Suspension deal for Ford Focus RS WRC.

Ford Rallye Sports' FIA World Rally Championship programme and the many M-Sport customers throughout Europe and the Middle East will benefit from a new collaboration between M-Sport Limited and German suspension spring specialist H&R.

"Through the official manufacturers entries and the many M-Sport Customer programmes Ford Focus RS world rally cars feature in events all over the world, from smooth Italian tarmac rallies through to the Middle East Championship which provides some of the worlds toughest conditions," said M-Sport Technical Director, Christian Loriaux.

Suspension deal for Ford Focus RS WRC.

Ford Rallye Sports' FIA World Rally Championship programme and the many M-Sport customers throughout Europe and the Middle East will benefit from a new collaboration between M-Sport Limited and German suspension spring specialist H&R.

"Through the official manufacturers entries and the many M-Sport Customer programmes Ford Focus RS world rally cars feature in events all over the world, from smooth Italian tarmac rallies through to the Middle East Championship which provides some of the worlds toughest conditions," said M-Sport Technical Director, Christian Loriaux.

Responsible for the design and build of all Ford Focus world rally cars, Mr Loriaux said the new agreement with H&R will see all vehicles built by the company carrying H&R product.

"Therefore with such a wide range of requirements it's important that our engineering and technical team can work very closely with our suspension specialists to ensure the needs of all our customers can be met. During the development process our requirements for more suspension travel, spring characteristic, lowest weight and minimum space has to be realized as quickly as possible and at the highest quality level, and H&R, with their flexibility of production and technical expertise will help us ensure that we can do that," said Loriaux.

Joe Frettloh, head of spring development and motorsport department at H&R agrees that no other kind of motorsport puts as big a demand on suspension springs as rallying and believes the new collaboration with M-Sport will provide valuable research and testing opportunities for his company also.

"New spring materials, production technologies and reliability can be tested in fast motion, because the stress level a rally spring has to survive in just one rally is comparable to the entire duration of usual road car springs. So it is the ideal proving ground."

Mr Frettloh said the addition of the new relationship with M-Sport and Ford Rallye Sport would add enormous value, particularly in research and development alongside his companies' involvement in the DTM, V8STAR, GT, Formula and other Championships.

"It will be exciting, not only being involved with one of the top teams, but in the World Rally Championship itself, with its growing media and spectator interest all over the world," he concluded.

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