When world rallying introduced a new formula for 'World Rally Cars, ' Ford needed a completely new car to meet the new rules. Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport organisation, then small but soon to expand considerably, 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 premises at Dovenby Hall, near Cockermouth, in Cumbria, M-Sport built a total of no fewer than 97 Focus WRCs, which were always competitive at World level, this being proved by the fact that they won 44 World Championship events. In that time, stellar drivers such as Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Markko Martin, Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen all added to the mystique of an ultra-professional organisation, along with substantial support, and sponsorship, from the drinks giant Martini, the oil company BP (and its major subsidiary Castrol), and the state of Abu Dhabi.In building up its own in-house technical expertise, M-Sport not only engineered and developed the entire car on behalf of Ford, but gradually took over development (and eventually manufacture) of the 300bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, and led the design of the complex four-wheel-drive transmissions provided, at first, by Xtrac, and later by Ricardo.M-Sport's reputation within the sport of rallying was such that, when the regulations once again changed, the company was immediately able to produce a new-generation Fiesta WRC, and continue with its winning ways.
Industry Reviews
This latest book from prolific motoring historian Graham Robson tells the complete story of the Ford Focus World Rally car, of which 97 were built and campaigned between 1997 and 2010 before making way for Ford' subsequent WRC weapon, the Fiesta. Built by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport concern in a new factory at Cockermouth, in Cumbria, the early versions incorporated Xtrac 4-wheel drive and Mountune Zebec-M 2-litre engines with a nominal 300bhp, later versions using Bosworth developed Duraec-R units of similar power with a Ricardo 4WD system and a wider track and body shell. After a brief history of Ford's 4WD predecessors, Robson's book covers the design and development of the first Focus WRC before going on to describe each season of completion with the car in detail. The charismatic Carlos Sainz and the mercurial Colin McRae were among the first of the team's key drivers, both of them scoring outright wins as well as securing for the Focus three successive runner-up placings in the WRC Manufacturers' Championship. It was not until former double WRC champion Marcus Gronholm joined the team for 2006/7 that Ford won the Manufacturer's Championship outright, which they did in each of those two years, the talented Finn's twelve individual victories making him the most prolific winner in a WRC Focus. The inevitable highs and lows of relentless WRC competition, the M-Sport team's varies personalities and the cars' ongoing development are fully described with the attention to detail that readers have come to expect from this respected author. There are full colour illustration on virtually every page, so WRC anoraks will find the book a perfect reference for individual chassis and sponsors liveries, not to mention registration listings for every one of those 97 cars, including the second strong Stobart M-Sport team (which included among its drivers Malcolm Wilson's son Matthew). Together with appendices which include the cars specifications, drivers records and even a summary of WRC regulations, this is a fine record of one of Britain's most successful home-grown International rally contenders. - SPeedscene. The cover lets you know exactly what this will be about, with an imposing shot of the Abu Dhabi/BP Ultimate sponsored green car which won so many. There are good descriptions of the main M-Sport characters, and crisp, clear pictures showing the car with the varied liveries over the years. It also describes how M-Sport evolved, moving out of the original small premises and into their now much larger and much developed motorsport centre. It is as much a history of the M-Sport as it is a history of the Focus. It's an interesting book, and I liked reading it. It's written by a respected author who had access to Ford archives which are not generally available to others, and is worth reading. There are details about people such as Christian Loriaux which you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. - www.silhouet.com. Released in the same year that its successor has won't eh 2017 rally word championship, this book highlights the development, competition, victories and ultimately world championship titles of the Ford Focus WRC. Graham Robson's well researched book also goes behind the scene of M-Sport, Malcolm Wilson's privateer rally team that stepped up to taking on the big name manufacturer teams, their purchase and development of premises at Cockermouth that re-defined how cars are built and prepared, and the superstars who signed up to share the dream, like Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae. Being a story recorded in the digital age, it is noticeable that the photography, mostly of colour illustrations, is much cleaner and sharper than can be seen on some other rally books, and illustrate perfectly the well written text. The book is completed by tables showing every rally entered, the results, and the history of all 97 Focus WRC cars built, along with interviews with many of the personnel involved - sponsors, drivers and team manager alike. For the many model makers, you'll find many of the different liveries used in clear detail, from a host of the rallies in the WRC calendar from 1999 to 2010, and Ford fans will love having this on their shelves alongside their books on other famous models. - Chequered Flag Services. The Ford WRC is the car that has won (in 2006 and 2007) two of the four titles championship won by Ford. And Graham Robson - skilled and prolific author of very interesting volumes (160 titles to his credit) after being a navigator in the official Sunbeam, Ford, Triumph teams - celebrates the story of one of the most successful Ford, analysing all there versions, with the history of the 97 built specimens. - Autosprint. Between 1999 and 2010, the Focus WRC won 44 world championship races and twice the world championship - making it the most successful Ford in motorsport history. Motorsport guru Robson has immortalised the car in a 192-page book. Richly illustrated, the book tells 12years of motorsport history - Technic, drivers, sponsors... and of course the fates of the 97 built factory cars - from the preparatory work for Team M-Sport to the replacement of the Focus WRC by the Fiesta WRC. - Austro Classic. Who better than Ford Escrot guru Graham Robson to write about its successor, the Focus? And he doesn't disappoint, either: this is a truly exhaustive analysis, from Ford's first 4x4 rally forays to the Focus' two World titles, via Wilson, McRae, Gronholm et al. - Classic & Sports Car. Graham Robson, who has countless books to his name, has done his usual thorough job ... It is just so good. - Historic Racing Tech.It's a good book about a good series of rally cars. - IRDC Quattro. Seeing the name Graham Robson as the author of a book about rallying is a good sign, and this one lives up to expectations. Covering the 1999-2010 seasons, he gives the fullest picture of this successful World Rally Championship (WRC) Blue Oval car. Starting with the final days of the Escorts, the book then covers the development of the newly introduced Focus as a rally car, in parallel with the growth of Malcolm Wilson's team. Each season is covered in turn, along with the changes to car specs, drivers, and other key team personnel. It's not that long ago, but I think that the Focus looks a lot more like the production version that today's be-winged WRC cars do. Nonetheless, under the skin, it was a different beast, and Robson's book takes you through the various changes made to keep the model competitive. Along the way were many challenges, including Ford's lack of long-term financial commitment, at times; a regular turnover of drivers; and strong competition from the like of Citroen. Colin McRae was a star, but he became too expensive to retain. Other top Focus drivers included Carlos Sainz, Mikko Hirvonen, Markko Martin, and Marcus Groenholm. The first WRC win for a Focus was McRae's in the 1999 Safari Rally, and the last of its 44 victories came in Finland in 2010 with Jari-Matti Latvia at the wheel. That's a long career for a competition car, and this book gives an excellent and well-illustrated account of the Focus' rallying ups and downs throughout those seasons. - New Zealand Classic Car.
