Hello from Antony Warmbold

[Gard]

Not only Ford. Citroen has been doing the same. Maybe even worse.

[N.O.T]

do not confuse ford with m-sport...

[Gard]

do not confuse ford with m-sport...

You're right, sorry

[tfp]

How true:-)

[Plan9]

Henning is probably the WRC driver with the best skillset in mechanics and electronics in the field. He has been pretty upbeat and frustrated when he has tested and found a good base setup that suites his style, and when he starts shakedown the setup is usually the base setup for the MSport team and not his one, and he is back to square one.

But if he wants to drive a WRC car Stobart or Ford is gis only option. He is putting up a brave face, but is boiling underneath....

He is doing this more or less for fun now, and if i were him I would have gone in IRC or SWRC, and gotten rid of the moneymaking policy of Malcolm W !

It is so good that Warmbold dare write his truth of the clean sport we all like !

Makes me even more sorry that MSport got the academy car,and not Renault.......

I totally agree!!! I was sooo excited about Sweden 2011 when Henning won the first SS. Then he disappeared from the rally. There was I thinking with the new rules he would be at the front as he has always had good speed. I guess team rules aye??

I've watched videos of Henning do rallycross and other rallies in Norway and I have to say his technique is almost flawless. I guess he stays in the WRC as he has really proven himself in every other area and he would'nt stay in WRC just for fun. I think he still relishes the challenge, although I'm not sure how he or his brother will every get a proper car now.

BTW why does M-Sport change his base set-up?? Is he a real threat to Mikko and JML?? if so should'nt he be in line for a promotion...

[Antony Warmbold]

I have made some fresh updates for today. Have a nice day people!

[HaCo]

I have made some fresh updates for today. Have a nice day people!

Thank you for your posts. It's another side of the whole story we get prepared every day and the addition of technical details makes it even more interesting to read!

[Jaanus]

Hi Antony! I am really enjoying you blog and I think it is wonderful that you have had such a great opportunity to live the dream and drive a WRC car for 3 years in the World Rally Championship.
In 2003 I started a website dedicated to the history of Ford Focus WRC cars and it can be found in my signature. In that website I also have a notes page, where I try to keep track of the cars after they have been sold to private drivers.
I am especially interested in the cars you used in 2003 and 2004 the Y3 FMC and Y6 FMC. Could you please tell me if they were rented or bought from M-sport?
And please keep your blog alive for a long time. I think there are already many followers and fans who really find it interesting

[janvanvurpa]

I have made some fresh updates for today. Have a nice day people!

Grüsst dir, Anothy.

A thousand thanks for your blog---always good to hear from somebody who talks or writes from real experience.
And your latest about the brake master is an excellent thing just to that point...
It contrasts so much with a long detailed interview I read 3-4 years ago in Race Car Engineering from I believe it was Christian Loriaux from his time at Prodrive.

In contrast to your words that it is you who is driving, he said in every way possible except straight out that the modern car "is too complicated for us to rely on the feedback from the driver" and that it is only "we engineers are the only ones who can fully understand what's going on and needs to be done"..
It was the most amazing arrogance I had seen out of an engineer----and I have been around them first in moto-cross between 1969 and 1980, then in rally since '84.
One thing that I see as a contrast between the simple machines I used---1 cylinder Husqvarna or KTM and your stories is how much I did myself--which was everything, eveen build the crank and mod and rebuild and re-valve the shocks down to mounting the tires and driving the truck from one end of Europe to the next for 5-6 events per month....It taught me one lesson your story of the master shows so well: problems are usually the simplest things first...
and a lesson I try and tell all those who i help get started in rally: Trust the words of those whose job it is. Somebody builds motors for 30 years, they might know more than a 24 year old kid on a forum.
Somebody build shocks, they probably know about shocks...

Oh and thanks for the last entry on Notes---in a couple of weeks I'm co-driving for one of my customer/friends again and we were discussing notes which is new for us...he did 2 short Regional rallys with Jemba notes and we had thought "oh we concentrate on the "not too obvious stuff" but your point was good: the co-driver needs to know where he is, too and he doesn't see everything"

Very good advice! Wish us luck! Volvo 240 flies again!

And I put link on our club oriented forum in North America http://www.rallyanarchy.com and everybody is saying Great link, good reading.

One personal question: have you ever considered just build a normal car maybe something for your GruppH just for fun?

I ask cause sometimes it seems nobody ever wants to have good fun after they stop at high level, no stepping back to simpler times..

Myself when I quit Internationale moto-cross, I knew I would get back to local things and after some university I did Enduros and that led to Regional rally...

So----how do you stay away if you had the disease? (rally is a disease for which there is no cure!)

Come on by Rallyanarchy.com and say hi!

[Antony Warmbold]

Hi Antony! I am really enjoying you blog and I think it is wonderful that you have had such a great opportunity to live the dream and drive a WRC car for 3 years in the World Rally Championship.
In 2003 I started a website dedicated to the history of Ford Focus WRC cars and it can be found in my signature. In that website I also have a notes page, where I try to keep track of the cars after they have been sold to private drivers.
I am especially interested in the cars you used in 2003 and 2004 the Y3 FMC and Y6 FMC. Could you please tell me if they were rented or bought from M-sport?
And please keep your blog alive for a long time. I think there are already many followers and fans who really find it interesting

They were both bought from M-Sport. Thanks for the support!!! Nice site btw, i check it often to refresh my memory.