Despite being a relatively new company, only breaking cover on Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship Wales Rally GB, EDSL Sport has grown from strength to strength and thanks to a progressive and dynamic business plan.
Their experience in the sport and knowledge of each generation of the Ford Fiesta has landed them the contract from M-Sport Poland to become the UK outlet for all Fiesta R2 enquires. They will now become the official contact to supply competition parts, technical support, car builds and sales as well as on-event support with a dedicated M-Sport parts truck at each round of the British Rally Championship.
EDSL Sport has made waves in the rallying community in the past few months and has built a dedicated 12 car, fully kitted workshop to cater for customer cars and new-builds alike.
They were also one of the first teams to commit to the 2019 British Rally Championship, signing up-and-coming driver and 2018 BRC Cadet Cup Champion Alex Reynolds and co-driver Peredur Davies, to spearhead their assault on the Junior series.
In addition, EDSL Sport will be the first team in the UK to take delivery of the brand new 2019 M-Sport built Ford Fiesta R2’s which share little in common with its predecessor thanks to a complete re-design for this season. The firm will receive two of the M-Sport built machines in time for the opening round of the British Championship, The Cambrian Rally on 15th February.
“It really is a privilege to become the M-Sport re-seller in the UK and we are truly honoured to be helping to deliver the fantastic new Fiesta R2 to the Uk market,” says Waterman.
“M-Sport is an iconic name in rallying around the world and we are really looking forward to continuing to deliver that ethos through everything we do for our customers. It’s great that they have put their trust in us to help the competitors here get the most from their Fiesta’s and no matter what generation of R2 they have, we can help with any aspect of the car. It’s certainly going to be a busy year in 2019 but one we have been building up to for a while, Thanks to the support of M-Sport, Pirelli and a great team around us, we are certainly ready for it”.
Maciej Woda, Directory of M-Sport Poland had no hesitation in handing over the reins to EDSL Sport.
“Having EDSL as M-Sport Poland Official Reseller with the sufficient stock to be held in UK, ensures us that the R2 customers can benefit from lower carriage charges within the country and have all basic parts accessible on the rallies” he says.
“The UK is an important market for M-Sport Poland and the parts support is crucial to keep the customers happy. This has always been the key to M-Sport’s success.”
He is equally excited about the season ahead with the new R2 car.
“I can’t wait to see the All New Fiesta R2 competing in UK. We know from testing how competitive this car is and we really believe it will be great weapon amongst competitors now. We learnt a lot since first turbocharged R2 has been introduced and we know this is now a very reliable and performing package.”
The Ford Fiesta R2 has been the market leader of the category since its creation in 2009 and is now a popular sight on events across the world. After a handful of evolutions, the Fiesta packs a turbo-charged 999cc Ford EcoBoost engine which delivers 200 HP at 6,500 RPM, putting it at the pinnacle of R2 machinery.
The timing of the M-Sport deal could not have been better for Waterman after the BRC announced a significant prize structure for Fiesta drivers in the Junior BRC and a shift to a single make format in 2020.
“In my rallying career, I’ve not driven anything else apart from Ford’s so I truly believe in the product and support that M-Sport provide. When the announcement came that they were helping to provide a clear path to the Junior World Rally Championship I was really pleased for our customers. M-Sport have always done their best to assist talented youngsters, and we are certainly proud to be a part of that in 2019 and beyond”.
