[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[Watson]

I know what you're saying, but the Mk2 RS also had unique body panels as well as the suspension etc. Although made on the standard production-line this still cost money and a saving had to be made elsewhere... hence the FWD. Plus they didnt have a suitable platform for 4WD either.

Now people may love the Mk3 RS for its 4WD, but the saving has this time been made via its looks, ie. it's just a basic 5-door Focus with no wide-arches or vents.

This was disappointment to me as an RS should look like an RS.

[sorry for the OT]

[hopefully the last OT]

Yeah you're making sense.

Though I can really live with the rather dull interior as long as it handles like an RS should and the benchmark for that is the Escort Cosworth. RS cars should be rally oriented and that absolutely has to include AWD, for me anyway.

I think the reason the Mk3 looks a bit tame on the outside is that it is sold worldwide hence it has to please a wider spectrum of tastes whereas the Mk2 was only sold in Europe.

I'll shut up about it now, promise.

[GigiGalliNo1]

There is no more Polo R, it's the Polo GTI backed by VW

[Lundefaret]

I'm sorry if I go completely off topic here but when the Mk2 Focus RS was released I was rather upset they strapped a 305 PS engine to a FWD-drivetrain - for the sake of cost. While the whole revo-knuckle affair was working rather okay you couldn't get too mad but still I guess people happily would have paid the extra dough on AWD.

I don't blame Capito on it but I hate this whole save-money-no-matter-at-what-cost-mentality.

Look how much love the Mk3 RS receives. It's all in those four powered wheels

[/rant]

Capito also did the Focus ST (it was supposed to be a dolphin, and the RS a shark), and I was lucky enough to be on the launches of both.
ST launch was at Paul Ricard, which is surrounded by some great driving roads.
It was off course also track driving, Henning Solberg was present in the Norwegian day.
The launch was one of the best I ever attended as it also featured (for test driving), an RS200 (road version), 3dr Sierra Cosworth, Puma (wide fender one that I have forgotten the name of, but a very exiting car to drive), an MK1 from Rally Mexico, but with a high power BDA engine, and I think more. Toni Gardermaister did carry on rides in a Fiesta ST track car (and was very close to rolling with me onboard).
And the ST it self, with that nice five cylinder howl, was very, very good.

RS launch was in Nice, with driving in the mountains. Me and a colleague did some inspired driving for the the camera. A car stopped. And out came a police officer. Since I have already spent time in jail for speeding, I saw a future locked up in France. He wanted us to follow him. He stopped in the closest small town, outside a small garage where there was a Renault rally car (FWD with turbo, but bigger then a 5). Turned out he was a rally driver!

Best part comes now: he took along his father in the slicks shod rally car to a twisty and steep mountain road. He wanted a race!
Father went in the RS, and we took turns driving the RS and passenger the Red Renault. RS was a fantastic car on these roads, and actually faster then the rally car.

On the way back to Nice we were running late for the plane, so I had to step on it on the freeway. Now I got stopped by a police car and a police van. Heart was thumping, because the speeds we had been doing was all other than sober.
Turned out the father if one of the 10 or so Police men that got out of the van had a MK1 Focus RS, and was wondering about buying an MK2. They looked at the all new car, and even told us to go for it and launch the car hard when we were let away.

Good times 😊

[Arnold Triyudho Wardono]

Capito also did the Focus ST (it was supposed to be a dolphin, and the RS a shark), and I was lucky enough to be on the launches of both.
ST launch was at Paul Ricard, which is surrounded by some great driving roads.
It was off course also track driving, Henning Solberg was present in the Norwegian day.
The launch was one of the best I ever attended as it also featured (for test driving), an RS200 (road version), 3dr Sierra Cosworth, Puma (wide fender one that I have forgotten the name of, but a very exiting car to drive), an MK1 from Rally Mexico, but with a high power BDA engine, and I think more. Toni Gardermaister did carry on rides in a Fiesta ST track car (and was very close to rolling with me onboard).
And the ST it self, with that nice five cylinder howl, was very, very good.

RS launch was in Nice, with driving in the mountains. Me and a colleague did some inspired driving for the the camera. A car stopped. And out came a police officer. Since I have already spent time in jail for speeding, I saw a future locked up in France. He wanted us to follow him. He stopped in the closest small town, outside a small garage where there was a Renault rally car (FWD with turbo, but bigger then a 5). Turned out he was a rally driver!

