Totally Focused!

As we enter Turn 1 at the end of a high-speed uphill straight, something seems amiss. I am strapped to the passenger seat of this rocket, and I fear my pilot has come in way too hot. He is furiously banging through the column-mounted six-speed sequential gearbox in what seems to be a futile attempt to shave speed, and, to make matters worse, the back end begins to come around—leaving us at full opposite lock without much hope for recovery. I go into a zen-like state and thoughts begin to fill my head: I should have lived my life to the fullest. I should have done more to affect a change. I should have told my girlfriend how I truly feel for her. I should have changed my long-distance phone company.

When suddenly, as quickly as we seemed to have lost it, everything comes back into control and the car regains its composure just as we hit the perfect line on this rather difficult late-apex corner. I pry my locked digits from the dash, happy to be alive and comfortable in the fact that I could continue to live life as a non- committal, apathetic slacker who pays too much for long distance. But now I want out of this car, because we’re entering Turn 2 and no one could be this lucky twice. Miraculously, we fly through this corner in the same frenetic fashion. In fact, as our driver repeats this process endlessly throughout the day with the same surgical precision, his incredible talent (and the car’s incredible performance) becomes increasingly apparent.

As part of the big push for the 2000 North American debut of the Focus, Ford brought over one of its wicked FIA World Rally Championship cars and one of its premier drivers, Sweden’s own Thomas Rådström. You may have spotted this full-blown Focus at some of the shows and races; Thomas even hurtled the car down the 1320 at the last Battle of the Imports in Palmdale, California. But on this day, we had Thomas and his Focus all to ourselves (and our sister publication Super Street), at the Streets of Willow Springs raceway in SoCal.

As far as pure driving ability is concerned, WRC drivers are arguably the greatest in the world. These guys drive flat out through some of the most difficult and wide-ranging conditions (asphalt, gravel, dirt, mud, snow) while their co-drivers read off instructions outlining important details such as how fast to hit the next corner. The drivers rely completely on their co-drivers’ information, which means if a co-driver says to go flat out around a blind sweeper and it’s really a Second-gear hairpin, there could be disastrous consequences. Total concentration at all times is critical for both driver and co-driver.

In addition to Mr. Rådström’s Wild Ride, we also had a chance to click some pics of this mighty beast. This car is trick! Who do we have to bother, beg, or bribe to bring this series to the United States?