Ford Pulls Out Of WRC

2012 Ford Fiesta RS WRC

The future is not looking bright for the World Rally Championship at the moment. Mini announced their plans to retire from the championship at the end of the 2012 season and now Ford have said the same.

As with Mini, Ford have reviewed their European business operations and decided the “difficult economic environment” would preclude them from further competition. According to Roelant de Waard, Ford Europe’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “Ford has a long and proud history in the WRC, and this was not an easy decision. At this time, however we determined that it was better for the company and the Ford brand to reduce our commitment to the WRC and deploy our resources in other areas.”

2012 Ford Fiesta RS WRC

Together with UK-based Malcolm Wilson Motorsport (M-Sport), Ford of Europe has competed in 16 seasons of the WRC. M-Sport will continue on in the WRC with the Ford Fiesta, in much the same way Prodrive will continue flying the MINI flag. “We understand that tough decisions have had to be made to safeguard Ford jobs,” M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said. “We accept the commercial reality of the situation and look forward to continuing our strong technical partnership into the future.”

The WRC has also been through several lean years with many management and structural changes. With the departure of Subaru at the end of 2008 and now both Ford and Mini at the end of 2012, the 2013 WRC season looks destined to be a three-horse race with Citroen, Hyundai and Volkswagen campaigning factory teams.

The withdrawal by Ford and Mini signals an urgent call for the FIA and WRC governing bodies to reassess the sport to ensure its survival in the current economic times.

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