Ford-Werke GmbH
Cologne (ots)
- Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja return to M-Sport Ford after five years and have a go at their second world championship title
- Joining the M-Sport factory team, Pierre-Louis Loubet and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul are looking forward to their first full championship season at the wheel of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1
- Jourdan Serderidis drives third Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 at selected World Championship rounds
- With Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria and Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka, M-Sport Ford sends two Fiesta Rally2 in the second division into the fight for world championship titles
- New design for the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 from M-Sport
Once again, the legendary Monte Carlo Rally marks the start of the FIA World Rally Championship. At M-Sport Ford, returnee Ott Tänak is particularly in the limelight: For the first time since 2017, the 17-time World Championship race winner is driving a Ford again special stages. The goal of the factory-supported team is clearly defined: they want to repeat the great success of the previous year. In 2022, at the debut of the new Rally1 vehicle category, record world champion Sébastien Loeb rushed to victory together with co-driver Isabelle Galmiche.
The Monte Carlo Rally is currently the only round of the World Championship that is held on changing surfaces: the asphalt roads above Monaco are often covered with snow or ice, especially at higher altitudes. Tire choice poses a particularly difficult challenge for the teams and participants, as they can only correct and adjust their decision made early in the morning on the long Friday and Saturday stages at noon. A total of 18 special stages (WP) over a length of 325.02 kilometers are on the program. It starts on Thursday with the first two special stages, including the crossing of the legendary Col de Turini from 20:05.
In total, this year’s World Rally Championship season, which begins next weekend, comprises 13 rounds. In addition to the “Monte”, Sweden, Portugal and Finland, true rally classics such as the Acropolis Rally in Greece or the legendary Safari Rally in Kenya await fans and drivers. New and particularly interesting from a German point of view: the Central Europe Rally, which was advertised for the first time. It starts on October 26th in the Czech capital Prague and leads via Austria to Bavaria. The season finale will take place again in Japan from November 16th to 19th.
From M-Sport’s point of view, the focus is on new signing Ott Tänak. The Estonian, 2019 World Rally Champion, is an old acquaintance in Malcolm Wilson’s team: in 2011 he sat in a Ford Fiesta S2000 for the first time and fought for the title in the second division. In 2012 and from 2014 to 2017 he moved up to the wheel of a Fiesta World Rally Car and won his first world championship rallies. For the new season, the 17-time World Championship race winner has opted for the more than 368 kW (500 hp) Puma Hybrid Rally1. M-Sport, Ford and Tänak aim for nothing less than winning world titles.
M-Sport Ford has entrusted the second Puma Hybrid Rally1 to 25-year-old Pierre-Louis Loubet. It is the first full season in the premier class of the World Rally Championship for the Frenchman. In 2022 he started seven races and set his first special stage best time and already led the field of participants. M-Sport is providing a third turbo hybrid all-wheel drive vehicle for Jourdan Serderidis at selected events. The Greek privateer took part in three World Championship rallies last season and finished seventh overall in the demanding “Safari”.
In the Rally2 league, M-Sport is represented with two Ford Fiesta for Adrien Fourmaux from France and the Belgian Grégoire Munster. Fourmaux has already prepared well for the task ahead by winning the Austrian January Rally. Munster was able to demonstrate his talent last autumn by winning his class at the World Cup final in Japan.
“We’re looking forward to the start of the season with Ott Tänak as team leader in our squad,” explains M-Sport team boss Richard Millener. “The past few months have been very productive. The highlight was our ‘Monte’ test near Gap this week. We feel well prepared and are already feeling the progress we are making thanks to Ott’s influence. I hope that Pierre- Louis Loubet has benefited from that. All the team members at our Dovenby Hall HQ have put a lot of effort into the Rally1 and Rally2 programmes. Thank you very much for that. I think together we can achieve some strong results this year.”
Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, start number 8); World Cup rank: 0; Rally Monte Carlo starts: 9th Best result: 1st place (2019)
The Estonian has already won the “Monte” once and has been on the podium four more times. Nevertheless, he warns: “There is hardly anything that can be predicted for the Monte Carlo Rally – the only thing that is certain is that it is the trickiest event of the year. This time, too, it is important to find a rhythm quickly, because the mountains will probably be waiting for us again difficult conditions Luckily we were able to try our Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 in very different conditions during testing It is never easy to start the season with a blank sheet of paper and feel your way around the setup, but the colleagues at M-Sport work hard . I’m really looking forward to our first World Championship race together.”
Pierre-Louis Loubet / Nicolas Gilsoul (Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, car number 7); World Cup rank: 0; Rally Monte Carlo starts: 1st Best result: 18th place (2021)
“We’re very happy with this week’s test. We tried a lot more than usual, the car felt great. The Puma Hybrid Rally1 is made for this type of road. It’s fun to drive. Hopefully we’ll see at the conditions in the rally are similar to those in the test,” says the 25-year-old Corsican. “I’m trying to stay calm in the face of this great opportunity and my first full season with the M-Sport team. I feel a huge responsibility and I take the task very seriously. Let’s see what we can achieve during the season. Anyway, we’re in good shape everything we need to be successful.”
Jourdan Serderidis / Frédéric Miclotte (Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, car number 9); World Cup rank: 0; Rally Monte Carlo starts: 0
“A World Championship season in a Puma Rally1 with the M-Sport team in Monte Carlo is a great privilege, but also a massive challenge,” said Jourdan Serderidis. “Given the strong opponents and the difficult conditions with snow and ice, we would be extremely happy with a place in the top 20 in this fantastic rally. I think the ‘Monte’ is the most beautiful but also the most demanding event of the year. Our youngest Testing on snow went well so we’re prepared to have a lot of fun.”
Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta Rally2, car number 20); World Cup rank: 0; Rally Monte Carlo starts: 4th Best finish: 3rd (WRC2, 2020)
“The Monte Carlo Rally is rightly seen as a fantastic start to the season. We’re hoping for a good result and want to start the WRC2 championship as successfully as possible,” said Adrien Fourmaux. “We’re talking about one of the most difficult races of the year with tricky and changeable road conditions. I’m also expecting plenty of ice and snow.”
Grégoire Munster / Louis Louka (Ford Fiesta Rally2, car number 25); World Cup rank: 0; Rally Monte Carlo starts: 3rd Best finish: 12th (WRC2, 2022)
“For the first time, we’re taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally with a Ford Fiesta prepared by M-Sport – we’re really looking forward to it,” explains Grégoire Munster. “We’ve contested the rally a few times and have a lot of experience. However, it would be unrealistic to expect a top result right away. We want to get used to the car, drive consistently and start the new season well.”
M-Sport Ford launches with new powerful vehicle design
Alongside the new driver line-up, the Monte Carlo Rally also marks the debut of the next electrifying look of M-Sport Ford’s hybrid era: synthwave music-inspired foiling enriches Ford’s iconic blue with flashes of bright pink and electric blue neon. The striking new design will be worn by Ott Tänak and Pierre-Louis Loubet’s Puma Hybrid Rally1 in Monte Carlo. Ford’s famous blue oval on the bonnet remains a key element of the new look. On the flanks of Tänak and Loubet’s cars, the well-known Red Bull graphics determine the image – both drivers start in 2023 as official Red Bull athletes. Jourdan Serderidis, who will be piloting M-Sport’s third Puma Hybrid Rally1 in Monte Carlo, will compete in the same livery.
A new Video shows how the carbon body of the Puma Hybrid Rally1 gets the new color scheme piece by piece in the hands of the wrappers at M-Sport.
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