OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta ST Annihilates Swedish Snowmen in Spectacular New Ford Racing Video

[Ford Fiesta News]

[video=youtube;5lgR_f120e0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lgR_f120e0[/video]
In preparation for the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship and FIA World Rallycross Championship seasons, OlsbergsMSE (OMSE) drivers recently took part in a pre-season test session with the rallycross-spec Fiesta ST in Kall, Sweden, and Ford Racing had cameras rolling to capture the spectacular winter test.

OMSE team owner, Andreas Eriksson, led the test, placing an emphasis on developing his talented drivers. ?Everything is about what you have on the track. Developing the car is one thing, but the most important thing is developing the driver,? said Eriksson.

Ford OMSE drivers Andreas Bakkerud and Patrik Sandell both put the Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST through its paces on the snow and ice covered terrain. While the drivers? main priority was testing in the car to prepare for the 2014 seasons, they still managed to make time for a little fun. The drivers and their Fiesta ST went head-to-head with not one, but two, snowmen.

Eriksson?s philosophy and Ford Racing?s technical alliance have proven to be a successful combination, resulting in three consecutive GRC championships heading into the 2014 season.

The championship caliber Olsbergs MSE team will kick off their 2014 FIA World Rallycross season in Portugal on May 3-4 and the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross season on May 18 in Barbados.

 

[scotman]

The Olsberg Fiesta is entertaining to watch. But, it is not any more of a genuine fiesta than a NASCAR ford Fusion is a like a normal Fusion. I look at these quarter million dollar "Fiestas" as a kind of high tech/high performance AWD dune buggy. They get way more attention than they deserve. Or, the average Fiesta owner could view it this way, Ford could have probably provided the U.S. Buyer with T/C shutoff and a proper "sport package" that included a limited slip diff and decent lowering springs as a factory option for less than half what it cost to sponsor the clown car Fiestas! Thats stuff the BUYER can use, not just watch on youtube.

 

[Mike]

The Olsberg Fiesta is entertaining to watch. But, it is not any more of a genuine fiesta than a NASCAR ford Fusion is a like a normal Fusion. I look at these quarter million dollar "Fiestas" as a kind of high tech/high performance AWD dune buggy. They get way more attention than they deserve. Or, the average Fiesta owner could view it this way, Ford could have probably provided the U.S. Buyer with T/C shutoff and a proper "sport package" that included a limited slip diff and decent lowering springs as a factory option for less than half what it cost to sponsor the clown car Fiestas! Thats stuff the BUYER can use, not just watch on youtube.

I agree with this, would be a lot more entertaining to watch something that an average person can do to their Fiesta with a reasonable budge.

 

[scotman]

Yup. Hours later i had some second thoughts about that post. I did not intend for it to be negative toward Prorally or fiestas in motorsports. It.s Simply (or not so simply) That the buyers of small performance cars are very different from that of a traditional pony car buyer in that a fwd car with M/T has never been viewed as desirable or performance oriented. So, it's resale values are generally near that of dog crap. Ford has been takin a real beating with the Focus ST requiring a big rebate to move them. The Fiestas I have seen setting on lots are loaded with options. These early ST's are damn near 30k. That is not a small expense. If a potential buyer is concerned with resale value, he should just either forget about that little issue or walk away. A manual transmission Mustang buyer is not concerned with resale, because it's not an issue. I guess to sum it up, I just do not understand exactly what an "exhibition Fiesta" is supposed to do for me. Will it make me run out to purchase a new Fiesta, or a computer game featuring ken block??

 

[scotman]

Postscript: I must admit an error in my post regarding the estimated cost of a WRC Fiesta. My best educated guess was off by about 100%. The July 2014 issue of Car& Driver magazine has quoted the cost of Ken Blocks Fiesta at $600,000 dollars. Not sure if thats in USD , Yuans or yen. I had guessed that at least some of the car body was actual Fiesta to keep the cost down. Nope, she's all carbon fiber. I would love to see the budget for the Fiesta promotion on a white board and have someone with a degree in marketing explain to me how any of this expense increases sales of Fiesta. It was a top seller in europe long before this came along. I would have prefered more "zip" in the base fiesta than just seeing a few cartoon cars in videos. I can totally understand the popularity of prorally videos. I just wonder how long it will take for Ford to see that there is almost no connection between youtube views and buying customers who actually drive away in a new Fiesta. I have been to several pro rallies and worked sweep in a couple of Sowdrift rallies, They are poor spectator events due to the fact everyone is kept well back from the active courses. The best seat to view a rally is from your livingroom recliner.