FORD will pull the plug on its works FIA World Rally Championship team at the end of the current season.
The news is a devastating blow for the WRC following Mini?s announcement they are withdrawing from next year?s series and the decision of nine-time champ Sebastien Loeb to skip a full series in future.
Ford is synonymous with rallying and has been the backbone of the WRC for almost two decades ? scoring points on 156 consecutive rallies and winning 52 events from 225 starts.
Cumbria-based M-Sport, which has run Ford?s factory team since 1997, plans to continue to run Fiesta RS WRCs for privateer drivers but this is now totally dependent on commercial sponsorship.
Ford?s number one driver Jari-Matti Latvala is widely tipped to be joining the Volkswagen Motorsport team for 2013, while his team-mate Petter Solberg?s career hangs in the balance.
Solberg, the 2003 world champion, has not won a round of the WRC for seven years but he hopes to replace Loeb at Citroen.
With a glut of good drivers on the market, Mini?s Dani Sordo is also keen to fill Loeb?s shoes, as are a number of fast young rising stars who had been hoping for a works drive with Ford in the near future.
M-Sport boss, Malcolm Wilson said: ?I would like to thank Ford of Europe for their enthusiastic support and the faith shown in the team over the past 16 seasons.
?We understand that tough decisions have had to be made and look forward to continuing our strong technical partnership into the future.?
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