M-Sport
Encyclopedia
M-Sport is a large and successful motorsport team based in Cockermouth
, Cumbria
in England
. Formed in 1979 by former WRC
driver Malcolm Wilson
, and originally known as Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the team has had varying success running cars in several rally
championships. Since 1996, M-Sport has prepared and run the official Ford World Rally Team cars in the World Rally Championship
.
.
In 1994, the team won national titles in Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, and indeed the British Rally Championship
with Malcolm Wilson himself behind the wheel of the Escort.
's entry for the 1997 World Rally Championship season with the new derivative of the Ford Escort WRC. The start of the 1997 WRC season also saw the name change to M-Sport. Victories in Greece and Indonesia saw faith in the small team rewarded, and they went on to finish runner-up in the manufacturers' championship.
By the middle of 1998, Ford chose M-Sport to design and build the new Ford Focus WRC
. The new car appeared in 1999 with a new driver—Colin McRae
—and immediately sprang to the attention of the world press by recording fastest stage times on its first event, the Monte Carlo Rally
; however, the two cars entered were excluded from the event due to the use of an illegal modified water pump. By the third event—the notoriously gruelling Safari Rally
in Kenya—the team had scored their first WRC victory. A month later, an on-form Colin McRae made it two in a row at the Rally of Portugal.
With a move to new premises at Dovenby Hall
, M-Sport expanded rapidly, becoming a world leader in motorsport and employing over 170 people. Their hard work led to the culmination of their successes in 2006, when the Wilson-led Ford team took the manufacturers' World Rally championship title; it was the first time Ford had achieved this feat in 25 years of competing.
For the 2008 season
, the company employs the driving talents of Mikko Hirvonen
and Jari-Matti Latvala
in their challenge for the World Rally Championship.
The 2009 season
saw Mikko Hirvonen and Citroen's
Sébastien Loeb
fight a closely fought battle throughout the year which ended with Loeb the victor by just one point.
and Henning Solberg
are the two drivers competing in 2010. On occasions, a third car will be run with a guest driver.
Argentinian team Munchi's Ford World Rally Team
also entrusts the preparation and running of its car to M-Sport. The driver running for the team in the 2010 WRC season is Federico Villagra
.
For the 2010 season, M-Sport will prepare and run a Ford Focus WRC for Ken Block
on behalf of the Monster World Rally Team
.
rally version of the new Ford Fiesta
. The new car, designed by Christian Loriaux, was launched on 18 November 2009 at M-Sport's HQ. The car will made its public debut as a course car at the IRC Rally Scotland
driven by Matthew Wilson
. Ford did not run a works entry in the 2010 IRC
but M-Sport did its own programme of events with Ford's support both on the technical and financial side. M-Sport announced on 8 January 2010 that it was entering the IRC which means that Ford will be a registered manufacturer in the series. Works Ford WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen
gave the car its first competitive outing on the Monte Carlo Rally
leading the event from start to finish.
A number of private entry were made in the 2010 Super 2000 World Rally Championship
.
The company also runs the one-make Fiesta
Sporting Trophy rally series, which it launched in 2006, and the Fiesta Sporting Trophy International (FSTi) series.
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Formed in 1979 by former WRC
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
driver Malcolm Wilson
Malcolm Wilson (rally)
Malcolm Irving Wilson, OBE is a British former rally driver. He is the father of current World Rally Championship driver Matthew Wilson....
, and originally known as Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the team has had varying success running cars in several rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
championships. Since 1996, M-Sport has prepared and run the official Ford World Rally Team cars in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
.
History
Formed in 1979 under the name Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the company was originally next door to Wilsons house near Cockermouth. Following the career of Malcolm Wilson as a driver, the company grew steadily through the 1980s, with rapid expansion in the early 1990s reflecting the success that the company was having throughout the world with the Ford Escort RS CosworthFord Escort RS Cosworth
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative of the Ford Escort. It was available from 1992-96 in very limited numbers.It was instantly recognisable due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler...
.
In 1994, the team won national titles in Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, and indeed the British Rally Championship
British Rally Championship
The Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship is a yearly rallying series based in the United Kingdom. It comprises seven events with eight scoring opportunities throughout the British Isles. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the MSA Motor Sports Association since...
with Malcolm Wilson himself behind the wheel of the Escort.
World Rally Championship
At the end of 1996, Ford Motorsport selected the company to spearhead the Ford teamBP Ford World Rally Team
The Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Company's motorsport arm selected the Malcolm Wilson...
's entry for the 1997 World Rally Championship season with the new derivative of the Ford Escort WRC. The start of the 1997 WRC season also saw the name change to M-Sport. Victories in Greece and Indonesia saw faith in the small team rewarded, and they went on to finish runner-up in the manufacturers' championship.
