The real beauty of our Ford Performance Club Connect program is how it connects us directly with dedicated Ford owners all over the world. We only need to keep checking our ClubHub@Ford.com inbox to see just how deeply Ford fans want to communicate with their favorite car company and share their Ford story. That’s exactly how we came across Chis 'Kit' Taylor, who happens to be a member of a Focus RS club in the UK. To be honest, he reached out to see if we could help him with “some driving-school training so I could drift like Ken [Block] intended me to in Gymkhana 9 (I project-managed Forza Horizon with MS and Xbox FWIW) and then see if you would be willing to send me some new seats for the 2025 season and some stickers from your new FP livery – the running horse down the side? It has cost me almost £13,000 to rebuild my engine, so maybe you might also be up for sponsoring me with a little custom interior, and some UK/EU advertising? I can offer a warm customer story about how I got through Covid and some life- and mental-health challenges – all thanks to your product!” While we weren’t able to hook him up with his wish list, we are more than happy to share his cool Focus RS story by putting him in this week’s Ford Fan Spotlight (below):
“Dear Club Connect: Although I sent my original email asking for sponsorship, driving schools and FP decals and seats, I never really expected a response. That said, my main goal was to tell Ford what my RS has done for me, wanting to let those who made it possible know how grateful I am, and the fact their creation has gone beyond simply being a 'machine.' I want all to know how much my daughter loves it, about the culture it creates and has enveloped me in, the journey it has taken me on, and the people and hearts it has also interacted with. And for anyone reading my story, if it helps them, then it is all the more worth it!
“As my daughter once said to me, ‘You cannot enjoy going down the hills, daddy, if we don't go up them first.’
“I'm known as 'Kit' to my friends, a name picked by my father after his favorite of all U.S. cowboys! I'm from Sheffield in the UK, in an area called Yorkshire, near the Peak District with roads perfect for the RS, though a big part of my heart resides in The Windy City on your side of the pond, after spending several years working there. I always wanted to set up home there, but it is difficult for a non-U.S. citizen to do so.
“Before I introduce the car, I'll explain the 'why:' As a boy I wanted to be a racing driver, watching Mansell, Senna and Prost to begin with, but falling in love with BTCC, Group B Rally, WRC and NASCAR. I preferred the 'real' cars, the drivers being allowed to push each other, the sheer belief and the drive! Whilst I was unable to follow that dream, I did get into racing – albeit on a 1/10 RC scale. Roll on to being legally allowed to drive, I got the buzz for fast hot hatches and modifying them and sharing that passion with others. I got older, I had a daughter, a career, and had to balance my work, life, and being a single dad, etc., with having cars I enjoyed but that didn't break the bank. I had an ST Mk2 in Silver (the 2.5 5-pot with the lovely rumble) and then on to a Mk3 ST, in black, with black windows and wheels. As a kid my dad's friend had a Sierra Cozzy. I always loved the Escort Cozzy's. My parents also had a Fiesta XR2 with the pepper-pot rims. When the Focus Mk1 RS came out, I wanted one real bad, the Mk2 as well, true to form, as they all had that wider stance. When the Mk3 came out, I was a little disappointed in the look, sharing the same arches/fenders as the rest of the models was a shame – though I loved the Nitrous Blue, blue being my favorite color.
“Career-wise, I have spent much of mine working with U.S. companies such as Zebra, EFI, and Xbox – including making Forza Horizon and working with E-Sports, so I got to scratch my car bug doing that too! Then Covid hit and the world stopped – and I went to working from home 80 hours a week, raising my beautiful little girl and staring at the same four walls, struggling with my own mental health, like the rest of the world. I wasn't commuting to work, and I needed something in my life to escape, to clear my head each day, to make me smile and look forward to something. So I decided to go and test drive her, and boy oh boy, didn't she make me laugh! That happened the second I fired her up in the garage, and the moment the salesman said, 'Put your foot down!' This was back in November of 2021. The garage really helped me and were patient so I could sort out the financing, and I got her the month after, in December 2021.
“My car is a 2017 Focus RS model with the Mountune 375 pack fitted at factory, with about 580 pounds-feet of torque, too. It’s also lowered, with the previous owner keeping meticulous history and paperwork. She shifts holding pretty much anything from 0-60mph. I've added my own touches, the main being adding 'that stance’ I mentioned earlier, with thanks to Mountune for finding an old pair of the Seibon carbon arches they used on the race cars, custom-fitted and painted by a friend; and the reach arches, made by hand by the SS Tuning boys in the Ukraine, during their very difficult times they were going through then.
“Sadly, in August 2023, after having to move home due to personal reasons, the bottom end went on the car. I thought it was over, but with support from my friends in the RS Owners Club and across the UK, real understanding from my finance company and warranty company, and the unbelievable mechanics at St. Albans Car Clinic (who help the Napa BTCC team), and a long seven-month rebuild, they brought her back from the ashes with aplomb! However, it cost the best part of £12,000, which included resolving a full turbo failure and subsequent fire following the rebuild. With that came the white wheels and offset stripes, with a shout-out to Amédée Gordini.
“My life struggles continue to challenge me, but my Focus RS has been my refuge. In many ways it has saved my life. Thanks, Ford. I hope this story helps others who might find how a fun car can be tonic for the soul, and I want to thank everyone who has made this journey possible. Always believe there is a way, even when it may not always be easy. As Henry Ford once said, 'If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses’.”
Here’s How YOU Can Get In The Spotlight: For more than 20 years now, one of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our weekly Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company and its vehicles. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.
All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-500 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably around 1 mb in size) with the owner’s full name and hometown, please. Just tell us about the vehicle(s) and why you think Ford Performance should feature it (them) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News as well as for posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: ClubHub@Ford.com with your contact info. Your submission allows us the rights to use your words and images (along with any edits) for editorial purposes; we’ll choose one submission in random order to post online. We hope to see YOU and your Ford story in our Fan Spotlight soon!
