Dutchman Dennis Kuipers has become the latest driver to commit to Ford's new Fiesta World Rally Championship contender, and will enter the car on 10 rounds of next year's series.
The 25-year-old has been a regular privateer WRC entrant over the past three seasons, initially with a Ford Focus WRC, before switching to the S2000 version of the Fiesta in 2010. The Ipatec Racing team will continue to run his car.
"For us this year was a very educational year and we had some good results with the Ford Fiesta S2000," said Kuipers. "We think that the experience we gained this year with the Fiesta S2000 is a good base for the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. I'm really looking forward to next year to drive the Fiesta RS WRC and to see where we stand compared to the other WRC drivers."
M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said of Kuipers: "He produced a series of consistently strong results in the Ford Fiesta S2000 this year and has shown progression throughout the year. Dennis was a joy to work with over the season and I look forward to welcoming him back into the team for next year."