The opening of the FIA World Rally Championship season in Monte Carlo this weekend heralds a new era for Ford motorsport.
A new Focus RS World Rally Car is complemented by a fresh driver line-up comprising double world champion Marcus Grönholm and rising star Mikko Hirvonen.
The new Focus RS WRC is based on the recently launched Focus ST road car and is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0 litre unit, with 300bhp.
In the Rallye Monte Carlo drivers can face bone dry roads, streaming wet asphalt and treacherous ice - with the threat of snow on the highest ground.
Brian Byrne.
