Ford Focus Global Touring Car to Debut in Geneva

Ford will see the first touring race car based on the new Focus debut at this year’s edition of the Geneva Auto Show, with the vehicle set to make its track debut in just a few weeks, in the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

The race car has been developed by Arena Motorsport, which received technical support from Ford.

“Developed by Arena Motorsport with technical support from Ford, it is the first car to emerge from a global initiative by Ford to support private teams around the globe in developing one common race car to S2000 specification, to help private teams win major touring car categories worldwide. The first application appears on the track only a few weeks after the road-going Ford Focus will be on sale to customers across Europe and North America,” stated the press release.

The vehicle will be introduced to the racing world by Team Aon, who is expected to take part in all the 10 rounds of the 2011 British Touring Car Championship. The car will use a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine to meet current local regulations, instead of the the 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost unit that will be used by other teams in Championships in line with international FIA regulations.

"The teamwork has resulted in a global technical platform for racing using a common Focus with a safety cage built to FIA regulations – a competitive platform that can be tailored for regional competition, based on different rules," said Jost Capito, director of Ford Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development.

autoevolution will be attending the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions presented at the event.