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Front Page
BP-Ford Claims World Rally Title With 1-2 Finish in New Zealand
Staff, Monday November 20, 2006.
Page 1 of 1
BP-Ford World Rally Team has secured the FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers' title after powering to a 1-2 finish in Rally New Zealand. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen took their sixth victory of the season in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, finishing 56.0sec ahead of team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in a similar car. The maximum points haul means that with one round still remaining BP-Ford has built an unassailable 25-point lead.
It is Ford's first manufacturers' title since 1979 and the squad's seventh victory of the season. Grönholm had already secured second in the drivers' series while Hirvonen's result means he is now assured of third. This was also Ford's 75th consecutive points scoring finish in the WRC, a record unrivalled in the sport's history and dating back to the opening round of the 2002 championship.
Round 15 of the 16-event championship was based in Hamilton, 130km south of Auckland. Drivers tackled three days of smooth, flowing gravel speed tests on North Island's west coast, many hugging the spectacular Tasman Sea shoreline. They covered 17 special stages in all, covering 358.48km, while early spring in New Zealand guaranteed a mix of weather conditions, ranging from sunshine to torrential rain.
Grönholm and Rautiainen led from Friday's opening kilometre. With no pressure from behind, the 38-year-old Finnish driver eased through the final leg, comprising six stages and 95.48km near the coastal town of Raglan, to secure victory. He set a clean sweep of fastest times on the opening day by winning all five speed tests and increased his rally total to 13 with five more wins today.
"It's a great feeling to win the rally and secure the world title for Ford on the same day," said Grönholm. "When I joined the team I expected a high performance level from the Focus RS WRC because it was a new car and to experience the fantastic level of reliability that we have enjoyed during the season was a big bonus. This wasn't such a hard rally as the Focus RS has been absolutely perfect."
Hirvonen, too, was under no pressure from behind today and took no risks on the slippery stages. He finished 1min 43.3sec ahead of his nearest challenger. "I'm thrilled to be part of a world title-winning team," said the 26-year-old Finn. "The whole season has been fantastic and I have secured third place in the drivers' series. But that stays in the background because to win the manufacturers' title is a huge achievement for me. I started my career in world rallying with Ford. Malcolm Wilson gave me the chance to prove myself at the beginning of my career and again this year, so it is even better to be here helping Ford to the title."
Ford TeamRS director Jost Capito led the celebrations and said: "It's thrilling and rewarding to see Ford as world champions again, especially in the first year of competition for the new Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. This title was only possible due to an outstanding effort from every single member of the team."
BP-Ford World Rally team director Malcolm Wilson said: "This title brings great personal satisfaction. Ford has been so close to winning the manufacturers' title on many occasions but it is many years since we achieved this honour and I'm proud to be able to deliver it now. It has been a huge effort by everyone, not only all the employees at M-Sport, but also our partners at BFGoodrich and all the other suppliers and partners who have supported the team. It is the culmination of many years of building a world class team, infrastructure and resource capable of beating the best." News from our Rivals
Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) claimed his second consecutive podium in third ahead of a fierce battle between team-mates Dani Sordo and Xevi Pons (both Citroen). Sordo began the day in fourth but a charging Pons, despite a spin on the first pass through the classic Whaanga Coast test, set two fastest times and overhauled Sordo on the penultimate stage. Petter Solberg (Subaru) rounded off the top six, despite incurring a 60sec penalty when his car would not start before the first stage this morning. Luis Perez Companc (Ford) claimed his first drivers' points for his team in seventh.
Next round
The final round of the 2006 championship is the Wales-based Rally GB, which is based in Cardiff on 30 November - 3 December.
Final positions*
1. M Grönholm (Fin) / T Rautiainen (Fin) : Ford Focus RS 4hr 02min 30.7sec
2. M Hirvonen (Fin) / J Lehtinen (Fin) : Ford Focus RS +0:56.0
3. M Stohl (Aut) / I Minor (Aut) : Peugeot 307 +2:39.3
4. X Pons (Esp) / C Del Barrio (Esp) : Citroen Xsara +2:56.1
5. D Sordo (Esp) / M Marti (Esp) : Citroen Xsara +3:20.7
6. P Solberg (Nor) / P Mills (GB) : Subaru Impreza +4:57.1
7. L Perez Companc (Arg) / J-M Volta (Arg) : Ford Focus RS +10:51.6
8. J-M Latvala (Fin) / M Anttila (Fin) : Subaru Impreza +16:22.4
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 15 of 16)
Drivers
1. S Loeb 112pts
2. M Grönholm 101pts
3. M Hirvonen 65pt
4. D Sordo 47pts
5. M Stohl 46pts
6. P Solberg 34pts
Manufacturers
1. BP-Ford 185pts
2. Kronos Citroen 160pts
3. Subaru 97pts
4. OMV - Peugeot Norway 80pts
5. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford 39pts
6. Red-Bull Skoda 23pts
*Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA
________________________________________ FORD WINS FIA 2006 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP MANUFACTURERS' TITLE
"Henry Ford said that the only history that is important is the history we made today. Well, today we are proud to add the latest chapter in Ford's great Motorsport story."
