Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Chicago Auto Show: Ford Fiesta ST Global RallyCross Car and Focus TrackSTer

    By William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    February 6, 2013

    Ford's showing at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show will be about their racing efforts. For starters, Ford will show off 2014 Ford Fiesta ST RallyCross car that will compete in this year's Global RallyCross championship. The Fiesta ST RallyCross car that will be shown was built by Swedish tuner OlsbergsMSE and will be driven by Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan.

    Also being shown at the Chicago Auto will be the Ford Focus TrackSTer. Ford teamed up with gymkhana star Ken Block and the tuner firm fifteen52 to build a Focus ST that appeals to the hardcore enthusiast.

    Source: Ford, fifteen52

    2014 Ford Fiesta ST RallyCross 2
    Album: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST RallyCross
    4 images
    0 comments

    Ford Focus TrackSTer 4
    Album: Ford Focus TrackSTer
    8 images
    0 comments

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected]or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    Press Release is on Page 2 and 3

    Ford Announces Fiesta ST Race Car, Expanded Partnerships for Global RallyCross Championship

    • Ford Racing to introduce new OlsbergsMSE-built Fiesta ST Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) race car based off the new Ford Fiesta ST production car, which goes on sale this summer
    • The OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST GRC cars will be driven by Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan
    • Ford Racing and OlsbergsMSE sign a multiyear manufacturer partnership to build on their back-to-back Global RallyCross Championships and multiple X Games medals
    • Ford driver and 2012 X Games silver medalist Ken Block will also compete in the 2013 Global RallyCross Championship and will introduce his new Fiesta ST GRC car later this year
    • The OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST GRC race car will be on display Thursday and Friday at the Chicago Auto Show
    • Ford announced as sole automotive sponsor for the 2013 summer X Games with RallyCross events at all four global events

    DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 6, 2013 – In many ways the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST is a race car built for the street; Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) fans will soon get an up-close view of the same car built exclusively for competition at the Chicago Auto Show.

    With Ford’s global launch of Fiesta ST under way, Ford Racing will introduce the ST performance badge in the 2013 season of the Global RallyCross Championship and Global X Games events.

    The move is part of an expanded Global RallyCross program for Ford as it capitalizes on the growing popularity of the series and its increased visibility through X Games and some larger-than-life personalities, including Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan and Ken Block.

    The first Fiesta ST GRC cars will debut this season with Block, Deegan and two-time Global RallyCross champion Foust. Foust and Deegan will give performance car enthusiasts and media the first look at the OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST GRC race car this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

    “Global RallyCross has been a great series for us to demonstrate what Ford’s small performance cars can do,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “With great drivers and teams, and now a formal manufacturer partnership with OlsbergsMSE, Ford Racing’s commitment to Global RallyCross is quickly growing. We’re excited about the debut of the Fiesta ST GRC car this year, and it will be fantastic to see Ford’s global performance car compete in four countries around the world this season.”

    To support development of the RallyCross Fiesta ST program, Ford Racing has formalized its manufacturer partnership with OlsbergsMSE, whose credentials include two consecutive GRC driver championships with Foust, and podium finishes at all six rounds in 2012. The team has helped Ford earn GRC manufacturer’s championships in 2011 and 2012.

    OlsbergsMSE will field the Fiesta STs for Foust and Deegan.

    “OlsbergsMSE has a good history developing extreme/RallyCross cars, and with the longer-term manufacturer relationship with Ford and its technical support, together we will develop even stronger RallyCross cars,” said Andreas Eriksson, OlsbergsMSE team principal. “The partnership is exactly what OlsbergsMSE needs to continue to be a winning team in the coming years.

    “There are great teams and manufacturers coming to the series and the sport,” Eriksson continued. “We will have better and tougher competition, and I look forward to the challenge of staying persistent in the development of our cars.

