Since the Company broke with its tradition of running an "in-factory" operation in 1997 by contracting Malcolm Wilson's M Sport for the World Championship the Team has found new levels of success.

Against all the odds - the team was put together in a matter of weeks - the results with the Escort WRC came quickly when Sainz finishing second in both Monte Carlo and Sweden. Second places followed for him in Corsica and New Zealand and he won in Greece and Indonesia.

Ford's current WRC contender, the Focus, was launched for the 1999 season and immediately flattered only to deceive later. Colin McRae finished third on Monte Carlo but the car was ruled illegal for a technical infringement which prompted a major modification programme before the next event. Then McRae won in Kenya - one of the toughest events in the calendar - and Portugal. Later in the season, the Team ran into reliability problems and McRae was sidelined by accidents on a number of occasions.

In 2000 McRae won in Spain and Greece, and Sainz in Cyprus, and with four rounds remaining were well placed to take one of the titles. But McRae's big accident in Corsica blunted the teams challenge, the Team finishing second in the Makes series, behind Peugeot, and three points ahead of Subaru, while Sainz and McRae finished third and fourth in the Drivers standings.

McRae and Sainz are retained for 2001, with Francois Delecour renewing his relationship with the marque as third driver.

A revised Focus will be used, with Pirelli tyres replacing Michelin