Best part comes now: he took along his father in the slicks shod rally car to a twisty and steep mountain road. He wanted a race!
Father went in the RS, and we took turns driving the RS and passenger the Red Renault. RS was a fantastic car on these roads, and actually faster then the rally car.

On the way back to Nice we were running late for the plane, so I had to step on it on the freeway. Now I got stopped by a police car and a police van. Heart was thumping, because the speeds we had been doing was all other than sober.
Turned out the father if one of the 10 or so Police men that got out of the van had a MK1 Focus RS, and was wondering about buying an MK2. They looked at the all new car, and even told us to go for it and launch the car hard when we were let away.

Good times

You mean R11 Turbo..? Since Megane & Clio are NA..

Sent from my A12 using Tapatalk

[Arnold Triyudho Wardono]

Capito also did the Focus ST (it was supposed to be a dolphin, and the RS a shark), and I was lucky enough to be on the launches of both.
ST launch was at Paul Ricard, which is surrounded by some great driving roads.
It was off course also track driving, Henning Solberg was present in the Norwegian day.
The launch was one of the best I ever attended as it also featured (for test driving), an RS200 (road version), 3dr Sierra Cosworth, Puma (wide fender one that I have forgotten the name of, but a very exiting car to drive), an MK1 from Rally Mexico, but with a high power BDA engine, and I think more. Toni Gardermaister did carry on rides in a Fiesta ST track car (and was very close to rolling with me onboard).
And the ST it self, with that nice five cylinder howl, was very, very good.

RS launch was in Nice, with driving in the mountains. Me and a colleague did some inspired driving for the the camera. A car stopped. And out came a police officer. Since I have already spent time in jail for speeding, I saw a future locked up in France. He wanted us to follow him. He stopped in the closest small town, outside a small garage where there was a Renault rally car (FWD with turbo, but bigger then a 5). Turned out he was a rally driver!

Best part comes now: he took along his father in the slicks shod rally car to a twisty and steep mountain road. He wanted a race!
Father went in the RS, and we took turns driving the RS and passenger the Red Renault. RS was a fantastic car on these roads, and actually faster then the rally car.

On the way back to Nice we were running late for the plane, so I had to step on it on the freeway. Now I got stopped by a police car and a police van. Heart was thumping, because the speeds we had been doing was all other than sober.
Turned out the father if one of the 10 or so Police men that got out of the van had a MK1 Focus RS, and was wondering about buying an MK2. They looked at the all new car, and even told us to go for it and launch the car hard when we were let away.

Good times

You mean 11 Turbo..? Since Megane & Clio are NA..

Sent from my A12 using Tapatalk

[AdvEvo]

I have owned a focus rs mk3. I sold it after a few weeks.

Why? Because if you leftfoot brake the awd system disconnects the rear drive.

You are better off with an subaru sti. Which is a pure mechanical 4wd system. No electronic so called torque vectoring system. That s luxery word for braking the spinning wheels.

Vw is even worse with there haldex system. Understeer E lsd. Braking wheels electronic. Throttle and brake you can not use together. I have had an audi rs3 what a piece of junk!

There are almost no pure 4wd street cars anymore.

The mitsubishi evo RS was the best you could buy for the road and came close to a real rallycar

[Lundefaret]

You mean R11 Turbo..? Since Megane & Clio are NA..

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Yes, it was a red R11 turbo, thanks 😊
And if any French forum reader knows a policeman tarmac rallying a red R11 turbo, and lives in a small town in the mountains north if Nice (might have been on the Route Napoleon, I don't remember), then it's him, because it can't be more than one 😊

[Walach]

I have owned a focus rs mk3. I sold it after a few weeks.

Why? Because if you leftfoot brake the awd system disconnects the rear drive.

You are better off with an subaru sti. Which is a pure mechanical 4wd system. No electronic so called torque vectoring system. That s luxery word for braking the spinning wheels.

Vw is even worse with there haldex system. Understeer E lsd. Braking wheels electronic. Throttle and brake you can not use together. I have had an audi rs3 what a piece of junk!

There are almost no pure 4wd street cars anymore.

The mitsubishi evo RS was the best you could buy for the road and came close to a real rallycar

Looking for pure 4wd street car, I have recently bought Pulsar GTiR. Hope it'll do the trick.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

You mean 11 Turbo..? ..

Definitely a R11 Turbo - I had one back in the day, and in red... cracking car !

Maybe the rally car was this one...

[Watson]

Maybe we should start a thread called 'Road Cars Us Rally Nerds Like' or something.