The team principal of M-Sport Ford, Richard Millener, reveals that his team may switch from the Fiesta to the Puma in WRC2 class which will be based on the Rally1 chassis.
The Cumbrian-based team started the production of the Fiesta R5 back in 2013 and ended it in 2019 when the regulations changed. However, they continued with the Fiesta Rally2 in 2020 until today while M-Sport Ford competes at the top level with the Puma since 2022. Moreover, it must be mentioned that the production car Fiesta discontinued on July 2023, but Ford gave its promise to M-Sport that the last ones have the possibility to be supplied with car parts for the Fiesta Rally2 even today. Last but not least, Puma is one of the most famous cars on Ford's portofolio and it would be a good idea for M-Sport to use this car in WRC2 class apart from the top WRC category.
"A Ford Puma Rally2 is our target", Millener said.
"As it stands as a production car the height and weight of the car would be prohibitive for Rally2.
"The only way this can work is with a Rally1 style tubular chassis.
"It’s the safest way to do it.
"And doing that, building spaceframe chassis and bolting scaled panels to it is a great way to futureproof the category.
"If you guarantee those rules for, say, 10 years, it will help lower the price of the chassis through larger-scale production and economies of scale over that time period.
"Since we started building these Rally1 cars, I think it’s fair to say all the teams have learned an awful lot about streamlining, evolving and improving the process.
"All of the Rally1 chassis are handbuilt, but what’s to say we couldn’t add mechanisation into the process for Rally2?
"It would make more sense given that the market and demand for these cars is so much bigger".
Source: DirtFish.com
Photo Credits: M-Sport
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