By the middle of 1998, Ford chose M-Sport to design and build the new Ford Focus WRC
Ford Focus WRC
The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification...
. The new car appeared in 1999 with a new driver—Colin McRae
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
—and immediately sprang to the attention of the world press by recording fastest stage times on its first event, the Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
; however, the two cars entered were excluded from the event due to the use of an illegal modified water pump. By the third event—the notoriously gruelling Safari Rally
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...
in Kenya—the team had scored their first WRC victory. A month later, an on-form Colin McRae made it two in a row at the Rally of Portugal.
With a move to new premises at Dovenby Hall
Dovenby Hall
Dovenby Hall is a Grade II listed country house in Dovenby, about north-west of Cockermouth, Cumbria, England. The estate totals .- History :...
, M-Sport expanded rapidly, becoming a world leader in motorsport and employing over 170 people. Their hard work led to the culmination of their successes in 2006, when the Wilson-led Ford team took the manufacturers' World Rally championship title; it was the first time Ford had achieved this feat in 25 years of competing.
For the 2008 season
2008 World Rally Championship season
The 2008 World Rally Championship season was the 36th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 15 rallies and began on January 24, with the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally....
, the company employs the driving talents of Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to...
and Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland...
in their challenge for the World Rally Championship.
The 2009 season
2009 World Rally Championship season
The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point...
saw Mikko Hirvonen and Citroen's
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
fight a closely fought battle throughout the year which ended with Loeb the victor by just one point.
Privateer teams
Beside the official Ford cars, the team also runs two cars on behalf of the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team. Matthew WilsonMatthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson is an English rally driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson. Wilson currently competes in the World Rally Championship for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team...
and Henning Solberg
Henning Solberg
Henning Solberg is a Norwegian rally driver. Together with co-driver Ilka Minor, he currently competes in the World Rally Championship with Stobart M-Sport Ford. Solberg is the older brother of the 2003 world champion Petter Solberg....
are the two drivers competing in 2010. On occasions, a third car will be run with a guest driver.
Argentinian team Munchi's Ford World Rally Team
Munchi's Ford World Rally Team
The Munchi's Ford World Rally Team is a private team currently competing in the World Rally Championship. The team made its debut in the 2007 Swedish Rally...
also entrusts the preparation and running of its car to M-Sport. The driver running for the team in the 2010 WRC season is Federico Villagra
Federico Villagra
Federico Villagra is an Argentine rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship for the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team...
.
For the 2010 season, M-Sport will prepare and run a Ford Focus WRC for Ken Block
Ken Block (rally driver)
Ken Block is a professional rally driver with the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes...
on behalf of the Monster World Rally Team
Monster World Rally Team
The Monster World Rally Team is a team that competes in the World Rally Championship, with driver Ken Block. The team was formed by Block at the beginning of 2010 as a platform for him to compete at world championship level. The team, sponsored by Monster Energy, currently runs one 2011 Ford Fiesta...
.
Ford Fiesta S2000
At the beginning of 2009 Ford with M-Sport started work on a S2000Super 2000
Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an FIA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification is split to cover both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Super 2000 World Rally Championship events...
rally version of the new Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
. The new car, designed by Christian Loriaux, was launched on 18 November 2009 at M-Sport's HQ. The car will made its public debut as a course car at the IRC Rally Scotland
Rally Scotland
Rally Scotland is a forest rally held in central Scotland which is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge . The first event was held in 2009 and included stages that were last used over 20 years ago on the RAC Rally.-History:...
driven by Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson is an English rally driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson. Wilson currently competes in the World Rally Championship for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team...
. Ford did not run a works entry in the 2010 IRC
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge is a rallying series organised by SRW Ltd and sanctioned by the FIA, aiming to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognised regional and international rallies, while offering organisers an innovative TV format concept,...
but M-Sport did its own programme of events with Ford's support both on the technical and financial side. M-Sport announced on 8 January 2010 that it was entering the IRC which means that Ford will be a registered manufacturer in the series. Works Ford WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to...
gave the car its first competitive outing on the Monte Carlo Rally
2010 Monte Carlo Rally
The 2010 Monte-Carlo Rally, officially 78ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo, was the first round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season. The rally took place over January 19–23, 2010.-Introduction:...
leading the event from start to finish.
A number of private entry were made in the 2010 Super 2000 World Rally Championship
Super 2000 World Rally Championship
The FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship or S-WRC, is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship, and is driven on the same stages. S-WRC is limited to production-based cars homologated under the Super 2000 rules...
.
Other series
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
Sporting Trophy rally series, which it launched in 2006, and the Fiesta Sporting Trophy International (FSTi) series.