Coinciding with the homologation date (1 July 2013), M-Sport’s first crop of Ford Fiesta R5s left the firm’s Cumbrian base bound for the first customers and the model’s first taste of competition.
More than 20 deposits have already been placed for M-Sport’s latest challenger which highlights the outfit’s standing as a front-runner in motorsport design and engineering. Needless to say, the workshop has been a hive of activity since the homologation process neared completion and it is anticipated that M-Sport will deliver two Fiesta R5s per week over the coming month.
First to receive their all-new Fiestas will be MM-Motorsport in Estonia (two cars) and Sykora Racing in the Czech Republic (one car). The three cars left the workshop in pristine condition and it is hoped that the Fiesta R5 will make its official, competitive debut towards the end of the month.
A number of Fiesta R5s are also already apparent on the Neste Oil Rally Finland entry list – eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship – where the car will make its debut at the pinnacle of the sport. Robert Barrable, Eyvind Brynildsen and Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team’s Elfyn Evans just some of the names expected to line up behind the wheel of M-Sport’s latest challenger in Jyväskylä next month.
M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“It is fantastic to see the first cars completed and on their way to the customers. This project has been two years in the making, and to see it all coming together is very satisfying indeed. Everyone involved – from the designers and engineers, to the technicians in the workshop – have done a great job and I think this new model is something the entire company can be proud of.
“Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to watching our customers’ progress with the [Ford Fiesta] R5 – and hopefully securing victories around the globe.”
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