    “Outside of our technical development, we will also be very focused on providing our drivers with the information and input they need to be the best,” Eriksson added. “This is the way our entire OlsbergsMSE program moves forward, together with Ford. To be the best in this extreme sport, hard work and dedication is required from drivers and team.”

    Joining Foust and Deegan to round out Ford’s GRC program is Block and the Hoonigan Racing Division. Block’s strong 2012 Global RallyCross season was highlighted by a silver medal at X Games 18 behind World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, and he posted top two qualifying positions in each of the series’ last four rounds.

    “I’m stoked to be able to say I’m going to be continuing to race Fords in Global RallyCross for the next few years, especially with the four X Games events this summer,” said Block. “For the upcoming 2013 season, my team is taking everything we learned during my rookie season last year and applying it to an all-new RallyCross car. It’s going to be a fun season.”

    The Global RallyCross Championship will have a true global presence in 2013. In addition to five expected North American events, there will be four X Games in 2013 with RallyCross competition. Ford is sole automotive sponsor for all four 2013 summer global X Games, which will include the traditional event in Los Angeles and new venues in Brazil, Spain and Germany.

    “Global RallyCross and X Games allow us to connect with the next generation of Ford customers and a very important group of performance enthusiasts,” said Allison. “They already know Ford for great products like Mustang and Raptor, but are becoming a real force helping drive the growing B- and C-car performance segments.”

    Fiesta success in 2012 Global RallyCross Championship

    • 1-2 finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Marcus Gronholm and Foust
    • Sweep at Texas Motor Speedway with Gronholm, Foust and Deegan
    • Silver and bronze at X Games with Block and Deegan
    • Third-place podium finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Deegan
    • 1-2 finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Foust and Deegan
    • 1-2 finish at SEMA in Las Vegas with Foust and Deegan
    • Foust clinched second-consecutive GRC Championship, followed by Deegan
    • Ford clinched second-consecutive GRC manufacturer’s championship with four first-place finishes and 12 podium appearances

    Protected: Focus TrackSTer Goes To CAS

    Fifteen52 and Project ST Announce CAS Debut for Project Focus TrackSTer

    LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2013 – Los Angeles-based automotive tuner fifteen52, via Project ST, will use the 2013 Chicago Auto Show to debut its Focus TrackSTer project build.

    One of three different Focus ST builds, the TrackSTer is to be the first debut for the Project ST campaign. Project ST is a relationship between fifteen52, Ken Block and Ford. The project goal is to make today’s hot hatch king – the Ford Focus ST – even hotter.

    fifteen52 is excited to bring the Focus TrackSTer to the Chicago Auto Show.

    “Using the CAS venue to debut the TrackSTer is bound to be one of the main highlights for the Project ST campaign,” said Brad Beardow, fifteen52 co-owner. “Chicago, if not the entire Midwest, seems to have more than its fair share of hot-hatch enthusiasts, and there’s just something so right about coming to CAS – in the dead of winter – and unveiling the hottest Focus ST anyone’s seen so far.”

    Since fifteen52 launched Project ST in the late summer of 2012, interest in the campaign has grown tremendously. Regular updates via the project-st.com website have captivated an ever larger group of enthusiasts, and as each of the three cars nears completion, fans throughout the country can look forward to seeing them in person as fifteen52 plans to bring the cars to a variety of 2013 events.

    TrackSTer is a Focus ST that is destined to feel just as at home on a road course as on the way to a road course. Using only top-quality engine, transmission and suspension components, TrackSTer is designed to appeal to the hardcore performance enthusiast.

    Inspired by Ford’s rich global history of small performance cars, fifteen52 has worked closely with Ford Racing to build a Focus ST that pays homage to such cars of the past, while also demonstrating just how far today’s Ford performance envelope can be pushed.

