DO YOU WANT TO ENJOY A WALK THROUGH THE HISTORY OF ONE OF THE MOST LEGENDARY CONSTRUCTORS OF THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP?
Ford is one of the most legendary constructors in the World Rally Championship. Since its participation in the first season of the competition, it has been present in every era and has rarely been absent from any of its editions.
Ford began its adventure in the WRC with the Ford Escort, achieving its first victory through Timo Mäkinen and making its mark in legendary events such as Finland and Great Britain. Ppronto became a great rival of the almighty Fiat 131 Abarth, especially in the hands of the magnificent Björn Waldegard.
The Ford Escort was replaced by the Ford Sierra, a car driven by racing legends such as Miki Biasion, Carlos Sainz or Juha Kankkunen in the hard fight against the hegemony of the Japanese brands.
Under the curse of the eternal sub-championship, Ford resorted to the Ford Focus to seek maximum glory through champions like Marcus Grönholm or Colin McRae with the aim of slowing down the advance of the most successful driver of all time: Sébastien Loeb. In the last stage of its history, Ford would develop the Ford Fiesta through M-Sport which, in the hands of champions such as Petter Solberg and above all the talented Sébastien Ogier, would lead the constructor to a dizzying dynamic, reaching both sweet glory and bitter defeat.
In this book you will find:
- Ford's motorsport successes before the World Championship with the Ford Falcon and Ford Cortina.
- The triumph of the Ford Escort Twin Cam in the European Championship.
- The International Marque Championship and Ford's merits in gaining entry to the first year of the World Championship.
- Timo Mäkinen and Ford's first World Championship win in Finland 1973
- The first victories of the Ford Escort in the world championship in Finland and the RAC.
- The constant fight against the Fiat 131 Abarth for the world championship with the arrival of Waldegard and Mikkola
- Björn Waldegard, the first World Drivers' Championship Champion
- Ari Vatanen and the last great victory of the Ford Escort RS
- The arrival at Ford of Stig Blomqvist, a true world champion
- The debut of Carlos Sainz in the world championship with Ford
- Didier Auriol and the last victory of a rear-wheel drive car in the championship
- The incorporation to Ford of a double champion: Miki Biasion
- The struggle of Biasion and Delecour against the rise of the Japanese marques
- Tommi Mäkinen's first victory in the World Championship
- The return of Carlos Sainz after winning two world championships
- The arrival at Ford of the most successful driver in the history of the championship: Juha Kankkunen.
- The Ford Focus and the goal of regaining maximum glory
- The return of Carlos Sainz and the arrival of Colin McRae and the exciting battles for the constructors' and drivers' championships.
- Markko Märtin and Toni Gardemeister's attempts to curb the French hegemony.
- The arrival of double champion Marcus Grönholm and the second-generation Ford Focus.
- The fight for the Ford Focus championships of Grönholm and Hirvonen against Citroën and the invincible Loeb.
- The Ford Fiesta and the irregular struggle between success and failure
- The signing of Petter Solberg, world champion in 2003.
- Ford's representation through M-Sport and the success story of a private team through a legend: Sébastien Ogier.
- The decline of Ford's recent past and its uncertain future in the world championship.
All this and much more in a journey through the time of one of the most wonderful brands in world rallying!