M-Sport begins construction of the Fiesta S2000

Réunis autour de Christian Loriaux, le directeur technique de M-Sport, la dizaine d?ingénieurs et de techniciens a achevé la conception de cette nouvelle voiture. Fidèle à sa philosophie, Loriaux s?est particulièrement concentré sur la répartition des masses, et ce malgré l?interdiction de matériaux coûteux tels que le titane, le kevlar ou le carbone.

Essential to the construction of the hull, the arch was finalized several weeks ago. In order to improve crew safety, the diameter of the tubes has been increased, in accordance with the new FIA regulations, from 38 to 50 mm. The design office studied around forty configurations for this roll bar, with the aim of ensuring maximum safety while preserving the sacrosanct distribution of masses. This results in 5% better rigidity than the current Focus. WRC.

“M-Sport has already proven its know-how in the design of roll bars. We have put all our expertise into the design of this new Fiesta S2000,” underlines Christian Loriaux. “Our facilities in Cumbria allowed us to compare theory with practice, thanks to a test bench allowing us to test the different hoop configurations. In all areas, we are progressing at the pace of the schedule we had defined. »

It was in Valencia, in the Pipo workshops, that the naturally aspirated engine was designed and assembled. Particularly regulated by the regulations, which limit the speed to 8500 rpm and the valve lifts to 12 mm, the 4-cylinder has already run on the test bench with conclusive results.

The engine will be fitted to the development car at the end of August. The first laps of the car should take place in October. For Malcolm Wilson, this car will be the ideal weapon for the new S2000 World Cup, organized as part of the WRC: “Following on from the announcement of Ford?s continued involvement in the WRC, things are taking shape . Next year, the new S2000 World Cup will give teams and private drivers the opportunity to aim for victory with this brand new car, which has benefited from all our experience. »