M-Sport

M-Sport is an auto racing team and motorsport engineering company headquartered at Dovenby Hall near Cockermouth, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom. Formed in 1979 by the World Rally Championship driver Malcolm Wilson, and originally known as Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the company has had varying success entering cars in several rally championships. M-Sport has run Ford cars in the WRC as the official Ford World Rally Team and as independents since 1996, the only team and marque to consistently do so. The business expanded over time to become a successful manufacturer of rally cars, sold to competitors world wide. Besides rally, the company also ran the official Bentley Motorsport outfit competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup between 2014 and 2019. M-Sport will also provide the official TOCA engine option used in BTCC from 2022.

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 Cosworth.

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.

World Rally Championship

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 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 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;M-Sport
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.

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.

Privateer teams

Beside the official Ford cars, the team also ran two cars on behalf of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg were the two drivers competing in 2010. On occasions, a third car was 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 was Federico Villagra.

For the 2010 season, M-Sport ran a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for Ken Block on behalf of the Monster World Rally Team.

Ford Fiesta S2000

At the beginning of 2009 Ford with M-Sport started work on a S2000 rally version of the new Ford Fiesta. The new car, designed by Christian Loriaux, was launched on 18 November 2009 at M-Sport's headquarters. The car 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.

Other series

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.

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.

Racing record

Complete WRC results

Complete Blancpain Endurance Series results

See also

* Ford Racing
* Ford TeamRS
* Ford Focus RS WRC
* Ford Fiesta RS WRC
* Ford Fiesta RRC
* Ford Fiesta S2000
* Ford Fiesta R5
* Ford World Rally Team

References

External links

*
Official Ford Fiesta R2 websiteFord Motorsport websiteStobart Motorsport WRC team website

{{DEFAULTSORT:M-Sport
British auto racing teams
Automotive motorsports and performance companies
Privately held companies of the United Kingdom
Blancpain Endurance Series teams
British GT Championship teams
British racecar constructors
Auto racing teams established in 1979