Double WRC champion Marcus Gronholm has joined Stobart for the opening round of the WRC calendar in Sweden. Gronholm, who already entered in the event driving a Ford Focus has been brought under the Stobart banner as an official points scorer. Gronholm originally entered under Mattias Therman’s team banner, however Ford has opted to replace Matthew Wilson with Gronholm in the Stobart outfit in hopes of scoring key manufacturer points. Matthew Wilson will still participate in the Swedish round but will not be eligible to score any points. Gronholm proved…
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Rally – Hirvonen Strikes Gold at Monte
The third and final day of the legendary Monte Carlo Rally has come to an end and Mikko Hirvonen has won in fine fashion. The WRC driver claimed his first victory in the IRC and made a statement for M-Sport and Ford in the process. The Ford Fiesta S2000 has tasted victory in its very first outing and did it easily after an exciting third day seen some of the best driving to date from Frenchman Sebastian Ogier. WRC Citroen Junior driver Ogier proved why he was be groomed to…
Read MoreRally – Monster World Rally Details
After the initial announcement that Ken Block would be in the WRC and going global with Ford and Monster Energy Drink, that was it. Rallybuzz.com has released an article that explains some details in regards to Chris Atkinson as well as Ken Block’s WRC schedule. When the idea of the deal was first announced last fall, we were put under the impression that Chris would be in a second Ford Focus WRC. The latest details now have the former Subaru WRC driver out of the team until at least the…
Read MoreRally – M-Sport Enter IRC
Malcolm Wilson and his M-Sport squad have decided to follow up the much anticipated launch of the new Fiesta rally car with their entrance into the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The team will compete in the opening round of the championship with Mikko Hirvonen at the wheel. Ford becomes the eighth manufacturer to participate in the IRC, adding a certain level of excitement to the 2010 season. This and the welcome addition of a Subaru car for sale have made this a lucrative off season for the IRC as it looks…
Read MoreEpisode 21 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I this week as we travel to South America for Dakar….ok not really…but we cover it and have a Robbie Gordon revelation. We cover Ken Block to WRC, RHR to Andretti and hit a couple F1 high points. All in all it is a great show and it is signed, sealed, and delivered as it is nearly every week.
Read MoreRally – Ford and Block Join Forces
After months of “rumor” and speculation as to the future of Ken Block, we finally have our answer and it is more than we could have hoped for. Ford will now team up with Ken for a global sports push in 2010. What does this mean you ask? Ken will drive in the 2010 World Rally Championship in a Ford Focus WRC and run Rally America events in the all new and amazing Ford Fiesta. Specific event breakdown has not been outlined at the moment. This is huge news after…
Read MoreRally – Block Confirms WRC Ambitions
The hope of seeing Ken Block competing in the WRC in a Monster-sponsored Ford isn’t dead yet. RallySport Magazine put out an article today stating that Ken Block and Chris Atkinson are still working very hard on a WRC program with M-Sport for 2010. “We are still negotiating all contracts,” Ken Block told RallySport Magazine today. “We should have everything wrapped up and announced in early January.” I’m already excited enough about the 2010 WRC season, but Block getting into a Ford would just put it over the top for…
Read MoreRally – Gronholm Returns to Sweden
Marcus Gronholm has tackled many every rally out there during his long career. However, one stands out more than others. Rally Sweden and the world famous Sagen stage have always been one of the Finns favorite. Gronholm has announced that he will be in an M-Sport Ford Focus for the Swedish round in 2010. The rally kicks off on 12 February and is the only snow event on the calendar this year. Gronholm has won Sweden five times and should be right back at home in the Ford Focus. It…
Read MoreRally – S2000 Fiesta M-Sport
Rally – Introducing the R2 Fiesta
