FIESTA ONE-MAKE TO IRISH TARMAC

M-sport has launched a singlemake championship for its new Ford Fiesta R2 National in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship next year.

The R2 National is a cheaper version of its R2T, with a different ECU and more cost effective parts.

The series will take in six rounds, with four best scores counting. A control tyre has been confirmed, but M-sport and the series will announce the tyre supplier and a prize structure in due course.

The single-make series couples with two other prizes offered by M-sport in the ITRC. If a Ford wins the overall ITRC, the crew receive a works-backed entry into a round of the British Rally Championship. The other prize on offer is a test in an R5 car, offered to the winner of the ITRC junior category.

“There’s no doubt the Tarmac championship has a good relationship with M-sport and Malcolm,” said David Gray of the Irish Tarmac Championship. “There’s not anybody else offering us this sort of prize.”

One of the sticking points of the national-spec cars like the Fiesta and the Opel Adam Cup is that they can’t enter international events and certain championships because they aren’t homologated. M-sport’s Andrew Wheatley confirmed to MN that this wasn’t the case.

“The car can be homologated with the nationalspec providing it has the bag tank,” he said. “So the idea is that the kit we are advertising can run in R2 classes.”

CAR

Ford Fiesta R5 Darrian T9 GTR Ford Escort Mk2 Ford Escort Mk2 Ford Escort Mk2 Ford Escort Mk2 Peugeot 306 Maxi Mitsubishi Lancer E4 Renault Clio 172 Cup Ford Escort Mk2