FiST Rally Car Goodness

[Phishy]

Door panel porn.

 

[M-Sport fan]

McKenna Wheels. The little stickers all over them are WRC inspection stickers from the last few years.
View attachment 23064

There was a/(some) TARMAC stage(s) on that rally, or were those tires just left on to protect the wheels??

 

[Phishy]

There was a/(some) TARMAC stage(s) on that rally, or were those tires just left on to protect the wheels??

No they just had them laying around to hold down the ground tarps and tents. Up until 2 years ago the special stages were on the streets downtown Detroit Lakes so they used to run a little tarmac.

 

[Phishy]

Base model still rips in the woods. This thing was slow and probably finished near the bottom but they looked like they were having a blast.

 

[Phishy]

This was one of the McKenna arrive and drive rental cars. M-Sport buit Fiesta R2 I think? They are quick for sure, these guys placed 8-10th overall I think and were the fastest FWD.

 

[Phishy]

Here you can see the driver and co driver names on the "new" car. Dont recognize the driver flag. Eastern European I think. I think the team truck and trailer had IL plates.

 

[Phishy]

Close up of the R5 wing that people rip as cheesy when they see it on a SEMA car or whatever for sale on Ebay. It looks awkward in person.

 

[M-Sport fan]

No they just had them laying around to hold down the ground tarps and tents. Up until 2 years ago the special stages were on the streets downtown Detroit Lakes so they used to run a little tarmac.

OK, yeah WAY BACK WHEN the final stage of the Maine Forest Summer Rally was held on the downtown streets of Rumford, Maine, and even included a lap through the local paper mill's roads there.

I got to see Stig Blomqvist pilot Carl Merrill's Escort Cosworth/WRC on tarmac in 1999 there.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Here you can see the driver and co driver names on the "new" car. Dont recognize the driver flag. Eastern European I think. I think the team truck and trailer had IL plates.
View attachment 23114

I'm guessing that they bought that car outright, and it is not an 'arrive and drive' deal, as it would have McKenna stickers on it if it were, as they are pretty much the official R5 and up M-Sport Fiesta preppers/importers in this country now (R2 as well for that matter).

But I am wondering IF that is not an actual old, Mk 7 WRC ride, or if it is an R5 with the WRC wing installed?

 

[Phishy]

I'm guessing that they bought that car outright, and it is not an 'arrive and drive' deal, as it would have McKenna stickers on it if it were, as they are pretty much the official R5 and up M-Sport Fiesta preppers/importers in this country now (R2 as well for that matter).

But I am wondering IF that is not an actual old, Mk 7 WRC ride, or if it is an R5 with the WRC wing installed?

No there were 2 McKenna R2's one with Booth and Gelsomino and another with the big rent me decals, with a young woman driver Erickson-Chang I think? The action photo above is one of the Mckenna R2's.

The new looking all white R5 was a UK sounding crew from IL or MI, totally separate from the huge McKenna operation. When I googled R5 price there was one for sale recently in the UK for 165k euro that may have been this one.

 

[Phishy]

I get myself confused with all the R1, R2, R5, S2000 shit. I didn't realize there were that many variants, and the big dog M-Sport WRC Fiesta on top of it all.

 

[M-Sport fan]

No there were 2 McKenna R2's one with Booth and Gelsomino and another with the big rent me decals, with a young woman driver Erickson-Chang I think? The action photo above is one of the Mckenna R2's.

The new looking all white R5 was a UK sounding crew from IL or MI, totally separate from the huge McKenna operation. When I googled R5 price there was one for sale recently in the UK for 165k euro that may have been this one.

Yes, that new looking R5 (or older, Mk 7 WRC car ) was the car I was referencing above, and NOT the R2s.
I still wonder IF Malcolm Wilson would sell a CURRENT, Mk 8 WRC Fiesta to a 'privateer', for ANY cost.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I get myself confused with all the R1, R2, R5, S2000 shit. I didn't realize there were that many variants, and the big dog M-Sport WRC Fiesta on top of it all.

As far as I know, the R1s (which is like a showroom stock type, rally entry class) are gone/no longer having kits made up for them, but I could be wrong about that since the Bilstein/M-Sport suspension is still available for them, and what I am looking to get for my car, IF I want to go through all of the shenanigans necessary to get it on an ST.

 

[Phishy]

Yes, that new looking R5 (or older, Mk 7 WRC car ) was the car I was referencing above, and NOT the R2s.
I still wonder IF Malcolm Wilson would sell a CURRENT, Mk 8 WRC Fiesta to a 'privateer', for ANY cost.

The "new" R5 had the same engine (by appearance anyway) as the orange and white R5 with the little wing so I am thinking the new r5 car had the sweet wing applied to it after the fact. That big wraparound multi element wing has to be a lot more effective than the little guy.

So cool to see all these things up close and experience them ripping ass through the woods.

 

[M-Sport fan]

The "new" R5 had the same engine (by appearance anyway) as the orange and white R5 with the little wing so I am thinking the new r5 car had the sweet wing applied to it after the fact. That big wraparound multi element wing has to be a lot more effective than the little guy.

Sounds about right.

BTW; The actual, WRC class competition S2000 cars were 2 liter naturally aspirated deals with a WRC car top level AWD drive train installed, as sort of an up-level 'feeder' class for the all out, turbo WRC cars.

McKenna just dropped a full-on FOCUS WRC 2 liter turbo into his to make a powerful, 'hybrid' Open AWD class car in order to compete with the factory backed, 2 liter turbo Scoobies of Higgins, et al.

 

[Phishy]

The gunshot blasts out of the McKenna car were the most impressive of the field by far.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Yeah, even the R2 cars have a modern (and therefore a bit more 'tame') anti-lag system on them.
But since McKenna is using an 'old school' Focus WRC 2.0 liter power train, it has a bit more pronounced 'bang-bang' system on it!

One thing I noticed from working the starts is that the Vermont Sportscar, Scoobie Rally Team USA cars make a much louder 'clang/ring' when they engage first gear at the start of their countdown to launch than any of the other sequential equipped cars do.
The R5 cars are using a 6 speed Sadev box, as are the Scoobies, albeit an obviously different configuration due to the drive train layout differences.
(McKenna might still be using the X-Trac sequential which was standard on the S2000 Fiestas, I will have to ask them at STPR.)

I wonder why that is.

 

[Phishy]

I noticed the Scoobies really clanging when they engaged 1st gear as well.

I could never get a real good look at the McKenna S2000 engine bay, it definitely had the different looking 2.0 motor to the other cars but I could never see the gearbox.