M-Sport Ford ready for Artic Rally Finland
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team venture to the frozen north this week as the FIA World Rally Championship makes its Arctic Circle debut at the newly-formed Arctic Rally Finland. Contesting the only full-snow event of the year, the team will field two EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs for Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith, as well as an EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta Rally2 for Adrien Fourmaux in the WRC 2 Championship.
Two additional Ford Fiesta WRCs have also been entered for Lorenzo Bertelli and Janne Tuohino, and Martin Prokop will join Fourmaux for a WRC 2 campaign with the Fiesta Rally2. Rallying is known for pushing boundaries and extremes, and this week will see the team subject to temperatures as low as -30 degrees C. Limited hours of daylight in the Finnish forests will also see some stages run under the cover of darkness ? making the challenge as tough as it will be spectacular!
As man and machine combat the intense conditions, the Fiestas will reach incredible speeds with Pirelli's Sottozero Ice tyres biting through the snow to capture incredible grip on the hard ice below.
The crews can also use the snowbanks to their advantage - guiding their Fiestas through the corners to bolster their speed. But misjudge the art by leaning too hard, and they risk being dragged into the bank with nothing but a snow shovel to dig themselves free!
Arctic Rally Finland has all the making of a true classic, and the team are in the midst of a pre-event test - each driver enjoying a full day at the wheel as they get to grips with the ultimate winter playground and the art of arctic rallying.
24th February, 2021