WORDS FROM MALCOLM WILSON OBE, M-SPORT MANAGING DIRECTOR

2011 couldn’t have got off to a better start for M-Sport – the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, our new car designed in collaboration with Ford of Europe, had a podium clean sweep at the FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Sweden.

This month's Rally Mexico marked another successful event as the team claimed a double podium. Ford now extend their lead in both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship to 26 points. Mexico is always a tough event on the cars and we've got a lot of work to do in the workshop before we head to Portugal but hopefully it'll be another strong result for the Fiesta RS WRC and we can extend our lead in the WRC even further.

Portugal also marks the debut for the brand new feeder series to the WRC, the FIA WRC Academy. Thirty-four drivers and co-drivers visted M-Sport last week for three days training. We have been very impressed with what we saw and I have little doubt there it will be a hugely competitive series. Many of these drivers have a very bright future ahead and I am sure some of the talented youngsters will progress to WRC level in the future.

The first rounds of the Fiesta SportTrophy UK (FST UK) and Fiesta SportChallenge (FSC UK) have also got underway over the past month. Closer to home, the Malcolm Wilson Rally saw the opening FSC round commence from the grounds of Dovenby Hall with123 cars entered including 15 Fiestas. Phil Scholes won the event in his Ford Fiesta ST with a time of 55 minutes and 33 seconds.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter and if you've got any enquiries about any of our products or services, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kind regards,
Malcolm

WRC ACADEMY TO DEBUT IN PORTUGAL - INTERVIEW WITH SERIES CO-ORDINATOR MACIEJ WODA

The FIA WRC Academy is a brand new feeder series to the World Rally Championship which will debut at Rally Portugal at the end of this month. The WRC Academy is a one make series where all drivers will compete with identical Ford Fiesta R2s prepared by M-Sport. To be eligible for the FIA WRC Academy a driver must be born on or after 1 January 1986. In addition, they must not have participated in more than seven WRC rallies as part of the J-WRC, P-WRC or S-WRC. There is no age limit for co-drivers. Thirty-four drivers and co-drivers took part in three days training last week at M-Sport last week so we spoke to M-Sport employee Maciej Woda who is helping to run the brand new championship to find a bit more about it:

To read the full interview with Maciej, pease click here

MATTHEW WILSON - AFTERTHOUGHTS ON RALLY MEXICO

I arrived back from Mexico on Monday and I’m at the M-Sport office today at Dovenby Hall catching up on some emails. It’s a bit of a shock to the system being back home again - it was so hot in Mexico, about 30 degrees Celsius every day and when we landed back in the UK it was 3 degrees.

To read Matthew's full blog, please click here

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VILLAGRA UPBEAT AFTER FINISHING TENTH IN MEXICO

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team driver Federico Villagra battled back after an early retirement on Rally Mexico’s opening day to finish his first FIA World Rally Championship event of 2011 tenth overall. Villagra and fellow Argentine co-driver Jorge Pérez Companc gained valuable experience on their debut in the new Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car and climbed the WRC leaderboard from 21st at the start of Day 2 to finish tenth overall.

To read the full story, please click here

BREEN SHINES ON SUNSEEKER

As the sixth consecutive Ford Fiesta SportTrophy UK (FST UK) got underway at the Rallye Sunseeker International at the end of last month, it was 2009 FST UK champion Craig Breen who took home the victory. Breen clinched the series’ opener in his Keltech liveried Ford Fiesta R2 by 51.5 seconds over second placed Nick Cristofaro in a TEG Sport run GpN Ford Fiesta ST. A further two and a half minutes adrift, the final podium position went to Hertfordshire-based Daniel O’Brien in his new-for-2011 Fiesta R2. The long-awaited Rallye Sunseeker also marked the opening round of the 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (BRC), which FST UK will be supporting for the remainder of the season.

To read the full story, please click here

CUMBRIAN RALLY ACE LAUNCHES JENNINGS RIVERS RIDE

FIA World Rally Championship driver and accomplished road cyclist Matthew Wilson has recently launched the Jennings Rivers Ride calling on people to take on one of three new cycle
challenges which will be held in Cumbria on Sunday 18th September.

Cycling for a Reason Cumbria Community Foundation has launched this spectacular event with the aim of raising money to support local charities. People are being asked to raise funds for for the Cumbria Community Foundation which supports charities throughout the county or for charities of their own choice.

To read the full story, please click here