Focus RS at 24 hours of Nurburgring

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A crew of ambitious students at the Fachhoc速道繁荣chule , an applied sciences university in Cologne, Germany, added a new ringer to their FH Köln Motorsport team.  Two-time WRC Rally winner Jari-Matti Latvala, a regular Ford rally driver since 2006, will pilot the FH team's Ford Focus RS during the 24 Hours Nürburgring in mid-May.

The student team, supervised by Dr.-ING. Frank Hermann, was given a Focus RS by the American automaker with its standard-issue 305-PS (224 kW) 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine.  They will be assisted in their race prep by Castrol, Dekra, Dunlop, and engineer and part supplier TRW Automotive.

For Latvala, who won the 2008 Swedish Rally and the 2009 Rally d'Italia Sardegna, the endurance race is an important one.  "The Nordschleife has a fearsome reputation and having now driven all of these curves, I can understand the reasons behind that. It demands the utmost respect, but I found the experience to be thrilling."

Certainly, winning his first 24-hour race will give the 25-year old driver a level of added credibility.  "We will soon see what kind of a rest this will be. I am really looking forward to this race," said Latvala.

Also piloting the car will be Stefan Schlesack, Daniela Schmid, and Anja