American action sports icon Ken Block, who already has a huge fan base in Europe through the internet, kicks off his relationship with Ford Motor Company this weekend. His Monster World Rally Team debuts the exciting new Monster Fiesta Rally America car at the Sno*Drift Rally (29 - 30 January) in Atlanta, Michigan.
Monster World Rally Team will contest all six rounds of the Rally America series and Block's North American programme will culminate at the X Games 16 event in Los Angeles in early August. His co-driver is Italian Alessandro Gelsomino.
Block will combine his Rally America season with a seven-round programme in the FIA World Rally Championship at the wheel of a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. His first outing will be at Rally Mexico (4 - 7 March) and he will also tackle WRC rallies in Turkey, Portugal, Germany, France, Spain and Britain. His Focus RS WRC will be prepared by British-based M-Sport, the company which operates Ford's official world rally programme. Â
Both programmes, the Rally America and the World Rally Championship, will be supported primarily by Monster Energy Drink and Ford.    The two-litre turbocharged Monster Fiesta Rally America car is prepared by Swedish team Olsbergs Motorsports Evolution (OSME) and is based on the successful production-based Fiesta Rallycross car that competed in the FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2009. OSME took a Fiesta Rallycross car to last year's famous Pikes Peak hillclimb in the United States and two weeks later won the X Games event. Â
Block's four-wheel drive Monster Fiesta Rally America car has been modified to comply with Rally America's Open class regulations. It is fitted with a turbo restrictor to comply with championship regulations and produces around 330bhp (326PS). Block's team spent the last few days testing the car in northern Michigan. Â
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