Lancia amassed its 74 wins between 1974 and 1992 - with
the first and last coming on the Italian firm's home round
in Sanremo.
Ford's tally of 75 victories began at the 1000 Lakes
Rally in Finland in 1973 - the year the World Rally
Championship was founded,
Seventeen high profile drivers have contributed to Ford's
record effort. 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.
The most successful drivers are current BP Ford Abu Dhabi
World Rally team lead pilot Mikko Hirvonen and fellow Finn
Marcus Gronholm with 12 victories.
"This is a landmark achievement of which everyone at Ford
rightly can be proud," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe
Chairman and CEO. "Ford has a long and illustrious
motorsport heritage, especially in rallying where our
participation dates back more than 70 years. We were
involved in WRC when it began in 1973 and it remains Ford's
major global motorsport activity."
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."
Top five WRC manufacturers ranked by rally wins
(after Rally New Zealand 2010)
1. Ford: 75
2. Lancia: 74
3. Citroen: 63
4. Peugeot: 48
5. Subaru: 47
