Ford World Rally Team
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|
| Full name | BP Ford World Rally Team (until 2007) BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team (2007-2012) |
|---|---|
| Base |
 Cumbria, England
|
| Team principal(s) | Malcolm Wilson |
| Technical director | Christian Loriaux |
| Drivers |
 Jari-Matti Latvala Petter Solberg
|
| Co-drivers |
Miikka Anttila Chris Patterson
|
| Chassis | Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
| Tyres | Michelin |
| World Rally Championship career | |
| Debut | 1997 (with M-Sport) |
| Constructors' Championships | 3 (1979, 2006, 2007) |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (Björn Waldegård 1979) |
| Rally wins | 76 |
The Ford World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Company's motorsport arm selected the Malcolm Wilson Motorsport company to run its factory team, entering the Ford Escort World Rally Car. The new team took their first victory in the 1997 Acropolis Rally.
Ford would end the 1978 season with a win for Hannu Mikkola on season ending Lombard RAC Rally, at the hands of an Escort RS1800, he would be followed home by Björn Waldegård and Britain's Russell Brookes, all in similar machinery.
Ford had a long and successful history in rallying, winning the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1979 with the Ford Escort RS1800 and drivers Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård and Ari Vatanen.
Ford did not officially enter any cars for these seasons after winning the 1979 World Rally Championship season, they instead concentrated on development of the stillborn Ford Escort RS 1700T. However, Ari Vatanen did win the 1981 drivers championship in a Rothmans liveried Ford Escort RS, this was run by David Sutton Cars, and not an official works Ford World Rally team.
The Boreham-based team were again missing from the 1985 season; the Ford Escort RS 1700T programme had been cancelled in 1983, and a new car was required to compete with Group B rivals like the Audi Quattro S1 and Peugeot 205 T16. Lessons learned from the RS 1700T programme were being used in the development of Ford's new rally weapon, the RS200, which would not hit the stages until 1986.
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