Tour de France Finds Sleeper Hit in Focus RS Support Car

Support cars in the Tour de France are typically responsible for hauling around equipment and personnel at the event, and considering it's a bicycle race, largely stay out of the limelight. This year's event, however, has seen an unlikely star in Team Sky's Ford-sponsored Focus RS support car.

The role of the bland, inconspicuous support car will be challenged this year by Team Sky's custom Focus RS build, which will make use of some pretty extensive Ford Performance mods by surveying the roads ahead of the cyclists to ensure their safety as they hit speeds close to 50 mph.

Along with Recaro racing seats for interior support, Team Sky's RS is equipped with a tougher suspension setup to better support the extra 350 kg of weight that will occupy the RS courtesy of team members, bikes, spare equipment and supplies.

"We’re delighted to be extending our partnership with Ford – a company with the same principles of tackling challenges that we at Team Sky have," Team Principal Sir David Brailsford said. “Ford vehicles play a vital role for Team Sky and their knowledge and support makes them an integral part of our team.”

Ford is equally supportive of the collaboration, their European division's vice president of Marketing saying “Racing on two wheels is increasingly capturing the imagination of sports fans across Europe – and is underpinned by the best possible support on four wheels. We are excited to continue to support Team Sky in their pursuit of further cycling success.”

The original story on Team Sky's Focus RS support car was written by AutoGuide.com.