Ford And Latvala Win 2010 WRC Rally New Zealand
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila made FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) history by securing the record 75th win for the Ford Motor Company in Rally New Zealand. The duo won Rally New Zealand in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car and moved the company to the top of the all-time win list, smashing a record that has stood since 1992.
The Finns won the demanding three-day mixed surface event by just 2.4sec, also extending Ford’s record-breaking run of consecutive points finishes to 124. Ford lies just five points from the lead of the manufacturers’ championship, while Latvala lies second in the drivers’ standings after five rounds of the 13-rally series.
The winning margin was the second smallest in a WRC event this century. The previous one was the 2007 Rally New Zealand where Ford’s Marcus Grönholm beat Loeb on the final special stage by three-tenths of a second. In second place was Sébastien Ogier of the Citroën Junior Team and in third was World champion and 2010 series leader Sébastien Loeb in his works Citroen, 15.2 seconds behind Latvala
Ford’s tally of 75 victories since the championship was founded in 1973 has helped the company take the manufacturers’ world title in 1979, 2006 and 2007 and the drivers’ world crown in 1979 and 1981.
Seventeen high profile drivers have contributed to the record effort, which began in 1973 at the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. They are Timo Mäkinen, Hannu Mikkola, Roger Clark, Bjorn Waldegard, Kyosti Hamalainen, Ari Vatanen, Didier Auriol, François Delecour, Miki Biasion, Gianfranco Cunico, Tommi Mäkinen, Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae, Markko Märtin, Marcus Grönholm, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.
Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe’s motorsport chief, said: “Twenty different manufacturers have enjoyed the prestige of a WRC event victory. Ford is fortunate enough to have stood on the top step of the podium on 75 occasions. The legendary Escort, the Sierra and now the Focus, which is still winning in its 12th and final season as Ford’s WRC challenger, have all contributed to a remarkable record and I hope there are many more wins to come.”




