“Positive” tests for Ford

After a four-day test session in Portugal, the Ford team traveled to Sweden for another session spread over five days. The two official drivers, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, were of course present to test the car. The Flying Finns will have traveled a total of 1250 kilometers.

At the end of this week of testing, the behavior of the Fiesta RS WRC seems to have convinced the whole team. “We can't talk too much about the car because of the embargo (on restrictions),” Christian Loriaux told wrc.com. “We covered around 250km per day. We have a few things to improve on, which is always the case, but it's been a positive test and the drivers are pretty happy. »

If the tests are conclusive, uncertainty remains regarding the performance of competitors. The answer will not arrive before the season opens. “The problem we have now is knowing where we stand in relation to our opponents but we won't know until the first special in Sweden,” added Christian Loriaux. “We can't compare the Fiesta and the Focus because they are completely different cars that run under completely different regulations. »

The next test session scheduled by Ford will not be carried out until January, where the team will return to Sweden to prepare for the first rally of the season. However, work will remain intense at the end of the year. “It will soon be a rush because we plan to field 10 cars for Sweden,” said the Ford technical director. “There are still a few things to improve on the car. The homologation inspection will also arrive soon. So we are going to be very busy with that and we will have to prepare for the next test in Sweden. »