M-Sport

M-Sport is a British motorsport engineering company headquartered at Dovenby Hall near Cockermouth, United Kingdom. It is primarily known for entering the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) since 1997 in partnership with Ford, manufacturing race and rally cars, and providing parts and motorsport services to customers. The company has an automotive evaluation facility at its headquarters, and a second manufacturing facility in Kraków, Poland.[1][2][3]

In 2023, the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team contest the World Rally Championship and WRC2 support championship. M-Sport also organise, operate and act as promoter of the Junior WRC championship on behalf of the FIA. They also provide the official TOCA engine option used in BTCC since 2022.

History

Motorsport

World Rally Championship

Ford World Rally Team (1997–2012)

At the end of 1996, Ford Motorsport selected the company to spearhead the Ford team's entry for the 1997 World Rally Championship season with the Ford Escort WRC, a hastily built World Rally Car equivalent of the Group A car. 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 Safari Rally in Kenya — the team had scored its 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, employing over 170 people. In 2006, the Wilson-led Ford team took the manufacturers' World Rally championship title;[10] it was the first time Ford had achieved this feat in 25 years of competing. Since then, M-Sport Ford won seven FIA World Rally Championships, with 61 victories and 262 podiums.[11]

For the 2008 season, the company employed 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 Citroën's Sébastien Loeb fight a closely fought battle throughout the year which ended with Loeb the victor by just one point.

M-Sport World Rally Team (2010–present)

Beside the Ford entry, the company also ran two cars on behalf of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.[10] Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg were the two drivers competing in 2010. On occasions, a third car was run with a "guest" driver.

Customer teams

M-Sport supplied cars, personnel, servicing support and/or other entry services to the following customer teams to compete in the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:

Stobart VK Ford Rally Team (2006—2009)
Munchi's Ford World Rally Team (2007—2011)[10]
Ferm Powertools World Rally Team (2011)[12]
Monster World Rally Team (2011)[13]
Team Abu Dhabi (2011)
Adapta World Rally Team (2012)
Brazil World Rally Team (2012)
Jipocar Czech National Team

WRC Academy and Junior WRC

Ford World Rally Team (1997–2012)

M-Sport World Rally Team (2010–present)

Customer teams

M-Sport supplied cars, personnel, servicing support and/or other entry services to the following customer teams to compete in the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:

Stobart VK Ford Rally Team (2006—2009)
Munchi's Ford World Rally Team (2007—2011)[10]
Ferm Powertools World Rally Team (2011)[12]
Monster World Rally Team (2011)[13]
Team Abu Dhabi (2011)
Adapta World Rally Team (2012)
Brazil World Rally Team (2012)
Jipocar Czech National Team

WRC Academy and Junior WRC

Other series and championships

The company ran the one-make Fiesta Sporting Trophy rally series, which it launched in 2006, and the Fiesta Sporting Trophy International (FSTi) series.[10][14][15]

M-Sport started preparing Bentley Continental GT3 for Blancpain Endurance Series and British GT Championship in 2014.

M-Sport supplies Ford Fiesta Rallycross Supercars to Global Rallycross Championship teams Hoonigan Racing Division since 2013, and Chip Ganassi Racing and Bryan Herta Autosport since 2015.

M-Sport, alongside Ford Performance and Hoonigan Racing Division has developed Ford Focus RS RX, scheduled to competing in 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship.

M-Sport will provide the official engine option for TOCA used in the BTCC from the 2022 season.

type	Private
industry	Motorsport Automotive engineering
foundation	1979
founder	Malcolm Wilson
location	Dovenby Hall, United Kingdom
key people	• Malcolm Wilson (Founder and director) • Elaine Wilson (Director) • Matthew Wilson (Director) • John Steele (Former director) • Maciej Woda (Board Member, Director of M-Sport Poland) • Guenther Steiner (Former director)
homepage	m-sport.co.uk

History

Motorsport

World Rally Championship

Ford World Rally Team (1997–2012)

M-Sport World Rally Team (2010–present)

Customer teams

WRC Academy and Junior WRC

Ford World Rally Team (1997–2012)

M-Sport World Rally Team (2010–present)

Customer teams

WRC Academy and Junior WRC

Other series and championships

Manufacturing

World Rally Cars and Rally1

Ford Fiesta S2000

Group R

Other

Records and statistics

Complete WRC results

Complete Blancpain Endurance Series results

See also

External links

References