RE: Ford RS returns to the BTCC

Thursday 11th January

Ford RS returns to the BTCC

Motorbase has upgraded its Shredded Wheat Focus ST to a Shredded Wheat RS for 2018 - here it is!

Today sees the first bit of good news as far as BTCC 2018 goes, with the unveiling of Motorbase's new championship challenger. Yes, the Shredded Wheat livery has remained, but the car has now been upgraded from a Focus ST to an RS - a welcome return for an iconic touring car nameplate. Of course it's not quite how things used to be, the upgrade merely cosmetic rather than heralding the launch of a new homologation special, but it's interesting motorsport news nonetheless.

Team Principal Dave Bartrum said of the new look: "The RS styling suits the BTCC bodywork so well, the styling is really aggressive and has given the Focus a whole new look. The team has done an excellent job over the winter, it's not just been a case of updating a few bumpers, a lot of development work has gone into this car and we're confident that the improvements will show on track." Again the car will use a Mountune-built 2.0-litre turbo engine, with testing to commence in Spain next month ahead of the Brands Hatch season opener on April 8th.

But, well, seeing as this marks the return of the RS badge to British touring cars, we would be remiss not to revisit what made the old fast Fords so iconic. Who can forget that sensational race between Soper and Rouse at Brands Hatch that we so love on PH? See as well this incredible race at the Birmingham Superprix and the copious oversteer on show at Donington in 1988. All featuring RS Sierras of some kinds, all fantastic displays of tin-top racing. If the new Focus RS can help recreate a spectacle even half as exciting then we'll be in for a great season.

Am I correct in assuming they have done this to be able to go rear wheel drive?

Still fwd due to how the engine is mounted. They’ve done this because he RS bumpers offer more aero and have that rear diffuser that they can use unlike the old bumpers. It won’t be a massive difference but every little helps

Exactly. Great bumper to bumper sport. Lots of contact too. Is brilliant to watch live. Tickets already bought for Thruxton.

I find BTTC both highly entertaining (maybe for the wrong reasons) and intensely frustrating at the same time. A lot of races last year had an air of bumper cars or a destruction derby with a lot of blatant dirty driving and the impression of a large portion of bias on the part of the series organisers.

It's still massively better than F1 and I'll continue to watch and follow it but surely they can do better.

Exactly. Great bumper to bumper sport. Lots of contact too. Is brilliant to watch live. Tickets already bought for Thruxton.

I find BTTC both highly entertaining (maybe for the wrong reasons) and intensely frustrating at the same time. A lot of races last year had an air of bumper cars or a destruction derby with a lot of blatant dirty driving and the impression of a large portion of bias on the part of the series organisers.

It's still massively better than F1 and I'll continue to watch and follow it but surely they can do better.

Totally agree with the 'dirty driving' sentiment. I caught a few races last year and the plan seemed to be, sit behind the leader until the last lap, then punt him off at the last corner with a blatant shoulder barge and go on to win.

For too long now, BTCC has seemed like a bunch of well-to-do kids who developed their racing skills on the playstation, rather than the track.

They could all take a huge lesson from the V8 supercar series in Aus. Whilst there is contact in the racing down under, the vast majority of the time the drivers give each other space. This leads to some amazing overtakes that last up to 3-4 corners, with door handle to door handle racing at 100 mph+.

I get that this is front page on PH but don’t get the absence of a proper story on the new Ginetta LMP1

It's on the way, sorry! Rather a busy day on Thursday...

What about the launch of the WRC? I thought the whole premise of launching it at the Autosport Show was to generate interest? Apart from the usual suspects, I;e rally forums and rally journalists, I've seen very little.