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RALLY: McRae’s Focus wins Safari Rally for Ford Martini

The 2,650km four-day rally is the fastest in the championship despite being held over dusty, rocky and rutted tracks in the African bush and Ford Martini team-mates Petter Solberg and Fred Gallagher completed the team’s delight by finishing sixth and securing a second haul of championship points.

The gruelling event, in which drivers had to endure cockpit temperatures of up to 60°C, took its toll on the leading competitors. Many of the Ford team’s rivals hit mechanical problems but the strength and reliability of both Ford Focus cars enabled McRae and Solberg to keep clear of trouble and maintain a fast and consistent pace.

"This win means more to me than my first Safari success," said 30-year-old McRae, who won the Kenyan event in 1997. "This is a new car and a new team and for me that makes this very special.

"This is a good indicator for the rest of the season. In its first three rallies the Focus has finished third twice and won here and they’re superb results for any car let alone one which is still in the relatively early stages of development. The engineers have done a fantastic job in designing the car.

"It was a controlled drive. You can’t drive flat out and win the Safari but we found a good pace throughout and it worked well. Over the last few months we’ve experienced big highs and big lows but this is the biggest high of all," added McRae.

Solberg’s performance on his debut drive in both the Focus and the rally, drew praise from experienced Safari veterans. It was only his fourth world championship start and the 24-year-old Norwegian only learned he was driving on the rally hours before practice started when team-mate Thomas Rådström withdrew through injury.

"I’m finding it really hard to take this in," said Solberg, whose inexperience of the unique African conditions was contrasted by the expertise of co-driver Gallagher, a three-time winner of the Safari. "We came out here firstly with the aim of trying to finish the rally and secondly of going for a top 10 place. To finish sixth and score points in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships is a great feeling."

Ford Martini World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson was full of praise for the team’s efforts. "This is an emotional moment for us. Colin’s drive was that of a consummate professional. He and Nicky read the conditions superbly and their consistency in such demanding circumstances combined with the strength and reliability of the Ford Focus provided the perfect partnership. We mustn’t forget Petter’s performance. For a youngster competing on his first Safari it was exceptional and shows his potential.

"Everyone in the Ford Martini team worked so hard for this result. The mechanics put in some long hours in the final few days before the rally started. We had a good test here in the run-up to the event and used those results to good effect in the rally. We felt confident before the start and that confidence wasn’t misplaced," he added.

News from our Rivals

After the dramas of the previous three days, the final day was relatively calm. World Championship leader Tommi Mäkinen (Mitsubishi), Didier Auriol (Toyota) and Carlos Sainz (Toyota) all held their positions with comfort. Only Sainz had any problems, breaking a driveshaft on the first section this morning. The only major retirement was Piero Liatti (Seat) who stopped in the 11th competitive section with no oil pressure in the engine, allowing Ian Duncan (Toyota) and Solberg to take the final drivers’ points.

Next round

After three rallies on completely different surfaces, teams must now prepare for a fourth. The Rally of Portugal, which is based in Porto from 21-24 March, is the first true gravel rally of the FIA World Rally Championship season.

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