    Said Project ST partner Ken Block, “Teaming up with fifteen52 for this project was an obvious choice for me. They’ve got a great understanding of what’s hot in the small car performance marketplace right now, both from the style perspective and from the performance end of things. With the TrackSTer, they’ve worked closely with both Ford Racing and Mountune to put together a potent package that blends on-road performance with on-track performance. I can’t wait to actually get this car out on a track and put it through the paces.”

    fifteen52 has incorporated the best of the best in constructing the TrackSTer, and trips to the Ford Racing performance well have been numerous, to say the least. A partial list of incorporated parts that will soon be available to all Focus ST enthusiasts includes:

    • Ford Racing short-throw shifter
    • Ford Racing performance exhaust system

    In addition to Ford Racing Performance Parts, components and partners from Ford Racing’s Focus race programs globally have lent their expertise, including:

    • Mountune engine build (using forged rods and pistons)
    • Mountune performance intercooler
    • Mountune upgraded ECU
    • Quaife limited-slip differential (developed for Focus ST-R)
    • Centerforce custom clutch kit (developed for Focus ST-R)
    • Four-piston front caliper front brakes (developed by StopTech for Focus ST-R)
    • Fender flares from Chinese Touring Car Championship Focus

    With such a vast array of race-tested quality performance parts at its disposal, along with access to Ford Racing data, expertise and global strategic relationships, fifteen52 believes it has built what is possibly the ultimate all-around Focus ST with the TrackSTer.

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • ccap41
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By ccap41 · Posted

      My baby Giant Sequoia showed up yesterday, finally. It got lost in transit for about five days.
    • surreal1272
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By surreal1272 · Posted

      Certain Tesla fans: "Elon Musk will be able name his charging price and their superchargers will be everywhere."   Also Elon Musk: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/musk-disbands-tesla-ev-charging-202301433.html
    • daves87rs
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By daves87rs · Posted

      That seems to be the idea that Ford and GM have out here. Plus for most it’s a good try before you buy. I feel that would be the route that I would go too…..
    • trinacriabob
      2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer AWD - one week behind the wheel and its pros and cons

