Touring cup races have always been close to the heart of the Blue Oval. Ford has a rich history of racing, and while we may instantly think of the Mustang, Ford has had a lot of success in rally and touring car racing too. Touring cars have always been more reachable for regular Joe’s than many other forms of racing not suited to the Mustang.

The Mustang News reports that Ford announced at last week’s SEMA Show that the Ford Focus will take over as their global touring car, beginning with an appearance in the 2011 British Touring Cup Championship.

When we think of the Focus, we tend to think of the slow econo-box sold here in America. Yet across the pond, Europe enjoyed all kinds of hot Focus hatchbacks, including the Focus RS. For 2012 Ford is giving us an all-new Focus, which will be a global car sold in the same way in many markets. That means we are going to get the next hot hatch version of the Focus, the ST.

As far as the touring car Focus goes, it will be powered by Ford’s new line of EcoBoost engines. Ford says there has been a lot of interest from the racing world in regards to the new Focus, and there certainly seems to be a lot of potential there. It will have a lot to live up to though, as the outgoing Focus had quite a reputation on the rally track and in touring car championships. We’re sure the 2012 Focus is up to the challenge.