IFord isiqinisekisile ukuthi izobuyela ohlelweni olusekelwa yifektri kwiWorld Rally Championship. Ngakho-ke lo mkhiqizo uzoqala kabusha ukubandakanyeka kwawo ngqo, okwashiywa ukuphela kuka-2012, ngemuva kweminyaka engaphezu kwengu-50 ekuqhutshweni, kanti i-M-Sport ingumlingani wayo eminyakeni engamashumi amathathu edlule. Ukubuyiselwa kwayo kuhlelelwe u-2028 , yize imoto entsha ingeke ifike kuze kube ngu-2029.
Lezi zindaba zifika ngesikhathi soshintsho kulo mqhudelwano. Ngo-2027, imithethonqubo yobuchwepheshe eyaziwa ngokuthi i-WRC27 izoqala ukusebenza, eyenzelwe ukunciphisa izindleko nokuvula umnyango wabakhiqizi abaningi namaqembu azimele. I-Ford iba ngomunye wabakhiqizi abazibophezele kule mithetho , kanye ne-Toyota namanye amaphrojekthi azimele, futhi izosebenzisa ukuba khona kwayo ekuhlanganiseni ukuze yakhe uhla lwayo lwaseYurophu esikhathini esizayo.
Ukubuya kwezigaba ezimbili ne-M-Sport
Uhlelo lweFord Racing luhlukaniswe ngezigaba eziningana. Ngo-2027 nango-2028, i-M-Sport izoqhubeka nokuncintisana neFord Fiesta Rally2 elungiswe ngekhithi evunyelwe yimithetho emisha, kuyilapho umqhudelwano ushintsha phakathi kwezimoto zamanje zeRally1 kanye ne-WRC27 zesikhathi esizayo. Ngo-2028, iFord Racing izobandakanyeka ngqo njengeqembu lasefektri , futhi ngemva konyaka, imoto entsha ngokuphelele izokwembulwa.
Leyo moto izoba yiRally1 eyathuthukiswa ngaphansi kwemithethonqubo ye-WRC27 futhi yakhiqizwa ngokusekelwa yi-M-Sport. Lo mkhiqizo awukawuchazi lo modeli, kodwa ukhombisile ukuthi uzophefumulelwa enye yezimoto zayo ezizayo zaseYurophu ezizovakasha. Umhlahlandlela uhlanganisa ukuhlolwa kanye nokwakhiwa kwezimoto ngaphambi kuka-2029 , yize amagama nezinsuku eziqondile kungakadalulwa.
Ukubambisana ne-M-Sport akukusha. Ithimba laseBrithani ligcine iFord kwiWorld Rally Championship iminyaka ecishe ibe ngamashumi amathathu futhi laba yisihluthulelo sezihloko zabakhiqizi ngo-2006 nango-2007 neFocus RS WRC. Kamuva, ngaphandle kohlelo oluphelele lwefektri, baphinde bathola ubuqhawe babakhiqizi ngo-2017 futhi basekela uSébastien Ogier ezihlokweni zakhe zango-2017 nango-2018 neFiesta WRC. Lokhu kuqhubeka kuchaza ukuthi kungani iFord iphinde ibeke ithemba layo kumlingani ofanayo.
Kusukela ku-WRC kuya ezimotweni zasemgwaqweni
I-Ford ayisondeli ekubuyeni kwayo njengomzamo wezemidlalo kuphela. Le nkampani ihlose ukudlulisela ezinye zezifundo ezitholwe ngokubuyela ohlwini lwayo lwaseYurophu oluzayo, ikakhulukazi maqondana nokuphendula, ukuphatha, kanye nokuzibandakanya kwabashayeli. Lo mkhiqizo ulungiselela amamodeli amahlanu asebenzisa amandla amaningi, anezinketho zikagesi neze-hybrid , ezenzelwe ngqo imigwaqo yezwekazi.
