Ford and Hoonigan to leave World RX

Ford Performance will leave World RX at the end of the season along with Ken Block's Hoonigan Racing Division team.

Published on 04/10/2017 à 18:23

⁰ View comments)

Si Peugeot Sport confirmed his presence with Sébastien Loeb In the 2018 World RX season, Ford Performance will drop its involvement in the discipline with satellite team Hoonigan Racing Division currently fielding two Focus RSs for boss-driver Ken Block and Andreas Bakkerud.

After a promising start last year where Andreas Bakkerud notably finished third in the Championship, the performances of the Focus RS lagged behind the overall progression of the peloton. The Norwegian is in fifth position in the Drivers' standings while the Hoonigan Racing Division occupies fourth place in the Teams' Championship before the season finale in Cape Town (South Africa).

“Although we have enjoyed competing in World RX, it is natural for us to take a break at a time when the future of the discipline is promising., comments Dave Pericak, general manager of Ford Performance. We would have had to develop a new car to continue in World RX. We want to take a break, while the future of rallycross is defined. »

Ken Block regrets this choice which blocks the program of his Hoonigan team for the 2018 season.

“Ford Performance and I learned a lot from this program, declared the former pilot of the WRC. We would both have liked to continue the adventure but the prospects for the discipline remain unclear and we could not invest a lot of money in developing a new car to fight for the title, it would have made no sense. It's clearly disappointing, but that's how motorsport economics sometimes works. »

Andreas Bakkerud has clarified that he will continue to work with the Gymkhana ace outside of World RX.

“Despite our two-year partnership, Ken still wants to work with me. We will still have plenty of things to achieve together. I want to continue my career in World RX in the future and fight for the title, but Ford will be absent from World RX in 2018 and in the years to come,” underlined the Norwegian.

The Detroit manufacturer should still be represented in World RX by the Fiestas entered by several private teams.