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      I was in a situation where I had rented a car – a category with a trunk – and there weren’t any available.  Their running out of certain categories happens frequently nowadays.  As such, I was assigned a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. This didn’t look like any of the Trailblazers I remember.  For one, it was a lot smaller.  It was also badged as AWD.  I assumed there would be a Chevy 1.5L T I-4 under the hood.  Previous Trailblazers of the New Millennium ran with a 4.1 L I-6, possibly the modernized, aluminized version of the same 250 c.i. I-6 of the last century.  A friend bought one of these in the early 2000’s.  I was once given one by a rental agency and its 4.1L I-6 was incredibly smooth, but given how quickly the fuel gauge headed west, I took it back for an exchange within a day. Before even settling into the car, I looked under the hood to find a 1.3L T 3-cylinder engine.  Three-cylinder engines have become a lot more prevalent in Europe, even in small SUV-CUV types but typically in econoboxes.  As for initial impressions, it looked like the car would be sensible to drive and operate its functions.  This tuned out to be true.  The seats are supportive and comfortable enough, together with some attractive stitching, The materials are not high grade, with the same tougher fabric which might be in the Malibu.  In fact, except for some minor differences, transitioning from a Malibu to a Trailblazer is easy.  The width of the cabin, the gauges and switches, and the urethane steering wheel and its controls are similar.  In fact, in the Trailblazer, some things are better.  The touch screen is engaged in the dash, with the center vents above it, providing for excellent dispersion of what the air conditioner was dishing out - which was very cool.  Further down, the cubby for electronic devices is flatter and larger and the outlets and switches are all linearly arranged next to each other for easy use.  Also, with the inherently higher seating position, the view is better and the shifter and console height are in a more user-friendly position. The exterior sheet metal shows good taste, and the character lines are nicely done.  The front fascia with its lighting set-up is its strong point.  Even the rear taillamps look good as they wrap the rear corners. Returning to mechanical specifications, the transmission was a geared one.  The interwebs and its owner manual revealed this.  If a new Trailblazer is AWD, the transmission is a 9-speed automatic.  If it’s a 2WD, the transmission is a CVT.    This is a very utilitarian and practical package, and it couldn’t be described as refined.  However, the engine is not grainy but its rhythmic but not hushed hum is always present.  When pushed, it just hums more audibly.  The engine does what it’s supposed to do.  With around 140 horsepower, this is not a powerplant with which to riskily pass, sprint up long grades, and think it’s a jackrabbit, despite its having a turbocharger. The transmission is a “humorous” one.  I can’t think of another word.  There’s the expression “children should be seen and not heard.”  In this Trailblazer, it’s more like “children are heard but not seen.”  As the gearbox marches through its 9 gears, the spool-ups are quick and you hear them, but the unit slushes into the next gear as if it was a CVT and you don’t even feel the shifts.  However, if throttled, you will definitely feel the shifts and, in stop and go driving at lower speeds, it can hunt within the first 3 gears and do it in a jerky way.  However, in composed linear driving, the shifts are seamless but the short intervals for each gear, complete with the “sound effects,” was humorous … at least to me. The Trailblazer is a nimble enough vehicle.  It rides fairly smoothly, but can quickly become unsettled.  Its ride quality is not as budget-like as that of the now gone Chevy Spark and Sonic, but not as pleasant as that in the Malibu or even what they were able to accomplish in the final-gen Cruze.  Wind noise is reasonably controlled, but tire and suspension related noises aren’t as effectively soaked up.  The road surface is always being communicated to the cabin, telling you this is not a premium vehicle.  In the CUV-SUV category, I’ve only driven the much larger Chevy Traverse with a 3.6 VVT V6 … and we’re talking two different worlds. With the higher seating position, front and side visibility are good.  The thick rear sail panel makes angled rear visibility challenging.  This seems to be the norm in this typology of vehicles.  This unit did not have parking or side traffic sensors, which are much needed, and a few lane changes were more challenging since I like to mix up looking over my shoulder and using the mirrors.  With the rear seat up, storage space is good … thanks to the Trailblazer’s the boxy shape, and it’s very good with the split rear seat folded forward into the cabin.  It would come in handy to move boxes or a bundle of items.  There was a slot for a rear cover over the storage area, but it was missing.  This is one of the reasons I try to avoid this typology at the rental counter.  The windows are more tinted toward the rear, but I was still not comfortable with that.  The rental agency said ‘but we sell insurance for your personal effects.’  I doubt someone has the time to replace apparel and items that have been purchased over a span of agent while traveling.  Rental agencies don’t do a good job of monitoring this item.  I’m sure that a private owner would keep the retractable cover in its place as needed. Inside, while the controls are logically placed, there is no remote hatch or fuel filler release.  However, if the vehicle is locked, the fuel door cannot be opened.  Fuel consumption can vary a lot and the instant fuel mileage readout will clue in the driver to that.  I set the drivetrain to 2WD and “eco” mode, but it still has to lug around AWD hardware.  The readout goes from unimpressive city driving fuel efficiency to very plausible mileage at steady highway cruise.  The 9-speed automatic allows the Trailblazer with AWD to cruise at 65 mph at about 1,900 rpms.  That’s why it can attain the higher fuel mileage, but it took going to 3 cylinders to attain that. It was very easy to transition to the Trailblazer from several other Chevrolet models, and especially the Malibu.  Thinking of the similarities and differences, the Trailblazer could almost be viewed as a higher sitting and less refined riding 3-cylinder Malibu turned CUV-SUV.  For a consumer at the intersection of needing the packaging this vehicle provides and its price point, the Trailblazer could make sense. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING
    • David
      Item: DFELT First EV - 2024 Kia EV9

      By David · Posted

      Name: DFELT First EV - 2024 Kia EV9 Category: Vehicles Date Added: 2024-04-29 Submitter: David   DFELT First EV - 2024 Kia EV9  

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings