Ford celebrate manufacturers' title

Ford were embroiled in a close championship battle with the semi-works Kronos Citroen squad for much of the season, and trailed their rivals by seven points when Sebastien Loeb's injury left Kronos significantly weakened.

Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen duly won the three rallies that Loeb had to sit out, and in the process put Ford in a commanding championship position.

They only had to outscore Kronos by three points in New Zealand, but ended up dominating - running first and second throughout the rally and finishing two minutes clear of the field. Gronholm was fastest in all but four of the rally's 17 stages.

The result prompted emotional celebrations in the Ford service area, with team boss Malcolm Wilson paying tribute to his M-Sport squad, who earned the title in their tenth year as Ford's factory outfit.

"What can I say? Ten years of fantastic team commitment," said Wilson. "The effort that everybody has put in to get us to this position - it's down to the people back at M-Sport, I can't thank them enough. They've done a fantastic job."

The drivers recognised the significance of the marque's achievement after 27 years without a title.

"It means a lot to me to be part of this," said Hirvonen. "Malcolm and the boys have waited so long, it's really nice that I can be part of making it happen."

"It's going to be a good feeling when we get back to the service," Gronholm added. "For a new car to have the kind of reliability we have had is really good, thanks to everybody in the team."