John Fleming, President and CEO Ford of Europe
The Ford Focus RS World Rally Car 06, which made its Championship debut just over a year ago in Australia, has continued its successful first year in competition by securing the FIA WRC Manufacturers' Championship 2006 for Ford.
With a 25-point lead Ford has secured the Manufacturers' title even though there is still one final WRC round in this year's competition - Rally GB, 30 November - 3 December.
This is the first time that Ford has won the Manufacturers' Championship in 27 years and represents the pinnacle of achievement since Ford of Europe initiated its partnership with Malcolm Wilson and M-Sport in 1997.
The Focus RS WRC 06 was developed from concept to reality in record time by M-Sport and specialist engineers in Ford TeamRS, the company's in-house performance car and motorsport division. The entire project was overseen by Christian Loriaux, M-Sport's Technical Director.
"This Championship victory is the result of a tremendous team effort, and everyone at Ford is proud of what the car and the team have achieved this year," said John Fleming, President and CEO of Ford of Europe. "To secure the manufacturers' title in our first year of running with an all-new WRC car is more than we had dared hope for, and I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved with the BP-Ford World Rally team."
"Over the years, I believe the team has developed into one of the best squads in the Motorsport business," said Jost Capito, Director of Ford TeamRS. "This victory means a great deal to the team, but it is also a huge reward to all of the Ford employees, Ford Motorsport fans and Ford performance vehicle enthusiasts worldwide who have given us amazing support at every event.
"The title would not have been won without the most significant members of the team delivering superb results over and over," Capito said. "The BP-Ford World Rally Team pairings of Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen plus Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have driven with determination, perseverance and world class ability. We are very proud of them."
BP-Ford World Rally Team Director Malcolm Wilson commented: "I'm over the moon with this result. As one of the world's leading drivers, Marcus Grönholm was expected to lead Ford's title challenge, and he has done so brilliantly. But few commentators at the start of the season would have expected to see Mikko Hirvonen develop as quickly as he has into one of the WRC's leading drivers."
Other quotes for editorial use:
John Fleming, President and CEO, Ford of Europe: "This is a great achievement. We were counting on a robust performance in 2006 to put us in the position where we could mount a serious challenge for the title next year, so to win it this season with a completely new car is particularly pleasing. I'd like to thank Malcolm Wilson and Christian Loriaux, our drivers and co-drivers, and indeed everyone in the team for a fantastic effort throughout the year."
Ian Slater, Vice President Public Affairs:"The team has a huge following around the world, including our employees and dealers, many of our customers, and a great number of our suppliers and business partners. All of them will take great pleasure in this championship victory. It's been a long time - too long - since we last won it, but Ford has been involved consistently in Motorsport for over a century, and that's why this will mean so much to Ford people everywhere."
Jost Capito, Director of Ford TeamRS: "It's thrilling and rewarding to see Ford as world champions again, especially in the first year of competition for the new Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. This is only possible because the Ford Focus is a superb basis from which to develop performance cars like the highly successful Focus ST road car and competition vehicles like the Focus RS World Rally Car.
"When we won the first two rallies of the season in Monte Carlo and Sweden, we knew then that we had an outside chance. We knew also that we would encounter some technical problems, which would be almost inevitable after such a compressed product development schedule on an all-new vehicle. We were right - we did get some setbacks! But the team was undaunted, just kept at it, confident of their ability to win, especially with such great drivers. As it has turned out, we have been able to win enough points at the end of this event to secure the championship."
Malcolm Wilson, Director of BP-Ford World Rally Team: "This title gives me great personal satisfaction. I've spent my rally career with Ford, and the company has been so close to winning the manufacturers' title on many occasions but it has always eluded us. I'm proud to be able to deliver it now, and it has been a huge effort by everyone, not only all the employees at M-Sport, but also our partners at B F Goodrich and all the other partners and suppliers who have contributed to and supported the team. It is the culmination of many years of building a world class team, with an infrastructure and resource capable of becoming the world's best."
Marcus Grönholm, Driver: "We've done it! It's a marvellous feeling to win a world title in my first season with BP-Ford. From the moment I climbed into the car on my first test at the end of 2005, I knew the new Focus RS WRC was capable of being a great winning car. After victory on the first two events, we had a few small issues in the first half of the season but since then the car has been remarkably reliable and very fast. We will take time to enjoy this success and then concentrate on taking things even further in 2007."
Mikko Hirvonen, Driver: "This has been a brilliant season for both the BP-Ford team and me personally. It is my first world title and Australia brought my first WRC victory last month. I am looking forward to more next year!"
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