The BP-Ford World Rally Team won the first two places on the podium at the Rally of Turkey recently. It was Ford’s first one-two finish since Mexico in 2004, and the result gives Ford an eight-point lead in the manufacturer’s championship with just three races left.
Marco Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen led from start to finish in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to seal their fifth win of the season in slippery conditions. The Finns beat their teammates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen by nearly two and a half minutes.
In the drivers’ rankings, Gronholm closed the gap on championship leader Sebastian Loeb to 25 points, and Hirvonen moved to third.
The Ford Focus is a familiar name with rally fans in the Middle East. An earlier version of the car was driven by former Middle East Rally Champion Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The 13th race of the 2006 World Rally series in Turkey saw treacherous conditions with the gravel tracks of the Toros mountains turning into swamps in torrential rain. The final leg was played out, however, in fine sunshine.
Jost Capita, director of Ford TeamRS, said: “This has been the best performance we have seen from the new Focus RS World Rally Car in its first season of competition. This result was achieved in appalling weather and road conditions but neither car had any troubles. We now lead the manufacturers standings and preserving that advantage is our target for the rest of the season.”
A more sedate version of the Ford Focus is available in the Middle East across all Ford dealerships. The C-segment leading Focus comes with a 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre engine connected to a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission. The Focus Focus is also available in four trim levels - Ambiente, Trend, Sport, or Ghia - and four body styles: the sporty 3-door and 5-door, 4-door and station wagon.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.
Ford Motor Company’s history in the Middle East goes back to nearly 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 55 facilities in the region and directly employ more than 4,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals.
