Ford commits to WRC

Despite rumours earlier this year that Ford was considering withdrawing from the WRC, just prior to the announcement that the company was pulling the plug on its Formula 1 operations, the car company has now made it clear that it is fully committed to rallying.

Ford will continue to use the current Focus RS next year before a new Focus RS will be prepared for the start of 2006.

Jost Capito, the director of Ford Team RS, said: "Ford's long-term commitment to the WRC will provide a great boost to the sport. Ford has been involved in rallying since before the WRC was conceived. Our continuation is excellent news for the championship and emphasises just how much the sport has developed in recent years.

"Our review showed there is a strong business case for Ford's continued involvement. The proposals from the FIA [world motorsport's governing body] to reduce the costs of competing in the WRC, via revisions to the regulations, convinced us to continue long-term."

Capito also praised the work of the Malcolm Wilson run M-Sport organization that has worked with Ford for the last eight years. He said: "Since 1997, we have worked closely with M-Sport to develop a world-class rally team operating from world-class facilities at [team founder] Malcolm Wilson's Dovenby Hall premises. We believe that the infrastructure is now in place for us to move forward and build a team capable of bringing world titles to Ford."

Ford has yet to make any announcement about its drivers for next year.