M-SPORT BEWARE AS FIESTA RALLY3-RIVALLING CLIO BREAKS COVER
The first car to rival M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 has been unleashed – with Formula 1 engineers involved in the design of the all-new machine.
Renault’s Clio Rally3 is only the second car built to the FIA’s affordable fourwheel-drive regulations to break cover and will bring much-needed impetus to the category, which has yet to the attract the major interest it was expected to at regional and national level.
Since May, Renault has been testing its challenger to the Fiesta with development running concluding in Spain late last month after 2795 miles were covered on asphalt and gravel. The
Clio Rally3 is the work of engineers at Renault’s ViryChatillon motorsport HQ south of Paris, its Alpine manufacturer base in Dieppe and the Alpine F1 factory in Enstone. It’s set to be officially unveiled in Andorra on January 15 with the homologation process due to be completed in April.
M-Sport Poland unveiled its Fiesta-based Rally3 contender in December 2020 ahead of Estonian driver Ken Torn giving the car a debut win on a Finnish event in March 2021. It’s used as the base car for the Junior WRC Championship and is highly regarded by JWRC ace Jon Armstrong.