BP-Ford takes WRC manufacturers’ title with Ricardo transmission

Ricardo congratulates the BP-Ford team on securing a back-to-back world rally championship (WRC) manufacturers’ title victory with one event still to run in the 2007 season. The Focus RS world rally cars of the BP-Ford team are equipped with an advanced performance transmission and driveline system – the result of a highly successful collaboration between Ford, M Sport and Ricardo

Fourth place for Mikko Hirvonen at last weekend’s Rally Ireland was sufficient to claim the manufacturers’ title for the BP-Ford team, with just the Wales Rally GB (30 Nov to 2 Dec) remaining in 2007. In addition to this team victory, team mate Marcus Grönholm remains in contention for the drivers’ championship, trailing by only six points despite having retired following an accident at the weekend.

The result of an extensive design and prototype development collaboration between Ford, M Sport and Ricardo, the advanced competition transmission of the Focus RS rally cars had its debut at the end of the 2005 season. High levels of design optimisation and precision manufacture are crucial for the successful design of a competitive WRC transmission such as this: the system is required to operate between maximum torque and maximum power conditions for most of its working life, placing exceptional demands on its gears, bearings and shafts.

Ricardo director of high performance transmissions systems, Mark Barge, said: “We are proud to have acted as the technical partner to M Sport and Ford on the transmission of the Focus RS World Rally Cars. With the BP-Ford team having secured a back-to-back victory with the 2007 manufacturer’s championship as well as outright wins in 7 of the 15 events to date of the 2007 season, we congratulate the team and are pleased to have contributed in some small way to this success.”