Ford All Set To Retain Rally Championship Title in 2005
FORD RACING TEAM SET TO DEFEND TITLE
Shah Alam, March 2, 2005 – The Ford Racing team is all set to defend its title in the Malaysian Rally Championship this year after emerging 1st Overall Champions in the Non-Homologated Category Above 2001cc in the Malaysian Rally Championship last year.
The Ford Racing Team is owned by Ford Malaysia and has been actively involved in motor sports for the last two years. The team comprises driver, Ian Khong, who piloted the Ford Focus 4WD turbo to victory last year and his new co-driver, Desmond Ong.
“Last year was the debut year of the Ford Focus and we created history by being the first Ford Focus to win an Overall Malaysian Rally Championship Title.
We are proud of our driver, Ian Khong, and the Ford Racing Team and are fully behind them as they go all out to defend their title this year,” said Mike Pease, Managing Director of Ford Malaysia.
“It was really awesome to drive the Ford Focus to a successful championship season last year. The Focus is a great car to drive as it’s got great handling and is perfect for the tight and twisty stages. You can bet I’II be giving it all I have got this year,” said Khong.
There are hints that Khong will be doing some upgrades to his car to make it a little more competitive for this year’s stages. He is keeping mum about the details, but it is understood that parts are on the way.
Khong has been racing competitively since 1992 and some of his most notable racing accomplishments include: 2nd Overall Champion Tarmac Rally 2003, 1st Class B 2001 Tarmac Rally Round 2, 1st Overall 1997 Sprint Rally Round 7, 2nd Overall F150 Kart 1997, and Group N2 Champion 1996 Malaysia Rally.
The crew for the rally comprises of volunteers from various departments in Ford Malaysia as well as rally enthusiasts. The main technical team is from Y. S. Khong Motorsports and is responsible for all preparations for the rally. YS Khong Motorsports is headed by YS Khong, 5 time Malaysian Rally Champion, and he holds the distinction of being one of the very few Malaysians who have won the Rally of Malaysia outright. This year the entire crew is working hard to help Ian Khong retain the championship title.
The Ford Focus 4WD turbo was built from an original Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec model similar to the ones sold here in Malaysia in 2000. The build of the car follows very closely the engineering of the WRC Ford Focus and is based on the Global Ford Focus DNA which delivers a smooth, exciting driving experience and responsive handling that allows the driver to enjoy every twist and turn with its’ precision build.
The Ford Focus rally car is an all wheel drive, with pure power of 210 horsepower under its hood. The car was stripped down to the bone and built up again from scratch, removing all unnecessary interior panels and fittings and replacing them with lighter carbon fiber materials.
The 2004 Malaysian Rally Championship kicks off this Saturday, March 5, 2005 at Putrajaya (race calendar attached below).
Malaysian Rally Championship 2005 Calendar
Date Event Venue Status
5th – 6th March MRC Round 1 Putrajaya International
1st – 2nd April MRC Round 2 Kedah International
7th – 8th May MRC Round 3 Perlis International
25th – 26th June MRC Round 4 N. Sembilan International
19th – 21st August MRC Round 5 and Malaysian Rally 2005* Johor International
1st – 2nd October MRC Round 6 Perlis International
* Approved by the FIA.
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