Ken Block and teammate Andreas Bakkerud are set to race their new Ford Focus RS RX at this season’s Bompiso Rallycross in Portugal.
The Bompiso circuit presents a unique challenge for race engineers: at 1,800 metres above sea level, it is the highest event on the World RX calendar and engines need to be finely tuned to deal with the high altitude.
The new rallycross optimised vehicles are all-wheel drive and tuned to 447kW (600hp). According to Hoonigan, the RS RX should be capable of sprinting from a 0-97km/h (60 mph) in less than two seconds.
The Focus RS RX development was a global collaboration between Ford Performance, Block’s Hoonigan Racing Division and U.K.-based M-Sport.
Hoonigan is one of twenty-three teams that will go head-to-head in Portugal over four qualifying sessions, two semi-finals, and one final.
The team is set to qualify on Saturday April 16 from 14:00-15:45 CET, while the semi-finals will take place on Sunday April 17 at 10:30 and 11:30 CET. Sunday’s final will be at 15:00 CET.