Chilling Junior WRC Fiesta Crash will Bring NSFW Words Out of You

This video footage from a crash that occurred during the Sigdalsrally in Norway this past weekend is a testament to the safety provided by modern day racing cars. Nonetheless, it has the ingredients to scare the bejesus out of the most professional of drivers…

Junior-WRC pilot Marius Aasen and co-driver Marlene Engan were speeding through the snow during the rally when they hit a bump at "approximately 150km/h" (93mph), which sent their racing Ford Fiesta into a crazy roll over (we counted at least four complete turns in the video) before it landed upside down in a frozen river.

As scary as it looks, the car kept the two young men safe and sound, and they were able to get out and reach the river bank virtually unharmed.

"Here is a video from our really bad crash in Sigdalsrally this weekend!," wrote Aasen on his Facebook page. "Unfortunately, there is nothing left of the car, but I'm glad the safety in the car is good, and we both are ok"

Now the team is looking to get their vehicle back to racing form. "There is not much left of the car, and this is how it looks like at the moment," said Aasen. "We are working hard to get back into a rallycar."

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Matt Farah Says Ford Fiesta ST Better Than a Used BMW M3 E46

The debate will probably never stop raging on in regards to which is the best option: buying a new car for a set budget, or looking for different second-hand model that was more expensive when new yet is now in the exact same price bracket and usually better performing.

Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire recently put two of these apparently mismatched contenders to the test, in order to find out which side of the argument would win based on the important criteria of fun and usable performance; he chose a brand new 2014 Ford Fiesta ST and pitted it against an all-time favorite, the E46 M3 from BMW.

[ed. Note: Spoiler Alert] Surprisingly, it’s the smaller car that wins out in the end, helped by the easier access to its turbocharged performance, as well as the multitude of newfangled gizmos and options that allow you to connect your gadgets to it. The M3 needs to be revved much harder to access its performance, plus it’s more difficult to drive fast. Granted, when you do manage to get into a rhythm with it on a moderately twisty road, it will still outpace the Fiesta…

However, Farah says that with better steering feel than the M3, more supportive seats and the aforementioned ease of access to the performance of the 1.6-liter turbo engine make it the better all-rounder, even with the extra-stiff suspension that it comes with and the less supple ride compared to the BMW.

The latter would still make for an excellent choice for those who do visit the track regularly, though.

Check out the video below.

By Andrei Nedelea

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Report Suggests Hotter Ford Fiesta RS Still on the Table

We hear from AutoExpress that the magazine's inside sources claim Ford is pondering the production of a hotter version of its hot Fiesta ST – an RS model. It is apparently in the same state of development as the Focus RS (product planning phase) and if it were to materialize, it would be the fastest supermini-based hatch you could buy.

The power hike it’s expected to benefit from bumps the figure up to 230 hp from 180 hp using the same basic engine, so expect an acceleration time to sixty that is on par with that of the Focus ST, if not a bit quicker provided they don’t make it excessively heavy.

Also, expect a custom and beefed up body kit somewhere along the lines of that worn by the old Focus RS, as well as bigger wheels and interior modifications to make the owner feel more special; lots of RS badges are sure to adorn it both inside and out.

Speculation has it that the Fiesta RS could debut as early as next year, though we’re skeptical as to that actually being the case. Take it with a grain of salt.

Note: Ford Fiesta ST pictured

By Andrei Nedelea

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Become a Mini-Me Ken Block on a $160 Budget with Gymkhana 6 Fiesta 1:18 Scale Model

As much as we would like to walk or rather, drive in Ken Block's shoes in a Gymkhana-style setup, chances are, it's not going to happen in real life.

Sure, you can hook up a steering wheel to your gaming machine and play your eyes out in front of a screen, but if you want something of a more realistic nature without sacrificing/endangering your ride, remote-control (RC) scale model specialist HPI Racing has a very interesting alternative.

It's an officially-licensed, 1:18 scale motorized replica of the racing Ford Fiesta hatch featured in Ken Block's Gymkhana 6. According to the maker, "the HPI Micro RS4 is powered by an HPI 180-size motor and features an electronic speed control, full time 4WD belt drive and waterproof steering servo".

A quick search on Google returned some online shops that sell the RC replica for $159.99 (about €117). HPI Racing also created a video of the car racing in a micro Gymkhana world, which is not included in the package, but we gather Lego sticks and cardboard cutouts should work fine, unless you can get even more creative.

Shout out to Tim for the share!

SPECIFICATIONS -Ken Block 2013 GRC Micro RS4 With Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. Body :

Length: ~220mm
Width: ~105mm
Height: ~80mm
Wheelbase: 140mm
Tyre Diameter: 36mm
Drivetrain: Full-Time Belt 4WD

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Ford Shows Ken Block How It's Done in Snowkhana Two with Scale Models

For the second year in a row, Ford has released a Snowkhana video which – you guessed it – is a parody video of Ken Block’s Gymkhana Six, the latest installment of the driving stunt video series.

Snowkhana Two includes a 2013 Ford Fiesta scale model (1:64) that drifts its way around and through various toys usually found under the Christmas tree. The video tricks us into seeing powerslide smoke instead of cotton balls with the use of compressed photo shots

Joined by a classic Ford Mustang at one point, the Fiesta negotiates tight curves between an eclectic mix of characters, including Santa Claus, Godzilla, Darth Vader, Superman and...Miley Cyrus.

You can watch the full video after the break and compare it with Snowkhana One, also posted below.

By Dan Mihalascu

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