On Friday, the day after the official launch of newly created Czech Ford National Team, the reigning J-WRC champion Martin Prokop did first test of his new Ford Fiesta S2000. Czech driver was testing his car for 2010 S-WRC championship not far from the team’s base near to Jihlava. The special guests of this testing were some journalists from leading Czech motorsport media.
Friday’s programme was the next part of the presentation of Czech Ford National Team
and Martin Prokop had also the chance to pass first kilometres with the car and get used
to the behavior of new Fiesta S2000, although the selected track had been slower than
are the special stages in Sweden, where the new World Rally Championship season will
start in less than two weeks (February 12-14, 2009).
During the day you had the opportunity to pass with Fiesta S2000 first major portion of kilometers. What are yours first feelings? You had some "taxi rides" for Czech journalists. In spite of that fact, did you had opportunity to test some things and work on settings of the car?
"Today it was just about driving and collecting first kilometres, because we don‘t have many things and parts that we could change. We will receive them only for the test session in Norway next weekend. Anyhow, I can say that the car works really well, although I drove on the track, which is very technical, rather slower. So I particularly learned how the car responds, what is the balance of the car. It was really positive day and I think, I understood a bit how the car works, how I should drive it and I am absolutely thrilled. I am excited just as I was when I brought Citroën. It is something entirely new. Wonderful!"
When you mentioned the cars with which you started in previous seasons, you had participated with them also in snow rallies. So could you compare the driving of Fiesta S2000 on the snow with production car and with S1600?
"With 2WD car it was horror. In addition, we had no settings for the snow, because the factory team had never raced winter rally with this car. With production car it was really nice racing. What is great, the steering of Fiesta S2000 is very fast, very short, so you can solve situations, that with a production car worked out to solve. Ford is lightweight, you can break really late, the car is great balanced. Real Group A car! It is really the greatest race car, I have raced. From all points of view, this is new level of racing for me."