How sad after all these years ford are calling it a day and pulling the plug

Mini are also coming out of it, can't believe it really just as the WRC was looking up for next year with factory entrants from VW and Hyundai and Loeb leaving for WTC there would have been some great competition with 4 big playing.

very sad thought the glory days were just around the corner again.

 

It does suck, what I heard was that ford had left M sport, so I was thinking maybe M sport will just become a private team instead of fords effort??

 

i second this and to add to it i believe it is due to ford wanting more control over the money spent in particular how and where, and malcolm wilson being the man he is wouldn't allow it. will probably be m sport backed by other sponsors abu dhabi and the likes.

 

Abu Dhabi sponsor Citroen so that won't happen.

 

this is bad news for ford and rallying

 

M-Sport is carrying on the programme for 2013.

 

Not watched it for years after it left chanel 4 and never knew who was covering it.

 

Loeb will be racing a reduced WRC program, so he's not totally left. He just wont be winning a 10th WRC title in a row.

 

M sport will be runnig they're own ford team, and prodrive are doing the same with the mini. Gutted to hear Latvala is going to VW, he was really progressing, and I had my money on him to win it next year with the fiesta.

 

I am told there has been some disquiet within Ford and M-Sport for some time apparently...issues over funding and how money is spent that were somewhat divisive in the end, with the outcome being obvious! In addition, the company that built the engines for Fords WRC efforts for some time, Pipo Moteurs, were not apparently able to get the most out of the engine in its current format. Citroen and Red Bull were able to spend way more over the past few years in development.

Be interested to see how M-Sport get on though as in independent...would like to see them do well as a British company and one I have dealt with in the past for some minor parts (great service). Wonder who they will use for their engines, stick with Pipo (A french company), do something in house, or go to Mountune?