Now, this is the kind of news that makes you stop and stare. As Motorsport.com reports, the American marque is heading back to the World Rally Championship as a fully fledged manufacturer, upgrading its status after years of running a half-factory setup with partner M-Sport. The plan is to run a full factory effort alongside M-Sport from 2028 before developing an all-new machine for 2029.
While Ford has kept its foot in the door through M-Sport since pulling its full factory programme back at the end of 2012, Thursday’s announcement is a massive shift in direction. Global director Mark Rushbrook explained that the choice to jump back in boiled down to a combination of factors. When they were involved with the Ford Puma WRC car in 2022, the timing just was not right to go full factory, even if it was beautiful to win their very first event with none other than Sebastien Loeb behind the wheel in Monte Carlo.
So, what changed? For starters, Jim Baumbick is now leading Ford of Europe. Rushbrook, having worked alongside him for twenty-five years, knew his background as a product development expert would bring great things to the dealerships. Baumbick is leaning straight into motorsports and rallying, aligning with Ford Racing and the company as a whole to embrace the opportunity globally. That internal momentum lined up neatly with a change in the promoter and a shift in the technical regulations, making it a straightforward call.
There is also the tantalizing prospect of a championship round in the USA next year, which would mark the first time the series visits the country since 1988. Rushbrook clarified that the US rally was not the sole deciding factor, noting that they had been asking for an American round since 2018 or 2019 before the COVID era derailed those plans. Even so, as a global company that calls itself America's race team, having a WRC event on home soil would be pretty special.
Speaking at the launch announcement during the WRC season finale in Sardinia, officials confirmed that five new Ford car products are coming soon to Europe, with four of them leaning directly into the brand's rally heritage. One of those upcoming products is expected to form the foundation of the brand's 2029 WRC challenger. For now, the focus is squarely on the next two to three years to develop the new car and build toward a very bright future in the championship.
