Ken Block’s Monster Ford Fiesta ready for race debut at Rally America Sno*Drift

Ken Block's Monster Ford Fiesta Racecar

DEARBORN, Mich. : January 29, 2010 – The all-new Ford Fiesta is fun to drive, but for Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block, fun takes on a different meaning.


When you spend your time dreaming up ways to push your rally car to new limits and create stunts that will create the next “must see” YouTube video, fun is a mixture of horsepower, race fuel and adrenaline. This weekend, Block and his newly formed Monster World Rally Team will debut their Ford Fiesta Rally America program at Sno*Drift in Atlanta, Mich. as they demonstrate their definition of fun.

Block and the Monster World Rally Team will campaign seven rally events in North America in 2010 for Ford, including the Summer X Games in August. Block will pilot a 2011 Ford Fiesta based on the race-winning European Rallycross Fiesta prepared by Olsbergs Motorsports Evolution.

“I am very excited to finally be in the Fiesta,” said Block. “The Fiesta is the car that beat me last summer at X Games. Ford has a great platform with the Fiesta, and I can’t wait to see what I can do in the Rally America championship and at the X Games later this year.”

Fiesta’s North American racing debut came at the 2009 Summer X Games where it took the Gold in rally competition. Block's 2.0-liter turbocharged Fiesta, modified to the Open Class specification for Rally America, is capable of producing over 490 hp at 8,000 rpm, but due to a required turbo-inlet restrictor by the series, the Fiesta will be running in the range of 330 hp.

Block, who will be co-driven by Italian Alessandro Gelsomino, will tackle all six rounds of the Rally America series in his Fiesta, which will be backed by Monster Energy Drink and Ford. His North American program will culminate at X Games 16 in Los Angeles in early August.

“Ford has a long, winning tradition in European rally and with Ken Block and Fiesta, we’re bringing that to North America for fans to experience first hand,” said Jamie Alison, director, Ford North American Motorsports. “There will be a little bit of rally in every Fiesta. It’s the right form of motorsports to showcase the driving dynamics of Fiesta.” Allison continued, "What people need to remember, as Ken races down the course this weekend, his car started off as a production vehicle. It is a true testament to the capability built into every Ford Fiesta.”

[Source : FORD]

Subaru Road Racing Team Debuts New Impreza WRX STI at Daytona Raceway

Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) Impreza WRX STI racecar

CHERRY HILL, N.J. : January 29, 2010 - Subaru of America, Inc. opened the 2010 road race season today with a strong 15th place finish out of 41 entries in the Grand Sport class of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series at the Daytona Raceway. The Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) is fielding two Impreza WRX STI racecars in the series this year. SRRT campaigned a single Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B in the series' Street Tuner class in 2009, taking second in both the Drivers' and Team Championships, along with 3rd in the Manufacturer chase.


Four-time Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Touring 1 Northeast Champion Andrew Aquilante, from Chester Springs, Penn., will lead the Subaru road racing effort for 2010. He is in his third year driving for Subaru. Aquilante achieved nine top-ten finishes to complete 2009 tied for 2nd in the Drivers' Championship. Bret Spaude of St. Petersburg, Fla. has joined SRRT as Aquilante's teammate. Spaude finished 2009 seventh in points in the Grand Am ST class and is a two-time SCCA Regional title holder. Each driver is seeking his first Grand-Am win.

The 2010 Impreza WRX STI is the ultimate-performance Subaru, powered by a 305-horsepower turbocharged/intercooled Boxer engine and featuring driver-selectable powertrain and dynamic handling controls for world-class sports car performance. The WRX STI is built exclusively as an aggressively styled, wide-fender 5-door model with a design strongly influenced by the brand's competition heritage. Its drivetrain, which is exclusive to the WRX STI model, combines a six-speed manual transmission with the advanced Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) version of Subaru Symmetrical All Wheel Drive. High-performance chassis elements include aluminum suspension components and a Brembo(®) Performance Brake System.

Since 2009, the SRRT has been managed by SRRT Phoenix, LLC, through Joe Aquilante from Phoenix Performance, Inc. in Phoenixville, Penn. The senior Aquilante is a multiple race and title-winner in various series across different classes.

[Source : SUBARU]