In an informative new video series, Ford Performance has revealed how the team worked together to optimize key elements of the vehicle’s design, including the wing, suspension, driveshaft and cockpit.
Development for the Rallycross car took just under nine months and was a unique challenge for the team, which comprised members from the Ford Performance, M-Sport, and Hoonigan Racing Division.
The crew worked together to optimize the key elements of the vehicle’s design, including the wing, suspension, driveshaft and cockpit.
For the wing, more than 100 iterations were tested using CFD. The suspension of the Focus RS RX was evaluated on a kinematics and compliance rig. Using FEA, the Ford Performance team created a heat map of the potential stresses on the driveshaft of the vehicle to determine the best design.
Finally, drawing on decades of racing experience, personalized cockpits were created for both Ken Block and Andreas Bakkerud based on their preferences, with the goal of reducing gear-shift time and increasing speed.
The two drivers are due to compete in the second round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship this weekend at Montalegre, Portugal.
Watch the videos here.
April 21, 2017
