Ford Focus RS Ready for Rallycross

Ford has made it official, the Ford Focus RS will be competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the 2016 season. Two factory backed cars will start competing in the series staring on April 15th in Portugal.

The vehicles will be piloted by Ken Block and Andreas Bakkerud. The build of the racing version of the Focus RS was a joint effort between Ford Performance, Hoonigan Racing and M-Sport out of the U.K. The RS street car is pretty impressive, but the race car takes this to an entirely new level.

The all-wheel drive Focus RS competition car produces a whopping 600 horsepower from a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. The quoted 0-60 mph time is 2 seconds flat. That quickness will be put to the test during the Rallycross season.

“RS is a worldwide brand with a rich heritage that motorsports enthusiasts know and love,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “Our RS badge has a natural connection to racing, and we have a passionate, dedicated team on the project. We’re excited to honor the history of Rallye Sport by pushing every aspect of performance and design to the limit.”

“We’ve dedicated the same level of cutting-edge tools, technical resources and engineering know-how from our Le Mans GT and NASCAR programs, and working with M-Sport brings renowned expertise in rallycross and stage rally vehicle development,” said Rushbrook. “Ken, Andreas Bakkerud and Hoonigan Racing give us insight from the competition and driver perspectives. Our three organizations have a great working relationship, and we’re all looking forward to seeing the Focus RS in action.”

“I’m really happy to be expanding my relationship with Ford Performance,” said Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block. “To have official factory support for my race season in 2016 and beyond as I enter the FIA World Rallycross Championship full-time is absolutely incredible. It opens up a ton of powerful resources that myself and my team will be able to benefit from in terms of engineering prowess, research, development and racing experience from different fields. Plus, have you seen the car that they’ve created for me to go race in? My mind was blown when they showed it to me in Dearborn a few months ago. I absolutely cannot wait to get behind the wheel and start testing.”

When we first saw the road going Focus RS it looked like it was just asking to be a rally car. Now we can see just how well it will do in the Rallycross format starting next month.

What do you think of the Ford Focus RS competition car? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.