Ford ends M-Sport run in WRC?

[johunn]

Well i think citroens No1 goal is also to make money they just use a different way to achieve this than M-sport.

Citroen's main goal is to make money by putting its resources behind Citroen WRT which is their advertising medium. Best selling point is winning rallies. Now M-Sports main goal is to be profitable and for that they also need to sell their rally cars to privateers which means they are not able to focus 100% on Fords goal of winning and advertising road cars. So basically Citroen does everything in house while Ford is outsourcing. M-Sport is just a company that is known for building good rally cars but it is hard to keep focus in a team when there is 8 of your cars rallying at once. I know that each vehicle has it's own service crew etc. but still the management of the team needs to juggle between keeping Ford and the privateers happy.

[noel157]

Citroen's main goal is to make money by putting its resources behind Citroen WRT which is their advertising medium. Best selling point is winning rallies. Now M-Sports main goal is to be profitable and for that they also need to sell their rally cars to privateers which means they are not able to focus 100% on Fords goal of winning and advertising road cars. So basically Citroen does everything in house while Ford is outsourcing. M-Sport is just a company that is known for building good rally cars but it is hard to keep focus in a team when there is 8 of your cars rallying at once. I know that each vehicle has it's own service crew etc. but still the management of the team needs to juggle between keeping Ford and the privateers happy.

If M-Sport can't keep focus then they will continue to have problems. Surely Ford/Odel should demand/have demanded that the M1 team are run properly, totally separate from customer cars- Ford WRT comes first and them M-Sport WRT. Can't be that hard, no?

[bretddog]

We can't really compare M-Sport to Citroen. The manufacturer is the only one who has the sizable revenue loop-back generated from the marketing strategies to be able to put up the money needed to make a true competitive challenge.

Ford's (acceptable) target can not be more than "to be perceived capable of winning". For this you need a certain win strike rate, and only hopefully the random titles a few years apart. Then to drum the competitiveness-mantra on each rally. You don't need more than that for the budget to pay back in image and sales from the general public. The point is I think this is pretty cheap for Ford, as M-Sport is likely generating enough revenue internally. So they don't have the requirement to win titles, then what can we expect..

But for next year they need to make changes if they even want to match this year's performance. Otherwise it will be a drastically humiliating season.

It's boring to look at the same issue unfixed for season after season. They need more from the engine. Otherwise I think the Fiesta is quite good.

[Allyc85]

Funny how its always the engine that is the problem on this forum

It could never be the diffs, brakes suspension or weight distrabution could it

Unless someone has some proof!

[Rallyper]

I think Ford´s strategy maybe pays off better than the huge sum of money Citroen is putting in their WRC team. Because Ford is also winning rallies and can promote on that for a great less sum of money...

[bretddog]

Funny how its always the engine that is the problem on this forum

It could never be the diffs, brakes suspension or weight distrabution could it

Unless someone has some proof!

Well this has been voiced from both drivers and people with inside knowledge. Also stage times/splits consistently slower over just about any surface, and specially which surface they are stronger vs weaker gives this away. If you look in detail which rallies M-Sport has won over the last 3 years, and how, it can tell you a lot.

[Bobcat]

I think Ford´s strategy maybe pays off better than the huge sum of money Citroen is putting in their WRC team. Because Ford is also winning rallies and can promote on that for a great less sum of money...

The huge problem is if Ford is winning only rallies but isn't winning championships.

[AndyRAC]

The huge problem is if Ford is winning only rallies but isn't winning championships.

They don't have a great record of winning Championships - in fact to be blunt, their record is extremely poor.

[olschl]

I just don't understand everyone's anger at Ford. They have consistently been a part of the WRC for many, many years with other manufacturers coming and going. Obviously Ford is satisfied with the results they are getting or they wouldn't continue to put money into the program, especially in these tough economic times. For me, my disappointment is with the FIA in not focusing on regulations that allow more manufacturers to become part of the WRC. Piss and moan about Ford all you want but without them, these last 5 years would have been much, much worse. For one, I appreciate there willingness to put forth the effort they do to keep a foothold in the WRC. A true underdog story and one I will be looking forward to watching in 2012.

[amilk]

I just don't understand everyone's anger at Ford. They have consistently been a part of the WRC for many, many years with other manufacturers coming and going. Obviously Ford is satisfied with the results they are getting or they wouldn't continue to put money into the program, especially in these tough economic times. For me, my disappointment is with the FIA in not focusing on regulations that allow more manufacturers to become part of the WRC. Piss and moan about Ford all you want but without them, these last 5 years would have been much, much worse. For one, I appreciate there willingness to put forth the effort they do to keep a foothold in the WRC. A true underdog story and one I will be looking forward to watching in 2012.

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