Myerscough Motorsport launched their brand new Ford Fiesta R2, built by students with the support of Ford's World Rally organisation M-Sport, at Three Sisters Race Circuit on Wednesday 18th July.
Our talented team of student race mechanics were joined at Three Sisters by WRC driver Matthew Wilson and 2011 Fiesta Sport Trophy Shootout winner, Steven Barker.
The New Zealand born driver, who won a 12 month work placement contract with M-Sport following his 2011 Shootout victory, spent the day putting the new R2 through its paces by taking invited guests on flying laps of the Three Sisters Circuit. You can see all the photos from the day's action at Three Sisters by visiting our Facebook Page.
Speaking at the end of the launch event, Stephen Barker was full of praise for our student team. He said:
"The Myerscough boys did a great job all day. The [Ford Fiesta] R2 was really well prepared and really did compare to one that rolls straight out of the workshop! Everyone on the day was well organised and they all knew what they were doing. They were constantly asking me how the car felt and looking to improve the set-up and make the car go faster - everything a good engineer should do. We did a few little tweaks here and there and everything went to plan.
"Myerscough has one of the best facilities for hands on learning which provides its graduates with the experience employers in the motorsport industry are always looking for. Very few colleges have the opportunity to offer their students the ability to work on a WRC competition car, as well as within the WRC itself [as part of the FIA WRC Academy]."
The new addition to our Motorsports' livery has been built by the 2nd year FdSc (Foundation Degree) Motorsport Management and Logistics students, with guidance provided by M-Sport engineers and the support of a range of technical partners including Harry Hockley Motorsport.
The WRC spec Fiesta R2, which is now up for sale in order fund our next student project, arrived at College as a standard Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.6 Sport in September 2011.
Our students have spent the past ten months stripping back the car to its most basic state, before rebuilding and changing the specification, turning road car into pure breed rally competition vehicle as used on the WRC Academy.
The R2 build project was designed to help our students gain practical experience which will be useful in their future workplace. This is part of the College's on-going commitment to both class room learning and vocational experience, giving the students the best possible opportunities.
Speaking at the Three Sisters event, Ronnie Sandham, Assistant Head of HE Motorsport, said:
"When the car first arrived it looked, sounded and performed like an ordinary road car. To see it in full rally spec being driven round the Three Sisters circuit by a driver of Stephen Barker's calibre is a wonderful feeling and the students should feel proud of what they've achieved.
They've demonstrated high levels of technical knowledge and practical skills to complete the build project. My sincere thanks go to all industry partners who have helped along the way, but especially to M-Sport, who have been there every step of the way in guiding and advising our students on how to set up the car to M-Sport standards.
Our relationship with M-Sport brings so many benefits to the students, not least the opportunity for them to work on the WRC Academy, and I'm especially thankful to Matthew Wilson and the team from M-Sport who took the time to come and support the students at Three Sisters"
The launch event wasn't just about our brand new Fiesta R2, as we showcased our livery of Formula Ford's, with our new 16 year old driver, Jake Mayes on hand to showcase his skills following the youngster's successful first competitive outing at Snetterton on 30th June 2012.
The Ford Fiesta R2 is now on sale in order to fund the next student project. For full technical specifications and pricing details, please contact Ronnie Sandham at Myerscough College on 01995-642241
You can see all the photos from the day's action at Three Sisters by visiting our Facebook Page
To watch live on-board footage of a flying lap in the R2, please click here