What car should Ken Block drive? A ford, of course. But not any regular Ford. Especially when you are talking about the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Portugal.
Ken Block and Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud will race a completely new Ford Focus RS RX at the season opener, which takes place in the picturesque town of Montalegre located in the hills of the Vila region.
The circuit presents a unique challenge for both drivers and engineers: at 1800 metres above sea level it is the highest event on the World RX calendar and engines need to be finely tuned to deal with the high altitude.
Featuring all-wheel drive and a 0-60 mph launch time of less than two seconds, the Focus RS RX vehicles are optimised for rallycross battle. The Focus RS RX development was a global collaboration between Ford Performance, Block’s Hoonigan Racing Division and U.K.-based M-Sport.
Twenty-three supercars each equipped with 600 horsepower will go head-to-head in Portugal over four qualifying sessions, two semi-finals, and one final. The team starts in Portugal fresh out of a test at Kirkbride airfield in Cumbria, U.K.
