First test: test of the Ford Fiesta ERX STARD electric rallycross Car News

Nothing quite prepares you for the violence of the Fiesta leaving the line. The response is instantaneous and the traction absolute, the STARD transforming every kW of these motors into an explosive forward motion. He claims the 0-62mph sprint takes about 1.8sec, but he feels even faster inside the car, whose silence has now been shattered by gravel machine gun fire against the passages of wheel, lots of gearbox whine, the high-pitched hum of electric motors and, shamefully, the even higher-pitched scream of this tester.

It takes a moment or two for your brain to decipher itself, which is potentially a problem as we are heading towards the first corner, which, to add to the fun, also combines the first pass of Tarmac with gravel. Fortunately, the brakes are powerful and beautifully progressive, with every little pressure from your left foot producing a directly proportional slowing down. We tiptoed through the gravel on our observation tour of a circuit we’ve never done before, before hitting the tarmac again as a surprisingly stoic Stohl instructs him to do so. bring to the ground and unleash all the fury of the three engines again.

We’ve only got three laps to taste the STARD, so stealth needs to play the best of bravery, but it’s a resounding endorsement of the brilliant setup (and the lap’s brevity, with just four corners to remember) half-way. in the second lap you start to exploit the potential of the car a bit. The power never fails to shock, but the handling is so accessible and balanced that pretty soon you start to feel like you could, maybe, be able to do this rallycross thing.

You are helped by the driving position, which is perfect. It helps when you have a similar size and build (with, in this case, a similar hairstyle) to Stohl, as the limited time meant no ability to adjust the seats or the crankset (skinny BTCC legend Matt Neal was behind us, and he looked decidedly, uh, cramped), but the straight positioning , close to the wheel is pure rally car rather than a low-slung and nice center-of-gravity racer, which means you get a stunning view, making it a cinch to place the STARD where you need it. wish. Of course, the pedals are perfectly placed, while the form-fitting carbon fiber shell and four-point harnesses keep you in place.