored and entered into the FIA computer. Unless they run into trouble, rivals rarely see each other during a stage. At the end of an event, the driver who's taken the least amount of time to complete all the stages is the winner.

The Points
Results achieved during each of the 16 rallies count towards the two FIA world championships - one for the drivers and one for the manufacturers. Drivers get 10 points for coming first, eight points for second place, six points for third, five points for fourth, four for fifth, three for sixth, two for seventh and one for eighth. A manufacturer can add up the points tally from two nominated cars.

The Time Controls
A rally itinerary is governed by a strict timetable. Drivers get time penalties for being late (or early!) to clock in to the start of the special stage and at the entry and exit of service parks. Late arrival at these controls is typically penalised with 10 seconds on every minute over and is added to the overall time of the driver. Drivers can be excluded from a rally if they are 15 minutes late for a time control, 30 minutes late for a leg or 60 minutes for an entire rally.

The Service Parks
After each group of stages is completed, the cars can visit a designated service park where repairs may be carried out by the teams under strict supervision during a 20-minute time period. At the end of each day the crews are allowed a longer 45-minute period to work on the cars before they are locked away in the guarded 'parc fermé' until the following morning's restart. Crews are punished with time penalties for exceeding these alloted times.

2008 Ford Focus RS WRC 08
Year	2008
Make	Ford
Model	Focus RS WRC 08
Body Style	Coupe
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	AWD
Body / Chassis	Unitary steel
Weight	1230 kg \| 2712.2 lbs
Combined MPG	0.00

Engine
Cylinders	4
Engine	Duratec
Aspiration/Induction	Turbocharged
	Garrett Turbo
Displacement	2.00 L \| 122 cu in. \| 1999.6 cc.
Valves	16 valves. 4 valves per cylinder.
Valvetrain	DOHC
Horsepower	300.00 BHP (220.8 KW) @ 6000.00 RPM
Torque	550.00 NM (405.5 Ft-Lbs) @ 4000.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	9.0 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	150.0 BHP / Liter
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol
Fuel Feed	Fuel Injected
Block	Aluminum Alloy
Head	Aluminum Alloy
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Standard Transmission
Gears	5
Transmission	Sequential
	Ricardo

Dimensions
Standard Payload	0.00
Exterior
Length	4362.001 mm \| 171.7 in.
Width	1800.001 mm \| 70.9 in.
Wheelbase	2640.001 mm \| 103.9 in.
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Suspension
Suspension	Front : Wishbones, McPherson Struts, Anti-roll bars, Reigter hydraulic dampers Rear : Trailing arms, wishbones, anti-roll bars, Reigter hydraulic dampers

Steering
	Rack and Pinion with Power Assist

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2008 Ford Focus RS WRC 08