Page 1 of 1 While the Ford Focus RS WRC rally car for 2002 looks much like the 2001 model, beneath that now familiar exterior, every aspect of the car's design and engineering has undergone minute scrutiny by the Ford Rallye Sport team's engineers driven by three goals - to make the latest version of the Focus lighter, stronger and faster. The 2002 Focus sports a completely new design of bonnet with an additional air-intake and repositioned vents to improve the under-bonnet airflow, reduce engine bay temperatures, and provide a stronger flow of cooler air to the engine air-intake. Under new FIA rules, all WRC rally cars must be fitted with a rear-view mirror on both doors for 2002 so, combined with the new headlamp units incorporating the turn indicators, the rally car will look even more like its road-going Ford sister car. The rally car's headlamp units are now made from carbon fibre to save weight and are also more compact, freeing space behind them in the engine bay to enhance air circulation. The entire electronics system on the 2002 Focus is all-new and designed by the Ford-owned electronics group Pi Research which now has its own department in-house at the Ford Rallye Sport team base in Cumbria. That integration gives a much faster response time, with hardware and software changes demanded by rally team engineers produced in double-quick time. The integration extends to all the electronic equipment a rally team needs off the car, with Pi supplying the software that engineers need to analyse the data downloaded from the rally car. The Brembo brakes used on the 2002 Focus look the same as last year but feature new materials to save weight, while the braking system (which is purely mechanical and has no servo-assistance) employs lessons learned by Brembo while supporting the USA's CART single-seater circuit racing series and should give improved braking and consistency of pedal feel with greater resistance to fade at high temperatures. Pirelli Tyres mounted on OZ wheels will again be used throughout 2002. As before, 18 inch diameter wheels will be used on asphalt rallies, 15 inch on gravel events, with special narrow rims for snow-covered stages in Monte Carlo and Sweden. Page 1 of 1
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While the Ford Focus RS WRC rally car for 2002 looks much like the 2001 model, beneath that now familiar exterior, every aspect of the car's design and engineering has undergone minute scrutiny by the Ford Rallye Sport team's engineers driven by three goals - to make the latest version of the Focus lighter, stronger and faster.