Ken Block takes his first Global Rallycross triumph in a Ford Fiesta ST
· Fiesta claims a 1-2 finish as Tanner Foust secures second
· Ford secures 1-2-3 in final GRC standings
Ken Block scored the first win of his Global Rallycross career in Las Vegas last night as Ford Fiestas finished first and second in the season finale to secure a clean sweep of the podium places in the drivers’ championship.
Block beat outgoing champion Tanner Foust’s similar Fiesta ST, and that was sufficient for Foust to claim the runner-up spot in the championship behind Toomas Heikkinen, who clinched the title for Ford in the previous round. Block’s victory guaranteed him third in the standings.
“I’ve proved this year that I’ve got the speed and just had some bad luck in the first corner so it’s nice to have some good luck and great battles tonight with Travis Pastrana and Tanner Foust,” said Block after his win on the Las Vegas Strip.
“For all the bad luck we’ve had, third overall is a good accomplishment. I wish we would have finished a little higher but I’ll take third here and second in the Rally America Championship and look to do better in both of those next year,” added the Hoonigan Racing Division driver, whose Fiesta was developed by the British-based M-Sport operation.
Second place for Foust in his Rockstar Energy OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST was his fourth podium of the season.
“Today was almost a perfect day,” said Foust, twice a previous winner in Las Vegas. “I was first in qualifying, won both my heats, had quick lap times, saved the tyres, the car was working great, the team was working great, and then I jumped the start in the final from pole position.“I thought I timed it just about right but video review says I did in fact jump the start and so I got a stop and go penalty,” explained Foust, who passed Pastrana for second and was closing on Block until he hit some oil from another car and almost went off the track.
Heikkinen, who won five consecutive races en route to the title, finished fourth. He served a stop and go penalty after clashing with Pastrana and missed a podium for the first time this season.
Block, Foust, Heikkinen and Scott Speed each won two heats en route to the final.
