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2017 Fiesta begins testing

Testing of M-Sport's 2017 Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car has begun with team boss Malcolm Wilson and Martin Prokop conducting the early development work.

Wilson drove the car (below) in Greystoke Forest, near the team's Dovenby Hall base in north-west England, shortly before last week's Neste Rally Finland. Czech driver Prokop, who has driven Ford cars in the WRC since 2010, then took over the preliminary driving duties.

The initial work has focused on a 2017 engine and key parts including suspension, drivetrain and transmission running in the current Fiesta RS. Aerodynamic updates will follow soon when former WRC driver Matthew Wilson continues the development.

The new car, which has been designed from a clean sheet of paper with support from Ford Performance, will be based on the 2017 Fiesta road car, which has still to be formally launched.

"This is only the first prototype but the speed really is incredible," said Malcolm Wilson. "We're still fine-tuning the aero-package with our colleagues at Ford, but we have been able to run all of the mechanical components on the current bodyshell and the first tests have only strengthened my confidence in our ability to produce a winning car."

The Fiesta RS is the last of the 2017 cars to begin testing. Volkswagen was first to start with the new Polo R last year, while both Citroën's C3 and Toyota's Yaris began work in April. Hyundai's i20 has run although the Korean manufacturer has yet to reveal details.

Zdroj: wrc.com