RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) regular Luke Anear has enjoyed a dream weekend in England, testing a FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) spec Ford Fiesta.
Anear secured the drive with prominent WRC outfit M-Sport and ran the Fiesta, that is just one of 14 of the current generation, at the team’s forest testing location near Cockermouth in the north of England.
It’s not the first time Anear has teamed up with the English outfit either, with the New South Welshman having tested the R5 Fiesta in 2019, which led to him bringing two of them to Australia and running them in the ARC this year.
While he won’t be able to bring the WRC-spec Fiesta to Australia, Anear has every intention of returning to Europe and running in the WRC if the opportunity presents itself.
“Driving a World Rally Championship car is a dream come true for me.” Anear said.
“I was surprised how quickly I felt comfortable. Getting used to the paddle shift and not grabbing the handbrake for gear changes took a little while, but after that it was great.
“The aero on the car is incredible and allows you to carry more mid corner speed.
“It also has extra 100 horsepower and you can feel it everywhere. It pulls out of the corners better and then has a bit more suspension travel which is nice too.
“It’s nice to know there is no class for a WRC car in Australia so there is no chance I can bring any home this time, but I’d love to do some WRC rounds next year so I’ll see what I can fit in around my day job.
“It would be great to race the car again, but I need to have more time in the car and a lot more talent too. With that said, it’s nice to have some goals and something to work towards, so we will see what happens in 2022.”
Despite Anear staying in the UK for the moment he intends to return to Australia in time for next month’s Kosciuszko Automotive Monaro Stages Rally on 11 December.
Anear will contest the 2021 ARC season finale in his R5 Fiesta, while experienced tarmac rally star Peter Nunn will run Anear’s second R5 Fiesta for the event.
