Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team

WRC team
Short_name = Stobart
Long_name = Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team

Base = Cumbria, England
Principal = Malcolm Wilson
Drivers = Gigi Galli Henning Solberg Matthew Wilson
Co-drivers = Giovanni Bernacchini Cato Menkerud Scott Martin
Chassis = Ford Focus WRC
Tyres = Pirelli
Debut = 2006
Cons_champ = 0
Drivers_champ = 0
Wins = 0The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team is a rally team competing in the World Rally Championship. The team's principal is Malcolm Wilson, whose M-Sport operation runs Stobart as well as the Ford factory team and Munchi's Ford World Rally Team.

History

2006

Stobart debuted at the 2006 season opener Monte Carlo Rally with drivers Matthew Wilson and Pieter Tsjoen. Wilson went on to compete all the 16 rounds for the team. Other Stobart entrants during the season were Luís Pérez Companc in eight rallies, Kosti Katajamäki in five, Jari-Matti Latvala in four, Juan Pablo Raies at the Cyprus Rally and Andreas Mikkelsen at the Wales Rally GB.

The team's best results were Latvala's fourth place at the Wales Rally GB and Katajamäki's fifth at the Rally of Turkey and sixth at the Swedish Rally. With 44 points the team placed fifth overall in the manufacturers' world championship, behind OMV Peugeot Norway and ahead of Red Bull Škoda.

2007

In the 2007 season, Latvala and Wilson were joined by Henning Solberg and the three competed in all 16 rounds. Latvala and Solberg were nominated to collect manufacturers' championship points. Mikkelsen and Gareth Jones also drove for Stobart, in three and five events, respectively.

The team achieved its best points total at the Rally Norway, when Solberg took Stobart's first podium place by finishing third and Latvala finished fifth. Solberg later placed third at the Rally Japan and Latvala in the next rally in Ireland. Stobart fought with the Subaru World Rally Team for third place in the manufacturers' championship all year long, but Latvala's technical problems at the season-ending 2007 Wales Rally GB meant that the team had to settle with fourth place and 81 points. The team scored points in every event, and Latvala also led three rallies during the season; Rally d'Italia Sardegna, Rally Finland and Rally Japan. [cite web | title=Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | work=WRC.com | url=http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=601&featureid=62 | accessdate=2008-02-01]

2008

For the 2008 season, Latvala was promoted to the BP Ford World Rally Team and replaced in the Stobart team by Gigi Galli. [cite web | title=Galli joins Stobart Ford for '08 | work=Autosport | url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64464 | accessdate=2008-02-01] Wilson and Solberg continue with the team and along with Galli are signed to compete in all 15 events with the Ford Focus RS WRC 07. At the season opener, the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally, the team's fastest driver was François Duval, driving a fourth Stobart car, who finished in fourth place. [cite web | title=Duval stakes case for more events | work=Crash.net | url=http://www.crash.net/motorsport/wrc/news/159075-0/duval_stakes_case_for_more_events.html | accessdate=2008-02-01]

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.m-sport.co.uk/ M-Sport website]