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BIRMINGHAM,
ENGLAND, 12 January 2006 -- Ford's new signings, double world rally
champions Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko
Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, today made their first public appearance
alongside the all-new Focus RS World Rally Car 06.
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The
Finnish quartet broke off from their final test session in southern
France ahead of next week's first round of the FIA World Rally Championship,
to appear at the opening day of the Autosport International show in
Birmingham -- the traditional curtain raiser to the motorsport season.
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The
asphalt test session near Gap provides the third testing opportunity
for the BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers to sample the exciting new
Focus RS WRC upon which Ford is placing its world championship hopes
for the next three seasons. But the foursome jetted into Birmingham
to meet the world's media and share the limelight with the Focus RS
WRC, which will remain on display to the public throughout the four-day
show.
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The
next time the drivers will be seen with the car in its distinctive
livery will be in just seven days when the official start of the Rallye
Monte Carlo signifies the beginning of the gruelling 16-round season.
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"I've
driven the Focus RS WRC on snow in Sweden and twice on asphalt in
France and I'm hugely impressed," said 37-year-old Gronholm.
"I quickly developed a good feeling with the car and have settled
into a good working relationship with the team. I'm not making any
predictions about Monte Carlo. The important thing on the first round
is for me to gain experience of the car in competitive surroundings.
But my initial feeling is that the Focus RS WRC can win rallies in
2006."
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Hirvonen
was equally delighted. "I've tackled more WRC events in a Focus
RS than any other car so I know just what a good rally car it is.
But this new-generation Focus RS WRC has huge potential and I'm so
excited at the thought of the season ahead. I can't wait to tackle
my first competitive kilometres in the car in Monte Carlo," said
25-year-old Hirvonen, who flew to France for tomorrow's final day
of testing ahead of the new season.
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Also
new for 2006 is a partnership with BFGoodrich tyres. The Focus RS
WRC will run on the American company's rubber for the next three seasons,
the first time that BFGoodrich has been involved in the WRC with an
official manufacturer.
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Ford's
world rally programme is Ford of Europe's primary motorsport activity.
In November 2004 the Blue Oval announced a four-year commitment to
the FIA World Rally Championship. A key aspect of that agreement was
the introduction of an all-new Focus RS WRC, based on the Focus ST
road car, which was officially unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show
on 1 December 2005.
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"Ford
carried out a long and comprehensive review into the motorsport scene,"
said Jost Capito, director of Ford TeamRS, the performance road car
and motorsport arm within Ford of Europe. "It showed there is
a strong business case for Ford's continued involvement in WRC and
what we see today is Ford's future in the WRC.
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"We
have a strong and experienced team operating from world class facilities
at M-Sport's Dovenby Hall premises under the leadership of Malcolm
Wilson. We have a fantastic driver line-up, blending one of rallying's
great drivers with one of the sport's up-and-coming stars. And we
have the car that we believe will carry us forward to new levels of
competitiveness.
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"It
is too optimistic to expect us to win a world title this year. The
car is too new for that. But we fervently believe that we will win
rallies and lay a solid platform for a world championship bid in 2007
and 2008," added Capito.
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In
addition to official world rally programme, Ford will again support
a wide range of customer activities in varying motorsport disciplines.
The Stobart-VK-M-Sport Ford Rally Team will enter 2005 specification
Focus RS WRC on all 16 rounds of the world championship. The privately-
funded team will be led by 18-year-old Matthew Wilson, Britain's most
promising and talented young rally driver.
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The
Ford Fiesta Super 1600 has been developed by M-Sport for the FIA Junior
World Rally Championship while the Fiesta ST Group N rally car will
be widely used in 2006. The Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy International
is a single-make series which will take in six rounds of the WRC while
several countries are organising national championships with the same
car. Both series will be administered by M-Sport.
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On
the race circuits, the Focus RS S2000 was developed in the FIA World
Touring Car Championship during 2005 and is likely to be seen in the
hands of customer teams in 2006. The 20-round UK Formula Ford Championship
will be boosted by the introduction of the powerful new Duratec engine
and the mouth-watering prize of a free entry in the 2007 British Formula
3 Championship for the title winner is a huge lure.
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"The
WRC is Ford's flagship activity," said Capito. "But we are
keen to support customers throughout various motorsport categories.
Our strategy has been to develop competition cars, make them competitive
and then make them available for customers to drive so that they can
enjoy their chosen sport to the full."
