Ford
Focus RS WRC 03
Key Facts:
- Ford Works vehicle
- Driven by Märtin Markko/ParkMichael and Francois Duval/Stéphane Prévot
- 70 Rally starts
- 3 Rally Wins
- 22 Rally Podiums
- Restored by M-Sport
- Fully documented with FIA Gold Passport, User's manual, Homologation papers, etc.
- EJ02 KMU
HISTORY
Ford will go down in history as the car company with the most consistent WRC appearances and participations, dating back from the Escort in 1968 until this very day. Over these 43 years, Ford has developed some serious rally legends, such as the Escort RS, the RS200, and in 1999, the first Focus WRC car. With the 1999 Focus WRC, Ford took home 11 Rally wins. In 2003, it was time to give the Focus a freshen-up and so, Ford introduced the Focus RS WRC ’03 just before its debut on the Rally New Zealand of the same year. It was considered one of the most technologically advanced rally cars at the time. Technical director Christian Loriaux and his engineering team at M-Sport, the company which operates Ford’s world rally programm, had added significant performance improvements to the most dependable and reliable car in the championship and a new characteristic aerodynamic package. The list of improvements was long: new rear suspension system, improved weight distribution, new body shell and roll cage which far exceeded minimum FIA safety requirements, and a new lightweight engine developed by legendary name Cosworth Racing, among several more tweaks. The two-liter Duratec ‘R’ engine lost significant weight over the 2002 engine and was the lightest rally engine the company had ever built. The turbocharger response was improved including more power delivery at the top range. Strong of 300 horsepower, the specific output was in the order of 150 hp per liter, and the car weighted at only 1230 kg. The new Focus RS WRC was a big step forward from its predecessor and Ford had high hopes with their creation, which was built starting from a clean sheet of paper.
Ford put their top men on the line: Estonian Markko Märtin and Belgian Francois Duval. Märtin scored his first of five rally victories at the 2003 Acropolis Rally, and also became the third non-Scandinavian victor of the Rally Finland. Duval meanwhile secured a podium finish at the 2003 Tour de Corse. In 2004, at the wheel of the Focus RS WRC, Märtin won the French, Spanish, and Mexican rallies, allowing him to finish fourth in the overall championship that year.
Markko Märtin’s rallying career span over 9 years, from 1997 to 2005. During his career, he took home five world rally wins at the wheel of the Ford Focus RS 03, as well as 18 podiums, and 101 stage wins. With his WRC career spanning from 2000 to 2008 and then again in 2010, Duval scored one world rally win, namely the 2005 Rally Australia, as well as 14 podiums and 55 stage wins.
Our Focus WRC
Racing under Ford Motors Co. Ltd.
Presented here is chassis #29442, known under the license plate EJ02 KMU, one of 17 Ford Focus RS WRC 03 Works cars. Under the Ford Rally Team, this very Focus was driven by Märtin Markko/Park Michael and Duval Francois/Prevot Stephane. Its first rally was the Propecia Rally New Zealand in 2003, meaning this was one of the very first examples of the Focus WRC 03 put to use on a world rally stage. The car’s first stage win took place at that very rally, on SS11 Mititat Finish, with Märtin Markko behind the wheel. EJ02 KMU would take part in six world rallyies in 2003, bringing a podium (3rd) at the Tour de Corse – Rallye de France with Francois Duval and Stéphane Prévot.
Racing under privateers
The Focus WRC was then sold to privateer Austin MacHale from Ireland in 2004. Under MacHale’s ownership, EJ02 KMU took part in 6 WRC rallies, 18 Ireland Tarmac rallies, 13 Great Britain rallies, and 7 Ireland National rallies. MacHale had great success with the EJ02 KMU, winning at the International Rally of Wales 2005, and no less than 18 further podiums. The Ford changed hands in 2014 and then again in 2016, then owned by Reay MacKay, who used the car in 9 Scotland rallies, of which he won two, the Fishnish Rally Time Trial and the Beatson’s Mornish Rally Time Trial, both in 2017.
