Hoonigan Says Goodbye To The Focus RS RX Program

Ford Performance and Hoonigan Racing Division have announced that 2017 will be the last season it will compete in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Which means that fans of the Ford Focus RS RX will have one final chance to catch the Hoonigan team in action this year.

After this season, Andreas Bakkerud and Ken Block will no longer be piloting the Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Focus RS RX in FIA World Rallycross. (Photo Credit: Hoonigan Racing Division)

While we both would like to continue with the effort, it simply doesn’t add up at this point. — Ken Block, Hoonigan Racing Division

The final round of the World Rallycross Championship will take place at Killarney International Raceway in South Africa on November 10-13, and looks to be an exciting final round of rallycross action.

But for Focus RS RX drivers Ken Block and Andreas Bakkerud, this will also serve as the final race for the Ford Performance team.

“Both myself and Ford Performance have learned a lot from this program,” Ken said. “While we both would like to continue with the effort, it simply doesn’t add up at this point. Aspects of the sport are up in the air for the future, so putting a lot more money into developing a new race car to try to battle for the championship title just doesn’t make sense right now. It’s certainly disappointing, but that’s how the economics of motorsports go sometimes.”

(Photo Credit: Monster Energy)

Both teammates have expressed their disappointment on social media.“Both Ford and my entire Hoonigan Racing Division team put in a tremendous effort, and I want to thank them for the hard-fought battles these last two seasons. I truly appreciate it,” Ken said.

The news comes after nearly two seasons with Ken and Andreas driving the Focus RS RX in the FIA World Rallycross series. Ken’s relationship with Ford Performance will continue as it has since 2010, and although it remains to be seen where Andreas Bakkerud will end up, fans of the World Rallycross driver have taken to social media to express their support.

Even the official FIA World Rallycross Twitter page had this to say:

Honnigan

(Photo Credit: FIA World Rallycross)

“As for Andreas [Bakkerud], he put in a tremendous effort to try and bring home a title with us. He’s one of the most talented drivers I’ve ever worked with, and I’m honored to have been able to have him as my teammate,” Ken added. “I’m fully confident that he’s going to be snatched up by one of the other teams in the World RX paddock as soon as the news gets out that he’s available for the 2018 season — and I’m looking forward to shipping him a bottle of champagne when he finally brings home a championship for himself.”

Although the above video by Andreas is titled the “Hardest Announcement In My Career,” we all agree with Mr. Block that Mr. Bakkerud has a bright future ahead of him in the world of motorsports.

You can watch the final round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship from Cape Town, South Africa, live on Sunday, November 12, at 8:00 a.m. EST here.

About the author

Kelly Getzelman

Kelly is a SoCal car enthusiast and skilled driver. His “get out and drive” obsession began after attending his first high-performance racing school while serving on active duty. Since then, he has attended numerous military and civilian driving schools across the country to help fuel that passion.
Read My Articles

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