UJim Baumbick, umongameli weFord Europe, uchaze ukuthi ukuhlangana kudinga izimfanelo okunzima ukuzilingisa nokuthi lezi zindinganiso kumele zifakwe ezimotweni abantu abazisebenzisa nsuku zonke. UMark Rushbrook, inhloko yomhlaba wonke yeFord Racing, ugcizelele umlando wokuncintisana wenkampani weminyaka engu-125 kanye nokuba khona kwayo iminyaka engamashumi amahlanu ku-WRC. Amamodeli afana ne-Escort, iSierra, iFocus, iFiesta, nePuma ayingxenye yalelo fa.
ESpain, lesi simemezelo siphinde sibe nesici esithinta inhliziyo. UCarlos Sainz uthathe izinyathelo zakhe zokuqala kwiWorld Rally Championship neFord Sierra RS Cosworth futhi manje uncintisana kwiDakar Rally neFord Raptor . Lo mkhiqizo uzoqhubeka nohlelo lwawo lweRally-Raid , ngakho-ke ukubuyela kwi-WRC akufanele kuphazamise imisebenzi yayo yomjaho wasehlane.
Ngale kwemibuthano
IFord ifuna ukuba khona emikhakheni eminingana yezemidlalo yezimoto. Ngaphezu kwe-WRC, igcina uhlelo lwayo lweDakar, indima yayo ku-NASCAR, ukubambisana kwayo kwezobuchwepheshe ku-Formula 1, kanye nokubuyela kwayo esigabeni esiphezulu se-World Endurance Championship ngo-2027. Kusukela ngo-2028, lo mkhiqizo uzoba khona emiqhudelwaneni emine yomhlaba ye-FIA , isimo esingavamile kumkhiqizi.
I-FIA iyamukele ukuqinisekiswa. Umongameli wayo, uMohammed Ben Sulayem, ukholelwa ukuthi ukubuya kweFord kuqinisa isigaba esisha sobuqhawe, esiphawulwa ushintsho lomgqugquzeli kanye nokwethulwa kwemithetho emisha. Ukhumbule okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe njengomshayeli weFord futhi wagcizelela ukubaluleka kokuzibophezela kwesikhathi eside.
Kusho ukuthini lokhu ngomqhudelwano?
I-World Rally Championship idlula ekushintsheni okukhulu. Imithethonqubo ye-WRC27 ihlose ukunciphisa izindleko zokuncintisana ezingeni eliphezulu, ukwenza kube lula ukungena kwabakhiqizi, futhi ivumele ukuguquguquka okukhulu kobuchwepheshe. Ukufika kwe-Ford kunezela ekubeni khona okuqhubekayo kwe-Toyota kanye namaphrojekthi azimele asevele esebenza ezinkathini ezizayo.
Lo mkhiqizo waseMelika uqhosha ngezihloko ezine zabakhiqizi kanye nezihloko ezine zabashayeli esigabeni esiphezulu. UBjörn Waldegård, u-Ari Vatanen, noSébastien Ogier bonke babonakala kulolo hlu, kanye nemincintiswano yabakhiqizi abayinqobile ngezikhathi ezahlukene. Ngokubuya kweFord, i-WRC ithola igama elidumile kanye nomkhiqizi onamakhono okuthuthukisa eYurophu.
Ukubuyela kweFord kwi-WRC ngeke kube ngokushesha noma kube kanye kuphela: kuzoqala ukwesekwa okusemthethweni nge-M-Sport, bese kuba yi-Rally1 entsha, kanye, ngesikhathi esifanayo, ukuthuthukiswa kwezimoto zayo zokuvakasha zaseYurophu zesikhathi esizayo. Le nkampani izoqhubeka nomsebenzi wayo eDakar nakweminye imincintiswano, kuyilapho ubuqhawe bubhekene nemithetho eklanyelwe ukuheha abakhiqizi abaningi. I-Ford ibuyela ezigabeni zomjaho ngohlelo lweminyaka eminingi , olusekelwe emlandweni wayo kanye nesidingo sokuthuthukisa izimoto zomgwaqo ezikhangayo kakhulu.