Next week the 2012 World Rally Car season kicks off with the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time in three years. The season is shaping up to be an exciting one with several driver changes. Last year many WRC enthusiasts were concerned that the Ford WRC team, which finished second in the 2011 championship, would not return for 2012. That rumor was squashed later when Ford announced it planned to continue. Better yet, it had signed a one-year agreement with former world champion Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson to drive the team’s second Fiesta RS WRC in all 13 rounds. The popular and experienced Solberg won the world title in 2003 and the 37-year-old Norwegian has 13 world rally wins to his name.
Today, the all-new Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car livery was revealed at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, England motorsport’s traditional start-of-season showcase event. The team will continue to be sponsored by Castrol Edge, as it was in 2011.
The Fiesta RS World Rally Car, with its four-wheel-drive transmission and 1.6-liter EcoBoost-inspired engine will once again spearhead Ford’s challenge in the 2012 and 2013 championships. The car, based on the best-selling Fiesta road car, claimed a clean sweep of the podium in both the first and final rounds of its debut season last year.
Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila, who topped the world rankings for special stage victories in 2011 and won the final round of the championship in Rally GB last season, are confirmed as team leaders for 2012.
Last year’s manufacturer championship winners Citroen continue to be Ford’s chief rival. This year though, Mini will be a more formidable competitor after a successful year of development. Volkswagen is contesting the entire WRC in the smaller SWRC class with two Skoda Fabia S2000 cars. This will be a development year for the new team as it prepares for the 2013 season when Volkswagen will compete in the top class of rallying with the Polo R WRC.
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