Dutch rising star Dennis Kuipers will drive a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car in next year’s FIA World Rally Championship. The newly-developed car will be run by Ipatec Racing in conjunction with Cumbria-based M-Sport.
The 25-year-old Dutch driver piloted the award-winning Ford Fiesta S2000 with M-Sport for this year’s championship and produced a series of strong results including a ninth-place finish at Rally Turkey.
Following his successful debut with M-Sport, Ipatec Racing have agreed terms for Kuipers to continue working with the UK based team next year.
More details of the final programme are still to be confirmed but Kuipers will contest 10 WRC rounds next year including the season’s opening rally in Sweden, 10 – 13 February.
Dennis Kuipers said: “I’m very happy to continue in 2011 with the M-Sport family. For us this year was a very educational year and we had some good results with the Ford Fiesta S2000. We think that the experience we gained this year with the Fiesta S2000 is a good base for the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. I’m really looking forward to next year to drive the Fiesta RS WRC and to see where we stand compared to the other WRC drivers. We are aiming for the best possible result in the WRC next year.”
M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome Dennis [Kuipers] back to the M-Sport family for 2011. He produced a series of consistently strong results in the Ford Fiesta S2000 this year and has shown progression throughout the year. Dennis was a joy to work with over the season and I look forward to welcoming him back into the team for next year.”