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| Castrol Fiesta Sporting Trophy Türkiye |
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| Fiesta ST Gp.N
Since the launch of the road car in October 2004, the ‘Sports
Technologies’ version of the Fiesta range has been able to give
discerning users a chance to mix the class leading dynamics of the
hugely successful Fiesta range with a series of performance and
styling images to create a car that is designed to ‘flatter the
novice and reward the professional’.
Taking this extremely capable model as a base, M-Sport, the UK
based preparation company that oversees Ford’s entry to the World
Rally Championship have developed the ST road car a step further to
create a new competition version to cope with the rigours thrown at
it by international rallying.
The engineer responsible for the development of the ST Gp.N,
Chris Williams and his team, took the standard car back to a bare
shell and using the technology employed in the development of the
Ford Focus WRC, re-developed the standard car to incorporate both
the safety features and the performance improvements required to
withstand the pounding that will be encountered by competing with
this car on rally stages all over the world.

| Bodyshell The car benefits from a
multipoint roll cage, designed to be HANS® compatible as
required from January 2007. The design complies with Appendix J
of the FIA International Regulations. It includes 3 x 'X'brace
in the rear of the car including above the passengers heads and
'twin tube' door bars with no cross-over. The cage can be bolted
or welded to the chassis and does not require the dashboard to
be modified, further aiding the installation process.
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Engine The basic engine remains standard
with the only additions being a revised 'foam' air filter. The engine ECU has been
modified to revise the fuel and air ratio and optimise the
ignition. Modifications have been made to the 'pedal map' for
the electronic 'fly-by-wire' throttle which improves throttle
response and engine torque in the lower gears. |
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Brakes The standard ST front and rear
disc brakes are retained. The pipes in the braking system are
replaced by braided steel hoses and an adjustable
pressure-reducing valve is fitted to the system while still
retaining the dual circuit diagonal braking required to comply
with Gp.N regulations. The brake pad compounds have been
optimised for rallying. |
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| Underbody Protection A substantial 6mm
aluminium sumpguard to protect the engine and transmission
components, manufactured to an Ford Rallye Sport Turkey design, has been added.
The std. fuel tank has a Kevlar composite moulded guard to
protect from stone damage. The fuel filler neck also has a
Kevlar composite moulded guard to protect this area. There is
also optional underbody protection available to protect the
floor pan and the side sills from stone damage. |
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Transmission The car has a 5-speed 'dog'
engagement gearkit fitted to a standard ST casing. The gearbox
design and ratios have been developed in conjunction with SADEV.
The transmission is supplied as an exchange item ready to fit
into the car, with the customer to return their std. ST gearbox
in a serviceable condition. The STGp.N features uprated
driveshafts as standard. |
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Tires Taking advantage of the std.
vehicle features, M-Sport has been able to homologate the ST to
use 15" wheels for gravel and 17" wheels for asphalt to take
advantage of the increased range of tyres for these popular
sizes. The wheels for the Gp.N version of the car have been
manufactured by DJ Wheels. |
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| Interior The majority of the trim as
authorised under Gp.N has been removed from the car to reduce
the weight and allow the fitment of the safety features required
in a rally car designed to compete in any region. The seats have
been replaced with Recaro competition versions made from
composite materials. To these have been added Sabelt 6pt
harnesses, a Sabelt suede steering wheel plus an integrated fire
extinguisher system with electronic control
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Electrical
A 'piggy back' wiring loom has been developed to supplement
the std. car wiring loom, incorporating the additional
electrical requirements of the rally version. This includes an
electronic circuit breaker to cut power to the electrical
circuits in the event of an accident. It also includes the
wiring for additional electrical requirements like map light,
additional spotlights, radio, tripmeter etc. |
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Suspension Using the uprated suspension
of the std. ST as a basis, which includes revised front
suspension knuckles for additional negative camber and a
strengthened twist beam rear axle, M-Sport engineers have added
Reiger dampers which are adjustable for rebound and revised
spring rates to improve the ride over rough surfaces found on
stages. In addition the steering rack on the standard ST Gp.N
has a quicker ratio than the standard Fiesta to give improved
turn-in. |
Comparative Specification
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ST
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ST Gp.N
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| Engine |
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| Specification |
2.0 Duratec - 1999 cc
4 cylinders in line; DOHC; 16 valves;
alloy cylinder head and block;
electronic multipoint fuel injection
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| Maximum Power |
150PS @ 6000 rpm
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165PS @ 5800 rpm
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| Maximum Torque |
190 Nm at 4500 rpm
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202 Nm at 4500 rpm
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| Transmission |
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| 1st |
3.583
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2.833
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| 2nd |
2.038
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2.077
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| 3rd |
1.414
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1.643
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| 4th |
1.108
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1.353
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| 5th |
0.878
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1.148
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| Reverse |
3.615
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3.615
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| Final Driver |
3.824
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4.273
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| Performance |
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| Max Speed (mph) |
129
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110
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| 0-60mph (secs) |
7.9
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6.9
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| Dimensions |
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| Length (mm) |
3921
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| Width Without Mirrors (mm) |
1683
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| Height (mm) |
1468
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| Wheelbase (mm) |
2486
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| Track Front/Rear (mm) |
1478/1444
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