EJ02 KMU currently
After Reay MacKay’s ownership, chassis #29442 was acquired by C&M Motorsport, and since 2021, it is the part of a stunning Ford Rally car collection. The car was fully restored by M-Sport, the company which built and engineered the car, in its iconic and beautiful British Petroleum livery, with Duval and Prévot as pilot and co-pilot, with which the car was used during the 2003 season racing for Ford. Presented in concours condition with a great documentation and some incredible documents such as the FIA Gold Passport, the over 30-page long FIA homologation documents, and the user’s manuals and guide.
Historically, Ford is the only brand that persevered through with their rally participations, having consistently taken part at world rally championships since 1979. This created legends of rallying, such as the Escort Cosworth, the RS200, the Focus RS, and most recently, the Fiesta WRC. Every petrolhead must have once dreamt of getting behind the wheel of a real rally car, because rally drivers were always unattainable heroes. Iconic and collectable, this Focus RS WRC 03 is an incredible addition to any serious car collection. It is a showstopper with iconic looks and livery, and some great rally drivers in its racing pedigree.
Ownership history:
2003 M-Sport (driven by Märtin Markko/Park Michael and Duval Francois/Prévot Stéphane)
2004 Austin MacHale
2014 Andy Horne
2016 Reay MacKay
2021 C&M Motorsport
Sold to Germany in October 2021
Race statistics:
Total rallies: 70
Total wins: 3
Total podiums: 22
First overall win: International Rally of Wales 2005
First podium: Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 2003
Best result: 1st, International Rally of Wales 2005
First Rally: Propecia Rally New Zealand 2003
Last Rally: Grampian Forest Rally 2018
Stage wins: 31
First stage win: Propecia Rally New Zealand 2003, SS11 Mititat Finish
Wins:
International Rally of Wales 2005 23.04.2005 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian Class A8 Start Nr. 2
Fishnish Rally Time Trial 2017 25.03.2017 MacKay Reay Class 6 Start Nr. 18
Beatson’s Mornish Rally Time Trial 2017 14.10.2017 MacKay Reay – Beaton Keir Class 6 Start Nr. 1
Podiums:
3rd – Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 2003
17.10.2003
#5 Duval Francois – Prevot Stephane
Ford Motor Co. Ltd.
Class A8
3rd – First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally 2004
6.2.2004
#1 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class 8
2nd – Killarney Rally oft he Lakes 2004
1.5.2004
#4 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class 8
2nd – International Rally of Wales 2004
15.5.2004
#3 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
2nd – Punchestown Rally Masters 2004
25.7.2004
#4 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
3rd – AnswerCall Direct Ulster Rally 2004
3.9.2004
#8 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
3rd – South of England Tempest Rally 2004
5.11.2004
#3 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
2nd – Galway International Rally 2005
4.2.2005
#1 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class 8
1st – International Rally of Wales 2005
23.4.2005
#2 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
3rd – Pirelli International Rally 2005
20.5.2005
#4 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
2nd – RSAC Scottish Rally 2005
10.6.2005
#2 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
3rd – Shell Donegal International Rally 2005
17.6.2005
#4 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
3rd – Circuit of Ireland International Rally 2006
15.4.2006
#5 MacHale Austin – Murphy Brian
Class A8
3rd – Carlow Stages Rally 2006
7.5.2006
#7 MacHale Aaron – O’Donnell Eugene
Class 8
3rd – Cavan Stages Rally 2006
28.5.2006
#6 MacHale Aaron – Nagle Paul
Class 8
2nd – Raven’s Rock Rally 2006
25.6.2006
#2 MacHale Aaron – Nagle Paul
3rd – Connacht Sligo Stages Rally 2006
16.7.2006
#4 MacHale Aaron – Nagle Paul
Class 8
3rd – Galway Summer Stages Rally 2006
27.8.2006
#3 MacHale Aaron – O’Donnell Eugene
Class 8
3rd – Clare Stages Rally 2006
17.9.2006
#3 MacHale Aaron – O’Donnell Eugene
Class 8
3rd – Skinnereen Fastnet Stages Rally 2006
29.10.2006
#5 MacHale Aaron – Nagle Paul
Class 8
1st – Fishnish Rally Time Trial 2017
25.3.2017
#18 MacKay Reay
Class 6
1st – Beatson’s Mornish Rally Time Trial 2017
14.10.2017
#1 MacKay Reay
Class 6
