RECORD MONTE CARLO RESULT FOR M-SPORT

January was an incredible month for the M-Sport Ford rally team, as they clocked up a record-breaking 250th consecutive FIA WRC points finish at Monte Carlo. This unprecedented streak started way back in 2002, when Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae piloted their Ford Focus RS WRCs to third and fourth places at the Monegasque event, and since then the team has secured manufacturer points at every event contested. “This is something I’m extremely proud of, and something that I don’t think will be beaten for a very long time, if ever!” said M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE. “It’s testament to the incredible team we have at Dovenby Hall – and especially when you consider that we didn’t have restarts when the record began. Dedication and attention to detail is something we pride alongside our passion and commitment to the sport, and that’s played a big part in our reliability and success over the years. I would like to say a huge thanks to all the 22 drivers and 28 co-drivers who made this possible, and an even bigger thanks to all of the personnel who have passed through the doors of Dovenby Hall, without whom this incredible record wouldn’t have been possible.”

M-Sport’s Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm took fourth place, securing their best Monte Carlo result after bouncing back from a difficult start, while Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished eighth in the sister car. Over in the R5 Fiestas, Adrien Formaux and Renaud Jamoul took an early lead and banged in a stellar performance, ultimately finishing second in the WRC 2 category despite two punctures; Rhys Yates and James Morgan used trademark smoothness and consistency to bring their M-Sport R5 Fiesta in 4th.