Thomas Klenke and Thomas Jäger have been named by Team Ford Hotfiel Sport (Kirchlengern, Germany) to drive the new Ford Focus in the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

"I was really delighted to be nominated and I'm very much looking forward to the challenge," said Klenke. "The team is seriously committed and the recent test at Silverstone highlighted the great potential of the car . As a team we are very optimistic for the future."

Klenke is 38 years old, and comes from Lemgo, Germany. He has been a driving force with Team Ford Hotfiel Sport since 1996. In 2002 he secured his first championship title driving a Ford Focus in the German Touring Car Challenge (DTC).

Twenty-eight year old Jäger studies business administration in Munich and, apart from motor sports, enjoys skiing, mountain biking and playing golf. From 2000 to 2003 he competed in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) and was particularly successful in 2001 when he came 7th overall.

"I'm very happy to be selected and I'm looking forward to pushing the limits of the new Focus on the track," Jäger commented. "During testing I could really sense the positive atmosphere within the team. You could tell that everybody is highly motivated and primed for success. I am very excited to be part of the team."

Developed in Record Time

Two new Ford Focus cars will run in the newly created FIA World Touring Car Championship during 2005. Over the last couple of months, Ford Team RS and Team Ford Hotfiel Sport have worked hard to turn the all-new Ford Focus into a serious WTCC contender in record time.

The engine for the new Focus WTCC is based on Ford's 150PS, 2.0-litre Duratec four-cylinder light alloy engine, and has been tuned for this racing version to about 270PS. The power is transmitted to the front tyres via a sequential six-speed gearbox.

During the test and development programme, the two main drivers are supported by Michael Funke (35, from Tönisvorst) and Patrick Bernhardt (33, from Magdeburg) as development drivers. Funke was the best placed Focus driver in the 2004 Production Car Championship (DMSB), when he came third, and has enjoyed considerable success with Ford vehicles over many years. Bernhardt has also been successful driving Ford cars, finishing as runner-up with a Ford Focus in the 2003 DTC.

"The selection of drivers was a difficult decision," said Eberhard Braun, Ford of Germany's Motorsport manager. "We're confident we have the right people, and both of them will be able to understand the car better during further tests at Magny Cours (F), Monza (I) and Imola (San Marino). Thomas Jäger's DTM experience will be particularly valuable, as will Thomas Klenke's long and very successful co-operation with Team Ford Hotfiel Sport,"

The opening round for the WTCC is 10th April 2005 at Monza. Twenty-five cars, including entries from Alfa Romeo, BMW, SEAT and newcomers Ford and Chevrolet have been registered for the race.