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M-Sport returns to FIA Junior World Rally Championship in association with DMACK

M-Sport and DMACK have long been at the forefront when it comes to fostering young talent - offering effective and affordable routes to top-level rallying - and we are delighted to confirm that partnership will continue with details of next year's Junior World Rally Championship in association with DMACK Tyres.

The championship will follow the now familiar arrive-and-drive format which was established by M-Sport as part of the FIA WRC Academy in 2011 and competitors will take to the wheel of identical one-litre EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2s built and maintained by the M-Sport team in Krakow, Poland.

Throughout the past three seasons, the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy has seen DMACK provide young drivers with the biggest prize in global rallying - a full seven-round campaign in WRC 2. For 2017, the company will unveil ungraded versions of its DMACK Grippa range of gravel and asphalt tyres for Junior WRC competitors - all of which have been built in the UK and feature a number of significant performance improvements.

The championship will be contested over six full rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship - starting in Corsica, then Italy, Poland, Finland and Germany before the finishing in Spain. Championship points will be awarded to the top-ten finishers according to the official FIA championship points-system and an additional point will be on offer for each fastest stage time.

Helping the world's best young talents make the next step in their careers, DMACK continues into a fourth season of awarding a WRC 2 season at the wheel of M-Sport's Ford Fiesta R5.

The competitor who has amassed the most points over a combination of both the Tour de Corse and Rally Italia Sardegna will secure two prize drives. The same is on offer for the winner of Rally Poland and Rally Finland combined, and also for Rallye Deutschland and RACC Rally España combined. A seventh prize drive will then be awarded to the overall championship victor.

The competition is open to drivers born after 1 January 1988, and the £150,000 entry fee includes JWRC Priority Entry, DMACK tyres, fuel, service facilities and rally car rental.

Entries are now open with the initial selection date taking place on 3 February 2017. Those interested in more information or looking to receive a registration form should contact Ellie Jones (ejones2@m-sport.co.uk).

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

"It's fantastic to have the FIA Junior World Rally Championship title back with M-Sport. Over the past decade, we have worked hard with Ford to provide an effective and affordable ladder of opportunity for rallying's brightest young talents to progress, and this championship adds yet another rung to that ladder.

"Together with DMACK, our one-make series are going from strength to strength and the M-Sport Poland operation continues to deliver an exceptionally high standard. We've witnessed some very close-fought competition over the past few years, and I only expect that to continue as we search for rallying's next generation of drivers."

DMACK Managing Director, Dick Cormack, said:

"The Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy has delivered some stunning battles over the last three years and the high level of competition has meant the fight for the title has gone down to the very last loop of stages.

"We are pleased to be the official partner to the Junior WRC for the next two seasons and excited to launch a series of new products which will suit the Fiesta R2 perfectly. Our products have been tested on some of Europe's toughest rally stages and will deliver both performance and durability as Junior competitors chase the world title."