Category: Ford

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Ford WRC

Robert Kubica already impressing M-Sport

Ford Fiesta RRC

Robert Kubica’s move to full-time WRC driver is looking good according to his new team, M-Sport, who are impressed with his dedication.

The 29-year-old Polish driver made a good impact last weekend after a winning debut with M-Sport in the European Rally Championship at the wheel of a Fiesta RRC (pictured above). Robert was competing in the Jänner Rallye in Austria as a warm up for his WRC duties. A late charge on the final stage on the back of an inspired tyre choice saw him overcome an 11.8 second deficit to claim victory.

“If you look at his performance at the weekend, it was very, very strong the whole way through and he saved the best for last,” said M-Sport team boss Malcolm Wilson. “He used what experience he’s got to make a fantastic tyre choice combination.”

Adding to the strong impression already made by Kubica is willingness to work with his new engineers.

“What’s really shocked me is the amount of dedication and commitment that he puts into it,” added Wilson. “As an example, with the restrictions on his arm, he was at the workshop till 11pm the other night working with the engineers to reconfigure the handbrake and gearshift mechanism.”

For the 2014 season, Maciej Szczepaniak will replace Kubica’s former co-driver Maciek Barran, who retired from rallying late last year.

Szczepaniak was beside Kubica for last weekend’s ERC win and with greater time together and more time in the Fiesta RS WRC Malcolm Wilson expects Kubica will improve as the 2014 season progresses.

“Some of the times he was doing in WRC2, nobody has got that close to World Rally Car pace in a regional car before,” Wilson said. “In the second half of the season with the Tarmac events he’s already done, he’s going to be really strong.”

[Source: Autosport | Pic: M-Sport]

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Ford WRC

Robert Kubica secures full-time WRC drive for 2014

Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica said he wouldn’t return to rallying next year unless he could score a drive in a WRC car for all 13 races. And true to his word that’s exactly what he’ll be doing. The 29-year-old will be racing in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC prepared by M-Sport and carrying the branding of his long-time backer, the Polish oil company Lotos.

“I am really glad that I will participate in all 13 rounds of the World Rally Championship with the Fiesta RS WRC,” Robert said. “The support of my partner, Lotos Group, combined with the knowledge and experience of M-Sport will create a solid foundation for my further development and I am looking forward to gathering valuable experience on the WRC stages.”

It’s fair to say Kubica’s single WRC outing at Wales Rally GB with Citroën was a bit of a disaster, but winning five out of his seven races on the way to collecting the WRC2 championship proves he has the talent to forge a meaningful career in the sport.

“You only have to look at the way Robert prepared for the 2013 season to see what it all means to him,” said M-Sport owner Malcolm Wilson. “He has a desire and a hunger which you don’t see in many drivers and I truly believe that M-Sport can offer him all the right tools to move forward in rallying.”

We’d love nothing more than to see Kubica standing on the WRC podium next year. We also hope his participation in the WRC helps boost the profile and interest in what is one of motorsport’s most interesting and exciting categories.

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Ford WRC

Hirvonen and Evans confirmed for M-Sport in 2014

Mikko Hirvonen

Ford’s presence in the WRC relies on the resilience of Malcolm Wilson and his M-Sport outfit; this is not a fully factory-backed team like we see with Volkswagen, Citroën and now Hyundai. And while we’re sure it’s not a case of M-Sport having to take what’s left on the driver market, the fact they are the last team to announce its 2014 driver line up kind of tells you how things sit in the WRC right now.

Having said that a driver pairing of rally veteran Mikko Hirvonen and WRC rookie Elfyn Evans shapes as being one of the most interesting to watch during the year. Evans spent 2013 chasing Robert Kubica’s tail in the WRC2 championship and the 24-year-old Welshman has bags of potential.

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Hirvonen, who made his WRC debut in 2002, is coming off two unfulfilled years at Citroën and will be desperate to prove his abilities once again. Let’s not forget the Fiesta RS WRC was the car Thierry Neuville drove to second place in the drivers’ championship this year.

“To be back in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, it really feels as though I am coming home,” Hirvonen said. “Joining M-Sport will give us a good chance to try again—a fresh start in a car we know we can be competitive in. We are motivated to win, and we are in the best possible place to do that.”

Evans is keen to make the step up to rally’s premier category. “It is an absolutely fantastic feeling to know that I will be driving a world rally car for a full season next year,” he said. “Last year was a real development year for us, so it is great to be able to take the next step in my career and for myself and Dan [Barritt, co-driver] to really progress within the team.”

M-Sport will be a real underdog team in 2014 and we wouldn’t mind seeing them upset a few apple carts along the way.

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Ford Holden News

Commodore and Falcon decline tells the real story

Commodore and Falcon sales over last 30 years

As the fallout and childish finger pointing from politicians tries to pin the blame for the decision from Ford and now Holden to stop making cars in Australia, this graph from News Limited, first published in January, tells us all we need to know.

Yes, the graph stops at the end of 2012 and so doesn’t include increasing sales of the new VF Commodore, but c’mon, does anyone really expect the VF to reach the peak of 90,000+ annual sales from the late 1990s?

If you don’t like the graph, Autocar has summed up the sales woes of the Commodore in words:

Holden’s failure to sell enough cars in its home market is its ultimate downfall. In 2002, Holden sold 80,000 Commodores (its staple large saloon, built locally). Last year it sold just 30,000. With a break-even figure of 40,000, this has been a long time coming.

Of course issues such as union-backed wage increases, the high Australian dollar, increasing fuel prices, the rise and rise of SUVs and other factors have all influenced the purchasing decisions of Australians in recent years.

Whatever you believe to be the cause, the effect of dramatically declining sales for the Commodore and Falcon paints the true picture. Couple that with a new car sales market in Australia that is otherwise quite healthy and the decision for the two US auto giants to abandon ship was a bit of a no-brainer.

It still sucks, though.

[Source: News Ltd]

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Citroen Ford Volkswagen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 Wales Rally GB

2013 Wales Rally GB

Okay, we know this update is a week late, but you pay peanuts, you get monkeys!

So, last weekend Sebastien Ogier did what he does best and that’s dominating his teammates and opponents on the way to another WRC victory, this time at the season-ending Wales Rally GB.

Like the Seabstian in Formula 1, Ogier has done enough by himself to wrap up the manufacturers’ championship for his employer. Although Volkswagen certainly didn’t complain to see Jari-Matti Latvala pick up second place in Wales, providing the team with a perfectly suitable close to a year they would not have even dared to dream when they rocked up to Monte Carlo in January.

Equally fitting was seeing Thierry Neuville on the podium. In just his second year in the WRC he placed second overall in the drivers’ title. He’ll be hoping to emulate Volkswagen’s success in 2014 when he leads the charge for Hyundai’s re-introduction into rallying’s premier category.

And the less said about Citroën’s race in Wales and the season overall the better. They had a terrible year and may well choose to sulk off into the distance with the security of Sebastien Loeb’s WTCC campaign to console them.

The WRC now enters its dormant stage. Although, with just over 50 days until the teams re-emerge for the 2014 season there won’t be much time for reflection for Ogier and Volkswagen, who will no doubt be hoping to embarrass the competition again next year. Thankfully, Neuville, at the very least, will have other ideas.

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Ford News Video

VIDEO: Ken Block ‘Gymkhana Six’

Ken Block, Gymkhana Six

Here’s the latest Ken Block Gymkhana video. Now in its sixth iteration Block returns with all the tyre smoking frivolities you expect from the master of spin. The stunts aren’t necessarily new, although there’s few new techniques, but this is just good, honest, rubber burning fun.

Enjoy!

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Ford News

Ken Block’s Gymkhana Six to debut on 11 November

Ken Block Gymkhana Six

Ken Block is back with the sixth installment of his Gymkhana series. Well he will be next week, right now he’s just going around in circles with excitement in anticipation of his latest viral internet sensation advertising feature. But, like the suckers we are we’ll lap it up for the cheap entertainment thrills it provides. You go, Ken!

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Ford Holden News Toyota

The elephant in the assembly hall

Holden VF Calais

The future of Australia’s automotive manufacturing sector has been in the news quite a bit lately. The decision by Ford to cease local manufacturing in 2016 has certainly helped. But increased scrutiny has also brought government assistance to the automotive sector into the spotlight.

In the face of declining sales the public is asking why the government is spending so much to support local manufacturing if the multinational companies making merry with our taxpayer’s loot are just going to leave anyway.

So the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is here to put things right. They’ve commissioned a report to investigate what would happen to the local economy if Holden and Toyota were to follow Ford’s lead and close down their factories by 2018.

The magic number produced by the FCAI report is $21.5 billion. Apparently that’s the size of the hole our economy would find itself dealing with if cars were no longer made in Australia.

As it currently stands Australians contribute $18 each on a per capita basis to come up with the $500 million passed on to the automotive sector. According to the FCAI report that investment gives a return of $934 per person, bringing us back to the impressive $21.5 billion figure.

That’s a pretty good return on investment, don’t you think.

You can download the FCAI report here (1.8mb PDF), all 86 pages of it. Yet in the whole report just two thirds of a page is set aside to discuss the demand for the motor vehicles made in Australia.

It’s true a potential $21.5 billion hit to our economy is no laughing matter, but unless the FCAI can come up with some buyers, you know, actual people who want to buy our locally made cars in sufficient numbers, then isn’t the end inevitable?

[Pic: GM Corp]

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Citroen Ford Volkswagen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 Rally de Espana

2013 Rallye de Espana

Sebastien Ogier’s good fortune has continued after he fought back to win Rally de Espana on the weekend. Jari-Matti Latvala’s second place ensured Volkswagen secured the manufacturers’ championship in style, too, registering the team’s first one-two finish.

Rally de Espana is a diverse event covering tarmac and gravel with the extra dimension of night stages. The severe dust during the gravel stages made things very tricky for the drivers.

Ogier started in his usual fashion, building a lead over his rivals. However, he suffered a puncture cutting a corner a little too aggressively and dropped down to fourth place. Latvala and Dani Sordo, in his home event, assumed the battle for the lead.

Sadly, both endured bad luck which put both men out of contention. Latvala’s car had a leaking fuel line on the final day which caused a small fire and scuppered any hopes of Volkswagen duel to the finish line. Alas, Sordo’s misfortune was worse, hitting a small rock which wrecked his suspension and forced him into retirement on the final day while a podium position was his for the taking.

In the difficult gravel stages Ogier was superb fighting his way back from a deficit of over 40 seconds. He put on a rallying masterclass, made his own luck and took the win by over 30 seconds in the end.

Earlier this year Sebastien Ogier raced in the Porsche Supercup at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he became friends with Sean Edwards. After the rally Ogier dedicated his win to Edwards and his family.

It’s been a magical debut season for Volkswagen in 2013 and with just Rally Wales GB in mid-November left on the calendar they’ll be hoping they can finish the season with another victory.

A special note for Robert Kubica, too, who won the WRC2 championship with his class victory in Spain. We’ll have more on that later.

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Ford Video

You’ve been thunderstruck!

Shelby Daytona Coupe

Video of a Shelby Daytona Cobra, filmed at full noise on a race track is a very rare thing indeed. Especially when you consider only six of these American muscle cars were made (between 1964–65). Powered by a Ford 289 V8 this example sounds like thunder. We thank Marchettino for sharing this video with the world!

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Ford News

Want to live out your Mad Max fantasy?

1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe 'V8 Interceptor'

If you’re a fan of the Mad Max trilogy—let’s face it, who isn’t—we’re guessing you have a broad grin on your face right about now.

Up for sale in England is this 1974 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe V8 Interceptor. It’s understood to be one of six cars used in the filming of the movies. The attention to detail is first class and for £79,995 (AU$136,000) this car can be yours. But you don’t have long, the seller says the car will be withdrawn from sale by 1 October.

Some research tends to indicate there may have been only one V8 Interceptor with that car being sold by its UK owner in 2011 to the Dezer Collection in Miami. You can read more about that theory on the Mad Max Movies website (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4).

Either way, we don’t see any reason why the buyer of this car shouldn’t don some black leather and start chasing the Nightrider!

[Source: Pemberton Cars & EDP24 | Thanks to Dale for the tip]

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Ford Renault Video

VIDEO: Ford Fiesta ST Mountune v Renault Clio Sport

Ford Fiesta ST v Renault Clio Sport

It’s back to earth with a thud for Chris Harris who has followed his epic Ferrari film with a test in a couple of mini hot hatchbacks. Not that he seems to mind too much. And after finishing his duties in the road cars, Harris has a nice surprise for Renault fans at the end.

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