After a 27-year absence, the ‘RS’ badge is back in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), represented by the new Ford Focus RS that debuted at the Autosport International Show.
Designed and built in-house by Motorbase during the closed off-season, the racer wants to pick up where the Sierra Cosworth RS500 left off, so it will take to the track in full race trim.
“I’m a Ford fan through and through. The RS is in my DNA from when I raced RS Cosworths back in the day, so I’m over the moon to bring them back to the BTCC as part of the Motorsport stable”, said Team Principal David Bartrum. “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 chief added that work on the car included much more than “updating a few bumpers”, as “a lot of development work has gone into this car, and we’re confident that the improvements will show on track”.
The new Ford Focus RS BTCC racer will head to the track officially next month, when the squad will commence its pre-season testing program in Spain, wearing the distinctive yellow and red Shredded Wheat branding and Gallagher Insurance decals.
Responsible for making Motorbase’s ambitions real is Tom Chilton, who was signed for the 2018 campaign, and the team is expected to announce their second driver soon.
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