PARK CITY, UT: Ken Block is pleased to announce an all-new (to him) racecar to his arsenal of racecars at Hoonigan Racing Division: a 1991 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Group A rally car—complete with an upgraded WRC engine package!
Block recently took delivery of his new racecar and immediately got to breaking it in with a bit of tire smoke during a quick test and was extremely pleased with the results. His plan is to race this Escort RS Cosworth on a few gravel stage rallies around the world next year, along with occasionally piloting a Ford Fiesta R5 also. In addition to these plans, Block and Hoonigan plan to bring Gymkhana GRID back to America for a few events, along with continuing to work with Monster Energy to put on GRID events in Europe.
“While just yesterday we announced that myself and my team were done racing in World RX after this season, we also mentioned that I was intending on heading back out into the woods to do some stage rallies in 2018. This car here [Block’s new Escort] is one of the vehicles I plan on racing on gravel stage rallies and I’m very excited about it. I’ve always loved these cars and my team director, Derek Dauncey, finally found one for me that fit the exact specifications of what I was looking for. I'm stoked about it and I'm really looking forward to racing this beast!"
Block's 1991 Ford Escort RS Cosworth is a properly sorted—and clean—example of a 90s era Ford World Rally Championship racecar. The car features an upgraded 1997 WRC engine (turbocharged 2.0-liter producing 400 hp and 405 lb/ft in current trim, lightweight alloy block vs. the original steel block, head and block have been modified to run higher horsepower) mated to a 7-speed sequential gearbox, features a side-exit exhaust (for tarmac setups) and comes with options for both gravel and tarmac suspension setups.
Block’s race schedule for next year will be announced in early 2018.