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A successful outing in the USA

Crossing the Atlantic for Rally America's New England Forest Rally, the M-Sport team were delighted with their state-side adventure. As one of the UK's leading motorsport organisations, M-Sport introduced two new cars to the American market - the new Ford Fiesta R5 2000cc and the new Ford Fiesta R2 1000cc.


Encouraged by global superstar Ken Block, the idea behind the event was to bring new opportunities to the Rally America scene with two competitively priced competition cars capable of taking the spoils.

Boston driver Ramana Lagemann and Canadian Nathalie Richard took to the wheel of the new Fiesta R5 2Ltr whilst Australian Brendan Reeves - 2013 Rally America 2WD Champion - got his hands on the new one-litre Fiesta R2 alongside co-driver Anthony McLoughlin.

Reeves caused a sensation - proving that the new one-litre EcoBoost Fiesta R2 has the power and the performance to not only out-perform its 2WD rivals, but also challenge those in the 4WD Super Production class.
Reeves got off to a flying start. Despite having not competed on American soil this year, a lack of recent experience did not hold him back and he was able to showcase the speed of his new charge from the off.

Dominating the 2WD category, he claimed a commanding victory with more than a 13 minute advantage over his nearest rival. The Australian also finished the event in an impressive sixth place overall - beating all but one of the Super Production entrants.

In the Fiesta R5 2Ltr, a simple pacenote error cost the team any hope of a podium when an unsighted rock on the opening speed test damaged the suspension. Lagemann was however back in action on Saturday and quickly started to achieve his objectives.

The American was keen to build his speed throughout the event, and that is exactly what he did - posting a string of top-three times comparable with those of Travis Pastrana to launch an almighty comeback. Improving with each new stage, Lagemann climbed back up to eighth place overall.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

"I'm delighted with the pace of both cars on what were some very fast stages. Brendan [Reeves] was sensational, and he has proven that the new Fiesta R2 has the potential to compete with the Super Production cars as well as out-performing its class rivals. Ramana [Lagemann] was unlucky on the first stage, but he came back strongly and showed that it is possible to fight for the podium with what is a very affordable car by comparison."

Brendan Reeves said:

"We had such a great rally and this new Fiesta R2 really is a pleasure to drive. I've driven a lot of competitive mileage with the old Fiesta R2, and I could feel the increased performance as soon as I got behind the wheel. There seems to be an improvement in almost every area - especially in the slow corners - and the engine is just incredible. To think that they can get so much out of a one-litre engine is amazing, and it sounds phenomenal! I must also say a big thanks to Anthony for being absolutely on-point with the notes, and to all of the team for a great weekend."

Ramana Lagemann said:

"We didn't get off to the perfect start. One of our notes was slightly wrong and we hit a rock which damaged the suspension. A big thanks to the team for getting us going again for the afternoon, and things really improved from there on. We were able to increase our speed and I have to say that this car really is something special. It's so easy to drive, and the performance is mind blowing! I feel extremely privileged to have been chosen by M-Sport, and from what I have experienced, there is certainly a place for a car as competitive as this in North America!"