Ford is withdrawing from WRC!

[BDunnell]

This is the nub of the matter, when Gronholm retired Mikko wasn't up to holding no1 in a team (imo) with a still developing JML (who is only just starting to demonstrate the right level of maturity) it was essential to have someone who would focus the team and be a challenger - the right guy was Petter.

But there may be all sorts of reasons we don't know about as to why Solberg wasn't signed.

[BDunnell]

Only my thoughts and i am sure a lot of people will dis agree but some drivers failed to deliver what they had been given.

I'm sure there is truth in what you say. To lay all the blame in one quarter is surely simplistic. And, as I said earlier, it's not just with M-Sport that Ford has failed to deliver on its potential in motorsport. It is quite a consistent pattern. As a company, does it 'get' motorsport any more?

[sollitt]

What achievements? Simply being there isn't an achievement.

Actually Daniel, being there is quite an achievement. In a sport with just 3 or 4 teams, half of which throw in the towel every other year, fronting with the machinery on 220 odd consecutive events is quite something. Taking victory on 1 in 4 of those events is also not to be sneezed at. To have given us the excitement of Gronholm vs Loeb battles, including the closest finish in WRC history, and to have gifted us the spectacles that were Duval, Martin and more recently Latvala, are things we should also be thankful for ... amongst very much more.

It is very easy to be a critic, to presume from the sideline that you know more than those actually fighting the war. That is very much your genre. Time to grow up.

Malcolm Wilson was an accomplished driver in his own right and has gone on to contribute hugely to the WRC as a team owner. Long may he continue to do so.

[BDunnell]

Actually Daniel, being there is quite an achievement. In a sport with just 3 or 4 teams, half of which throw in the towel every other year, fronting with the machinery on 220 odd consecutive events is quite something.

I agree very much with this. The rest of the paean of praise is a tad gushing, though.

[ste898]

Have the Ford-Citroen years really been anything to be happy about though? I agree it would have been better if Ford was still in with M-Sport next year and we had a 3 horse race, it would have been an attractive proposition for another manufacturer looking to come in. Citroen will always have a good car and a properly managed team. That is 95% of the battle, the last 5% is Loeb

Best post I have seen on here in a while well done Daniel

[ste898]

Was the balancing of the books done in the big motorhome/glorified chip van?

Oh dear are you the same Noel157 from the Irish forum?

You must be talking the same crap as on there

[COD]

M-sport was originally chosen, because of the REALLY poor results Ford in-house operation in Boreham achieved. Results got much better after the operation was taken over by M-Sport.
Last rally car designed in Boreham was Fiesta s1600 and you old enough to remember that will know how good that was...

[stefanvv]

M-sport was originally chosen, because of the REALLY poor results Ford in-house operation in Boreham achieved. Results got much better after the operation was taken over by M-Sport.
Last rally car designed in Boreham was Fiesta s1600 and you old enough to remember that will know how good that was...

I'm old enough to remember also Escort RS Cosworth. But in general you're right - M-Sport make good cars with small budget...

[rallye-vid]

Cosworth is for sale now: Cosworth steht zum Verkauf*:: rallye-magazin.de

[stefanvv]

Cosworth is for sale now: Cosworth steht zum Verkauf*:: rallye-magazin.de

Well, well, well, this is probably worse that I thought