FST CHAMPIONS CLAIM THEIR PRIZE

FST CHAMPIONS CLAIM THEIR PRIZE

Posted: December 2, 2014 12:10 PM

Various Ford Fiesta Sport Trophy (FST) regional champions will travel to M-Sport HQ this week as they claim their prize – a test drive in one of M-Sport’s globally successful rally cars.

The champions were amongst the most impressive young drivers in their respective regions, displaying a blend a speed and consistency throughout the season. Competitors from Latvia, Finland, Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands and The United Kingdom will make the journey to the northern edge of the English Lake District, eager to show their potential behind the wheel of M-Sport’s latest challenger – the Ford Fiesta R5+.

M-Sport has had a vested interest in nurturing young talent since launching the FST concept in association with Ford back in 2006. The series has found some impressive talent over the years including M-Sport World Rally Team driver Elfyn Evans.

Evans used Ford and M-Sport’s ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ to best effect on his journey to the sport’s highest league. The Welshman contested the UK’s FST series in 2007 and became a double FST Champion – in both the UK and Ireland – the following year.

Having stepped up to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2012, he became the FIA WRC Academy Champion which brought with it a season in the WRC’s premier support series. After an impressive four-wheel-drive debut, he was granted a chance at the top-flight and has this year piloted a top-specification Ford Fiesta RS WRC for the M-Sport World Rally Team.

The numerous FST series on offer provide the perfect starter championship for any young driver looking to make their mark on world rallying and M-Sport will be looking forward to discovering what could be another potential WRC contender next week.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“The Ford Fiesta Sport Trophy concept has proven itself to be a great way of discovering new talent and I hope to see some more impressive young drivers come to the fore next week. It is no secret that M-Sport thrives on nurturing the talent of the sport’s future stars and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next crop of drivers can do.”

THE CHAMPIONS:

Ralfs Sirmacis – FST Latvia Champion
Teemu Suninen – FST Finland Champion
Thibault Radoux – FST Belgium Champion
Cristian García – FST Spain Champion
Kevin Van Deijne – FST Netherlands Champion
Calvin Beattie – FST UK Champion