WRC
Esapekka Lappi will join forces with Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith this season as the M‑Sport Ford World Rally Team put youth at the head of their FIA World Rally Championship campaign.
Taking to the wheel of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs, the three drivers have an average age of 25 and will be led by a similarly young and ambitious team – the average age of the engineers just 30, and Team Principal Richard Millener a mere 35 years young!
As a proven rally winner, Lappi will lead the team alongside compatriot co-driver Janne Ferm. The Finns last took to the wheel of a Fiesta in 2012 when they stormed to Finnish Championship success with a clean-sweep of victories behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta S2000. Eight years later, the popular duo are now regularly challenging for top results on the world stage.
Esapekka Lappi said:
“I’m really looking forward to this new adventure and I’m excited to see what we can achieve. M‑Sport Ford has a real passion for rally and there were a lot of talented drivers available for this seat, so I’m very happy they put their trust in us – giving myself and Janne an opportunity to show what we can do in 2020.
“We start testing this week, and I’m really looking forward to discovering the Fiesta. The last time I drove a Ford we had a lot of success and it would be great to see that continue this year. I can’t wait to get started, and hope we can push for some strong results.”
Teemu Suninen said:
“I’m really grateful to Malcolm and the team for their belief in me. I feel as though I learnt a lot over the past 12 months, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Jarmo and I can do in 2020. Last year taught me that I need to give everything in all of the rallies if I want to reach the top results – and that’s what I hope to do this year.
“It’s also really great to be in a team with Esapekka because he was something of a hero to me in my childhood. When I started go-karting as a teenager in Finland, he was in the same team and winning the championship. Three years later I was able to do the same, and now we’re both in rally and both back in the same team!”
Gus Greensmith said:
“I have been waiting for this opportunity my whole life, and now I have it. I’ve progressed through M-Sport Ford’s, ‘Ladder of Opportunity,’ from R1, to R2, to R5 and now WRC. I owe a lot to everyone at M-Sport and Ford who has helped me progress as a driver, but there is still a lot more to come.
“The team may be young, but we’re all ultra-competitive and together I’m sure we can deliver some strong performances. During the off season I have made some big improvements to myself outside of the rally car. I have never been fitter, and I have never been faster, and when the light turns green for the first stage of 2020 I will be ready.”
WRC2
French talent Adrien Fourmaux will team up with M-Sport Ford this year – taking to the wheel of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R5 MkII for a campaign in the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series, WRC 2.
Like Evans and Greensmith before him, Fourmaux is a perfect example of Ford’s ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ in action, and his career also highlights the close links between M-Sport and the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile) – both ardent supporters of young talent.
Adrien Fourmaux said:
“I’m really proud to be representing M-Sport Ford in the WRC 2 Championship this year – especially as it comes just three years after my Rallye Jeunes victory and first ever rally. Over the past 25 years many French drivers have started their careers with the opportunities the FFSA built with Rallye Jeunes – and it gave me the chance to discover this fantastic sport.
“Now I will be collaborating with M-Sport Ford – a team well known for their support and development of young drivers. I really want to succeed – both for myself, but also for people like Michelin and Yacco who have helped and supported me since the very beginning. This year I will contest a lot of rallies which I already know – and I hope that knowledge will help me challenge for the top results.”
