Full name | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team |
---|---|
Base | Cumbria, England |
Team principal(s) | Malcolm Wilson |
Drivers |
Sébastien Ogier Ott Tänak Elfyn Evans |
Co-drivers |
Julien Ingrassia Martin Jarveoja Daniel Barritt |
Chassis | Ford Fiesta WRC |
Tyres |
Michelin DMACK |
World Rally Championship career | |
Debut | 2006 |
Constructors' Championships | 0 |
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
Rally wins | 1 |
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, formerly Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team, is the privately run World Rally Championship team of M-Sport, the firm run by Malcolm Wilson that was previously responsible for the operation of the former Ford World Rally Team.
Stobart debuted at the 2006 season opener Monte Carlo Rally with drivers Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tsjoen. Wilson went on to compete all the 16 rounds for the team. Other Stobart entrants during the season were Luís Pérez Companc in eight rallies, Kosti Katajamäki in five, Jari-Matti Latvala in four, Juan Pablo Raies at the Cyprus Rally and Andreas Mikkelsen at the Wales Rally GB.
The team's best results were Latvala's fourth place at the Wales Rally GB and Katajamäki's fifth at the Rally of Turkey and sixth at the Swedish Rally. With 44 points the team placed fifth overall in the manufacturers' world championship, behind OMV Peugeot Norway and ahead of Red Bull Škoda.
In the 2007 season, Latvala and Wilson were joined by Henning Solberg and the three competed in all 16 rounds. Latvala and Solberg were nominated to collect manufacturers' championship points. Mikkelsen and Gareth Jones also drove for Stobart, in three and five events, respectively.
The team achieved its best points total at the Rally Norway, when Solberg took Stobart's first podium place by finishing third and Latvala finished fifth. Solberg later placed third at the Rally Japan and Latvala in the next rally in Ireland. Stobart fought with the Subaru World Rally Team for third place in the manufacturers' championship all year long, but Latvala's technical problems at the season-ending 2007 Wales Rally GB meant that the team had to settle with fourth place and 81 points. The team scored points in every event, and Latvala also led three rallies during the season; Rally d'Italia Sardegna, Rally Finland and Rally Japan.