DUNTON, UK – The work has already begun as Ford Racing, together with M-Sport, ramp up preparations for a return to the FIA World Rally Championship as a full works team in 2028, but what happens between now and then?
As development of a new rally car for 2029 - taking inspiration from one of the upcoming all-new European passenger vehicles - gets underway, M-Sport will contest the 2027 season with the Ford Fiesta Rally2, updated with a WRC kit that allows it to meet the new WRC27 FIA regulations coming into force next year.
From 2028, Ford Racing and M-Sport will race the Fiesta together, while development of the new car continues behind the scenes ahead of its launch in 2029.
The update gives the Fiesta a new aero package, with a fresh look to the front bumper, wings and rear wing, while a revised engine restrictor and updated electrical components bring the car up to specification for the new 2027 technical regulations.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said: “We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, and we are so grateful to Ford Racing for choosing to work with M-Sport again across a full manufacturer-backed team. It has taken a lot of hard work, grit, and determination to get to this point, but I feel very proud to say we have been chosen by Ford again, to take on the FIA World Rally Championship at full pace from 2028 onwards. Our goal in this new era is clear, to get back to winning ways and put Ford Racing and M-Sport back on the top step of the podium. A huge thank you goes to the team who have worked so hard to get us to where we are today. Now it’s time to get to work!”
Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Chairman, said: “From my early rallying days, Ford has been front and centre of both my racing career and my business. This announcement is such an exciting one, both for M-Sport and for the sport of rallying.”
