M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams

[dimviii]

Who would have won the WRC in an M-Sport Ford vs. Loeb ?

Οgier.

Gronholm and Hirvonen pushed him as close as anyone. Who else should MW have hired ?

These days nobody said that Malcolm hadnt got good drivers.Simply Loeb was better.We are talking about other years.

As for vs. Ogier/VW - Neuville came second in 2013 and Ostberg was the highest placed non-VW in 2015 ...

Gronholm and Hirvonen were fighting for wins and championships.They didnt placed 2nd from others retirements,and they werent minutes behind leader at every rally.There is a small difference.

[Barreis]

They won two manu' championships with Gronholm...

[Rally Power]

They won two manu' championships with Gronholm...

...and Hirvonen. Two manu’s titles in almost 20 WRC full seasons sounds a bit short. And zero driver’s titles even more.

Maybe from '03 (after failing 01' and '02 titles with Sainz and McRae on the team) MSport running budgets were always a bit shorter than competition or maybe Wilson just follows Mr. Ferrari (and many others former or current teams owners) concept that drivers are human resources that must adapt to the structure and never the structure to them (like wisely Citroen and VW did with Loeb and Ogier).

Anyway, WRC roll of honour doesn't reflect MSport winning potential and their amazing achievements as a private company at the rally sport.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

These days nobody said that Malcolm hadnt got good drivers. Simply Loeb was better. We are talking about other years.

.

Yeah so they had some bad years, but there were reasons - financial mostly, or simply not being in the right place at the right time (to get Ogier).

But as they didnt get him its not that important who they did get, as no-one beats Ogier. Wilson has had the best of the rest over the years (Solberg, Gronholm, Hirvonen, Latvala, Ostberg etc) but no-one beats Loeb or Ogier, so its a thankless task trying to do so.

Ford M-Sport doesnt have a divine right to just sign who they want.... there is the little matter of other Teams who are also battling for the best drivers, often with more finances...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

They won two manu' championships with Gronholm...

Exactly.

And in any WRC era other than Loeb's they would've had some driver's Titles.

[Nornbugger]

Interesting reading there..
46.6 million English Squids in turnover.
Total tax paid on everything: zero! They got credit to carry forward against any future tax liability..

Guess the Pommie Parliament is as kind to companies as the US Congress is...

Zero taxes paid...

Wonder if Malcom uses the same accounting firms on his 250,000 quid salary?

In the UK businesses don't pay tax on turnover

[Nornbugger]

when it was possible with maybe the best car (focus 03)choosed Martin,Gardemaister,and Kresta....

Martin was a top drawer driver, closer to being a Loeb IMO than Solberg ever was. Gard/Kresta, are you serious? the car wasn't the best by that season and they were looking at the development of the next years car.
The flying Scotsman failed MSport in his time there and with a cooler head would have won a title there, Gronholm IMO didn't fail but in pretty much any other era his and MSport efforts together would have produced a drivers title.

[dimviii]

Gard/Kresta, are you serious? the car wasn't the best by that season and they were looking at the development of the next years car.
.

car wasnt good at Kresta -Garde days? i dont think so...

[Nornbugger]

car wasnt good at Kresta -Garde days? i dont think so...

I didn't say it wasn't good, I said it wasn't the best, the Xsara was the best in 05, and in 06 and possible still was in 07 if Citroen hadn't stopped using it.

[dimviii]

how you know that?