Ford Focus WRC - The auto-biography of a rally champion
When world rallying introduced a new formula for "World Rally Cars," Ford seized the opportunity. Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport organization was contracted to do the job, completed the design in less than a year, and spent the next 12 years campaigning this turbocharged, four-wheel-drive car all round the world.
Working from state-of-the-art facilities, M-Sport built 97 Focus WRCs, all of which proved to be worthy of World level action when they won 44 World Championship events. Stellar drivers like Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Markko Martin, Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen all added to the mystique of an ultra-professional organization, along with substantial support and sponsorship from the likes of Martini, BP, and the state of Abu Dhabi.
By building its in-house technical expertise, M-Sport not only engineered and developed the entire car on behalf of Ford, but gradually took over development of the 300bhp, 2.0-litre, turbocharged engine, and led the design of the complex four-wheel-drive transmissions provided by Xtrac. M-Sport's reputation exploded to the point that when regulations changed, the company immediately produced a new-generation Fiesta WRC, and kept the winning days rolling.
Features
- The complete 12-year story of the Ford Focus WRC's career in World Championship rallying
- An unrivalled analysis of the birth, design, and evolution of Ford's Focus WRC project
- Detailed coverage of events, victories, and Championships in the 1999-2010 period
- M-Sport, Dovenby Hall, and the growth of a famous motorsport team
- Interviews and viewpoints of all the major characters - team owner, sponsors and drivers.
- For the first time, cars, drivers and engineers all profiled in great detail
- Listing and competition history of all 97 WRC cars built.
Author: | Graham Robson |
Specs: | 192 pages, 25.5 x 21.5 x 2.2 cm / 10 x 8.5 x 0.87 in, hardback |
Illustrations: | 240 b&w and colour photos |
Publisher: | Veloce Publishing Ltd (GB, 2017) |
ISBN: | 9781787110205 |