Ford Racing, one of Castol EDGE’s main motorsport partners, has revealed the livery and team colours for the new Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car that will compete in the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship. The car was seen for the first time at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, motorsport’s traditional start-of-season showcase event.

The Team will continue to be sponsored by Castrol EDGE and our branding will feature prominently in the Fiesta RS WRC’s new livery, as it did in 2011.

FORD AND CASTROL EDGE ARE READY TO RACE

The Fiesta RS World Rally Car, with its four wheel-drive transmission and 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine will once again spearhead Ford’s challenge in the 2012 and 2013 championships. The car, based on the best-selling Fiesta road car, claimed a clean sweep of the podium in both the first and final rounds of its debut season last year.

A NEW LINE UP BEHIND THE WHEEL

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila, who topped the world rankings for special stage victories in 2011 and won the final round of the championship in Rally GB last season, are confirmed as team leaders for 2012.  

They will be partnered by former world champion Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson, who have signed a one-year agreement to drive the Team’s second Fiesta RS WRC in all 13 rounds. The experienced Solberg won the world title in 2003 and the 37-year-old Norwegian has 13 world rally wins to his name. It will be his second stint with Ford, having launched his world rally career with the Team in 1999.

A STRONG PARTNERSHIP 

Donald Smith, sponsorship manager, Castrol Global Marketing Unit commented:

“The strength of Castrol EDGE, helps to ensure maximum engine performance, and will help give Jari-Matti and Petter the freedom to demand that performance again and again, hundreds of times in a stage.”

Gerard Quinn, Ford Racing’s senior manager for motorsport, said:

“We have a great partnership with M-Sport and its leader, Malcolm Wilson, and great technical partners in Castrol. Our strong driver line-up includes Jari-Matti Latvala, recognised as one of motorsport’s rising stars. Already regarded by many as the fastest driver in WRC, during 2011 year showed consistency and expertise on all surfaces.“

We also caught up with Malcolm Wilson, Team Director and M-Sport Managing Director:

Q&A – Malcolm Wilson, Team Director and M-Sport Managing Director

To mark the unveiling of the new look Fiesta RS, we caught up with Malcolm Wilson to discuss the challenges for the Ford team for the 2012 season.

What’s the history of Castrol and Ford’s WRC collaboration?

Castrol and Ford have worked together for many decades but started to collaborate in partnership in 2003 as a way of developing, testing and optimising the combination of car and engine oil technologies. WRC involvement started as an extension of the BP-Ford cooperation and resulted in excellent wins in 2006 and 2007, and closely fought second places in 2008, 2009 and 2011 in which the championship went down to the final round of the season with Mikko Hirvonen still competing for the title.

From a technical point of view, how important is the partnership between Castrol and Ford?

The partnership is a demonstration of what close collaboration can achieve in product development. By using our strengths in innovation and technology, pushing the boundaries of performance and sharing expertise, we can drive future automotive and lubricants technology.

For example, Castrol has developed a range of bespoke Castrol EDGE lubricants technologies specifically for the Ford Fiesta RS WRC to provide maximum performance and protection in one of the world’s most demanding motorsport environments. This includes performance engine and transmission oils, brake fluids, coolants and various other fluids applications.

With Jari-Matti Latvala now team leader and Petter Solberg coming in, how confident are you about the new driver combination for 2012?

Last year was a strong year for the Team after finishing runners up in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships. Obviously Mikko Hirvonen did a great job for Ford over the past six years but in Jari-Matti we have one of the up and coming stars of WRC and we believe he can flourish as lead driver in 2012. Already seen by many as one of the fastest drivers on the circuit, he showed last year that he can perform at a consistently high level on any surface. Mikko’s replacement, former world champion Petter Solberg, brings a wealth of experience to a well-balanced line up that is more than capable of pushing hard for the championship this season.

What are your expectations and hopes for 2012; what will a successful season be for you?

The performance of the Fiesta RS WRC was very good on all surfaces last season so I’m genuinely excited by what we can achieve in 2012. Obviously we want to be challenging for titles and with the Team and driver combination we have I am confident we can do just that. Having the technical expertise of partners Castrol EDGE also ensures that we are in a strong position going into the start of the season.

Like to take a spin in a Ford Rally Fiesta? Try our 360° video