Category: Ford

Categories
Audi Ford Video WRC

What happens when you meet your heroes?

Chris Harris drives the Ford RS200 and Audi Sport Quattro

It’s often said that you should never meet your heroes. The fear being they can never live up to your massive expectations. We’re not sure if your hero is an inanimate object if the the same can be said or not. What we do know is if we were ever offered the chance to drive our automotive heroes we’d bite off the hand making the offer with extreme enthusiasm.

For us our heroes would be the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, the McLaren F1 or Porsche Carrera GT. Throw in a Ferrari F40 for good measure. For Chris Harris, two of his automotive heroes are the Ford RS200 and Audi Sport Quattro. Two cars made in limited numbers of 200 for the sole purpose of meeting Group B rally regulations.

True icons they are, but can they live up to the hype? Check out the video after the break to find out.

[Thanks to Adam for the tip]

Continue reading “What happens when you meet your heroes?”
Categories
Ford WRC

Jari-Matti Latvala wins 2012 Rally Sweden

Jari-Matti Latvala, Rally Sweden

Jari-Matti Latvala has answered Loeb’s opening win of the year by guiding his Ford Fiesta RS WRC to victory at Rally Sweden on the weekend. It’s the sixth time in a row Ford has won the event.

The 26-year-old Finn took the lead on the opening day and enjoyed strong competition at times from former teammate Mikko Hirvonen in the Citroën DS3 WRC. Despite suffering a puncture on the last day, Latvala was able to secure his win with a margin of 16.6 seconds over Hirvonen. Privateer Mads Ostberg rounded out the top three in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, a further 22.2 seconds behind Hirvonen.

Sebastien Loeb (Citroën) crashed out of contention early in the event and the same fate befell Dani Sordo (Prodrive/MINI).

Loeb was able to recover and finish the rally in sixth place, which keeps him at the head of the drivers’ championship, seven points ahead of Hirvonen and 10 points clear of Solberg.

The Ford World Rally Team isn’t great at making pics easily available, but they do produce a fine highlights reel, which you can see after the break.

The WRC heads to warmer climes for its next event, Rally Mexico (8–11 March).

Continue reading “Jari-Matti Latvala wins 2012 Rally Sweden”
Categories
Citroen Ford MINI Skoda WRC

WRC teams shake it down before full Monte

MINI WRC

The Monte Carlo Rally, fondly referred to as ‘The Monte’, is resuming its rightful and traditional position as the first WRC event of the year. Yesterday the top WRC teams were out in Valence giving their machines a final shakedown before taking on the full rally.

You can read previews from Citroën, Ford, MINI and Volkswagen at their official websites. Volkswagen? Yes, even though the Polo WRC won’t make its debut until next year the team’s lead driver Sebastien Ogier will be competing in 2012 for stablemates Skoda in the SWRC category.

We anticipate this season with renewed interest thanks to the introduction of MINI as a major player. Although, thanks to what appears to be a fractured relationship between MINI and Prodrive, it’s perhaps not as major as we would all like it to be. We believe the budget issues facing the MINI WRC team are due to BMW redirecting part of the team’s funding towards their return to DTM racing.

Hopefully Prodrive can secure enough sponsorship to put Kris Meeke back in his seat, and with Volkswagen to follow next year, it will be great to see up to four teams competing for outright honours in 2013.

Video of the shakedown in Valence can be seen after the break.

Continue reading “WRC teams shake it down before full Monte”
Categories
Audi Bentley Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows Nissan Porsche smart Volkswagen

2012 Detroit Motor Show photo gallery

2012 Detroit Motor Show

Here we have a selection of images from the floor of the Detroit Motor Show, or more correctly, the North American International Auto Show.

Unlike Tokyo late last year there’s a noticeable lack of weird and wonderful concept creations, but we certainly applaud the appearance of the Honda NSX Concept. It’s easily the clear star of the show in our eyes.

Not so fortunate is the Chevrolet Code 130R concept; a BMW 1 Series Coupé that somehow turned out all wrong. So, too, the Chrysler 700C. Seriously, does anyone actually look at these things before they are put on the stand. And if they do, then we’ll have some of whatever it is they’re smoking please.

Equally, we can’t quite understand the fascination the North American audience has had with the Ford Fusion. Its poor mans Aston Martin-like grille is an embarrassment.

Anyway, there’s 50-odd pictures for you after the break. Why don’t you be the judge and tell us what you like and don’t like.

Continue reading “2012 Detroit Motor Show photo gallery”
Categories
Ford WRC

Jari-Matti Latvala wins Wales Rally GB

Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford Fiesta WRC

Ford began the Wales Rally GB with high hopes, Mikko Hirvonen was still a mathematical chance to win the championship. Alas, an accident and the subsequent damage forced Hirvonen out at the end of Day 2. That handed the 2011 WRC drivers’ title to Sebastien Loeb.

Ironically a bizarre accident on a liaison stage with a Spanish tourist put Loeb out of the event. “We were on a very narrow road section between the two stages, there were some crests. I was just driving and I saw a car in front. I brake, I go to the side but the problem was it was a Spanish driver and she was on the wrong side. In [Wales] you drive on the other way but it was the wrong reflex. We just hit two cars in the front and we broke the radiator,” Loeb explained to wrc.com.

So it was a case of to finish first, first you have to finish for Latvala who held on for his fifth WRC victory. Ford begun the year with their Fiesta WRC finishing in the top three and they ended the year in the same fashion. Latvala hopes it is a sign of things to come, “I’m really hoping we can challenge now the Citroëns, really after so many years I would really like to see Ford be world champion.”

A highlights package from the Ford WRC team can be seen after the break.

Continue reading “Jari-Matti Latvala wins Wales Rally GB”
Categories
Ford

Tanner Foust on the Focus RS500 at the Ring

US motoring identity and drift king Tanner Foust was lucky enough to be sent over to the Nürburgring and handed the keys to a Ford Focus RS500 and told to go and enjoy the Nordschleife.

In standard form the RS500 sends 350hp to its front wheels, but Foust says this car has been boosted for even more power. It’s bordering on insane to be honest.

With ingredients like that we have to say we’re a little disappointed with Tanner’s output in this clip. We wanted moar power, moar speed and moar thrills!

Categories
Ford Motorsports

VIDEO: Ken Block’s Gymkhana down under

Ken Block down under

Here’s some video highlights of Ken Block’s Gymkhana down under tour. The event was held at Melbourne’s Calder Park earlier this month. Made possible due to Ken’s visit for Rally Australia. There’s a video showing how the rally went for Ken as well.

Continue reading “VIDEO: Ken Block’s Gymkhana down under”
Categories
Audi BMW Ferrari Ford GM Lexus Lotus Mercedes-Benz Nissan Porsche

Motions eleven

Motor Trend drag race

US publication Motor Trend has assembled a group of 11 incredibly desirable cars, sent them to an empty airstrip and planted the go pedal. Check the list below, form your opinion on which car you think will be quickest. Also consider which cars you reckon will make the top three. Which one will be the slowest? Then take the jump and watch ex-pat Aussie and former Wheels editor Angus MacKenzie guide you through the results.

[Thanks to Tim for the tip]

Continue reading “Motions eleven”
Categories
Ford WRC

Mikko Hirvonen wins Rally Australia

Mikko Hirvonen wins Rally Australia

Mikko Hirvonen has capped off a great trip down under by winning Rally Australia. The event was held over the weekend at Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast. Even better for Ford was the fact Jari-Matti Latvala competed strongly and came home in second place.

In fact, Latvala lead for much of the final day and team orders meant he handed the win to his teammate who is better placed in the drivers’ championship.

The Fiesta drivers were able to get through a tricky first day with only minor damage after slippery conditions ended the winning hopes of Citroën pair Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier. The two Sebastiens were able to get going again on day two, but time penalties put them well out of contention. In fact they finished the rally in tenth and eleventh.

That meant factory Fords clawed back some valuable points on the lead Citroëns in the manufacturers’ championship, bringing the gap back to 62 points.

Hirvonen was also able to displace Ogier from second in the title race and is now 15 points behind Loeb.

It was Hirvonen’s second race win for 2011 and follows his win at Rally Sweden to kick start his year.

With thanks to the Ford World Rally Team team you can watch a highlights clip below with coverage form all three days of competition.

Continue reading “Mikko Hirvonen wins Rally Australia”
Categories
Ford WRC

If in doubt, flat out!

Mark Webber thought it fit to share this video of Colin McRae in action at the 2001 British RAC Rally via his twitter feed. Who are we to argue?

Categories
Ford News Video

VIDEO: Ken Block ‘Gymkhana 4’

Ken Block - Gymkhana 4

The master of spin, Ken Block, is back with a new Gymkhana release. It’s the fourth in his well known franchise; we use that term deliberately as this latest video is packed with commercial content. Perhaps this should come as no surprise when the clip is sub-titled ‘The Hollywood Megamercial’.

In GYM4 the driving is pure entertainment. There’s some excellent footage captured as Block negotiates his way around various movie sets. We just hope when the inevitable Gymkhana 5 is produced they go a bit easy on the ads.

The full 9 minutes of ‘hoonigan’ is yours after the break. To recapture the vibe from Ken’s first three installments, click here.

Continue reading “VIDEO: Ken Block ‘Gymkhana 4’”
Categories
Ford Motorsports

Marcos Ambrose cracks first NASCAR win at Watkins Glen

Marcos Ambrose

Marcos Ambrose became the first Australian to win a top-tier NASCAR race when he took the chequered flag at the Watkins Glen International on the weekend. The 34-year-old Tasmanian used his circuit racing background to edge out Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski in an exciting finish to the 92 lap Sprint Cup Series meet.

It was the 105th career start for Ambrose in NASCAR events. The 2003 and 2004 V8 Supercar champion made the move to the United States six years ago and success has taken a little longer than he hoped. Looks as though an off-season to switch to the Richard Petty Motorsport team has paid off.

You can watch Marcos talk about his victory in a short video after the break.

Continue reading “Marcos Ambrose cracks first NASCAR win at Watkins Glen”