M-Sport is advancing in the development of its model for the World Rally Championship (WRC) 2027 during the end of the European Rally Championship (ERC) season in Portugal.
The British team will participate in the ERC Rally Six Cities North of Portugal with a new example of the Ford Fiesta Rally2, equipped with the FIA-approved upgrade kit. Last week, the vehicle was tested on asphalt in Spain, with Matthew Wilson and Romet Jurgenson, M-Sport’s WRC2 driver, at the wheel.
Josh McErlean will take over next week, competing in the gravel stages of Portugal as an ERC race vehicle. The Irishman has been a regular in the WRC Rally1 program from M-Sport-Ford, driving a Ford Puma Rally1 since 2025, although his future with the team after this year is still unclear.
M-Sport is the first team to commit to developing a kit that will allow for upgrading its Ford Fiesta Rally2 to the Rally1 standard, aiming to have three vehicles for the 2027 campaign.
Recently, the FIA announced a new concept that will allow Rally2 manufacturers to homologate an upgrade kit at a cost of 7,500 euros, to provide “greater aerodynamic parity” between Rally2 cars and the new WRC27 vehicles, which will make up the Rally1 class. Both formats are expected to offer similar performance levels.
The kit includes new homologated wheel arches, a new front bumper, and a rear aerodynamic device, also eliminating 10 kg from the vehicle’s current minimum weight. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the car will operate with a 33 mm turbo restrictor, ratified at the last meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Development of the Hyundai Rally2
At the same time, Hyundai is also working on its return to competitiveness, testing its new i20 N Rally2 on gravel roads in Finland. Drivers Kris Meeke and Hayden Paddon were present at this testing session along with Adrien Fourmaux, although no notable changes were observed on the exterior of the vehicle.
Despite focusing many efforts on developing its Rally2 range, Hyundai has not yet made official announcements regarding its plans for 2027.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
