The Fiesta SportTrophy (FST) 2009 has been officially launched this week by series promoters M-Sport - the team behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.  After three successful years the championship sees some new changes for 2009, the main highlight being a move that sees the series run alongside with the pinnacle rally series in the UK - The British Rally Championship.

On all rounds except the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the RSAC Scottish Rally (where the full rally will be contested), FST crews have the option to enter one of two events - either the full BRC International event or a shorter event, which runs within the National B BRC Challenge Rally.

All registered FST competitors in the International event will be seeded within the main field and start at the beginning of the rally.  All competitors running in the BRC Challenge event will start immediately after the International field.  At the completion of the BRC challenge event, the FST event will be declared over.  At this point, a set of results including all registered FST crews (from both the Challenge and International event) will be extrapolated to give a set of FST championship results.  The International competitors may then carry on and complete the remainder of this event making them eligible for overall BRC class and prize awards.  This new multi level format will allow competitors on varying budgets to enter an event to suit them.

The FST will again have a prize fund in excess of £18,000, with £750 for the winner of each round down to £75 for eighth place.  The winner at the end of the series will have the opportunity to compete on the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge - The UK RAC MSA Rally of Scotland in an M-Sport prepared Fiesta R2 rally car.  The top finisher in the championship as well as one "wildcard" will have the opportunity to compete in the FST International Shootout with a chance to win a year's placement with M-Sport.  The highest placed FST and BRC registered junior driver will also receive an automatic nomination for the 2009 Pirelli Star Driver competition.

M-Sport are proud to announce continued support for the 2009 series from technical sponsor Pirelli who will again supply a control tyre for the series and in keeping with the theme of change in the series - Global brands who have supported the series from the start will continue to build their links with M-Sport and will support the series through their new and dynamic Kick Energy brand. 

The series has already received a high amount of interest and with entries already starting to arrive it is hoped that the season will be as exciting as ever.  Regulations and entry forms are now available on the Fiesta SportTrophy website.

 M-Sport Business Development Manager, Andrew Wheatley, said:

"The success of the FST over the last three years has been fantastic, close competition with a good atmosphere between the crews.  After three great years we asked the competitors what they want and it was clear that one format would not suit everyone and so we are hoping this move to the BRC will allow us to give the crews what they want.  It should be an exciting fourth year." 

British Rally Championship Manager, Mark Taylor, said:

"It's fantastic that the Fiesta SportTrophy now runs alongside the British Rally Championship, affording it to the profile it richly deserves and gives an opportunity for it's competitors to compete on some of the best rallies in the UK"

For further information on the Fiesta SportingTrophy UK, please contact UK series co-ordinator Richard Millener at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it