Autosportfoto

R5 prize for juniors

The most successful crew in the 2018 FIA Junior World Rally Championship will win a Ford Fiesta R5 rally car - a prize that it is hoped will make it easier for the champions to continue moving up the through the sport's ranks.

M-Sport, the company that co-ordinates the Junior WRC and runs the identical arrive-and-drive Ford Fiesta R2 cars that are used by competitors, has also announced that the 2018 winners will receive free WRC 2 registration as well as free fuel and a generous tyre package for the 2019 WRC 2 season.

The prize package is arguably the most generous in the history of the Junior WRC and M-Sport hopes it will give the 2018 champions a valuable career boost.

Junior WRC manager, Maciej Woda, said: "We want the winner to be in a position to continue their career in WRC 2 to the best of their ability and, with their own car, they will be able to do the additional testing required to learn the car and prepare for the events.

"We are working with our partners to provide as much support as we can and, with what we are already in a position to offer, we believe this is the best value-for-money step for the eventual winner's career."

The proposed 2018 Junior WRC calendar will consist of five events. It will start on the snow-covered stages at Rally Sweden before then moving to the Corsican asphalt and the gravel roads in Portugal, Finland and Turkey.

To spice up the end-of-season action, it is proposed that double championship points will be up for grabs in Turkey. As well as collecting points for their finishing positions, drivers will be awarded bonus points for fastest stage times.

Registrations for the 2018 Junior WRC season opened on 1 November. The 2017 series was won by Spain's Nil Solans (below).

Zdroj: wrc.com