History Car 1990s

Ford Focus WRC

Overview Specs Highlights Characteristics

Overview

The first-generation Ford Focus WRC99 replaced the Escort WRC in 1999. M-Sport, working for Ford, built a substantially new rally platform around the then-new Focus hatchback rather than continuing the Sierra-derived Escort drivetrain. Its design and early development were associated with technical director Günther Steiner.

Most importantly, its engine was not a Cosworth YB: the WRC99 introduced a competition Ford Zetec-E / Zeta-family turbocharged inline-four, mounted transversely, paired with an independently developed six-speed sequential four-wheel-drive transmission. This is a 1999-specific account and should not be conflated with later Focus WRC and road-going Focus RS engines.

Technical Specs & Innovations

  • Competition category: FIA World Rally Car; Focus Mk I WRC99, homologation A-5596 with World Rally Car extension.
  • Engine family: Ford Zetec-E / Zeta competition turbo four-cylinder, rather than Escort's Cosworth YB.
  • Engine positioning: Front transverse, inclined rearward in the competition installation; gearbox orientation is separately longitudinal.
  • Displacement: Approximately 2.0 litres. One 1999 technical homologation profile quotes 1,990.4 cc (84.8 × 88.1 mm); more general rally databases quote 1,998 cc, so do not assume every Focus year is identical.
  • Valvetrain: DOHC, 16 valves with an iron block and alloy head.
  • Turbo: Garrett TR30R competition turbo with period FIA 34 mm intake restrictor and anti-lag control.
  • Works engine output: Approximately 300 hp and up to about 550 Nm in technical summaries; figures vary by specification.
  • Engine management: Ford/Pectel competition fuel injection and ignition management in documented 1999 works configurations.
  • Drivetrain: Four-wheel drive with competition differentials and programmable drivetrain systems.
  • Transmission: Xtrac 240 six-speed sequential gearbox, electro-hydraulically actuated, mounted longitudinally behind the transverse engine.
  • Chassis: First-generation Focus hatchback-based reinforced steel shell with full rally safety structure.
  • Width and wheelbase: Approx. 1,770 mm wide; 2,615 mm wheelbase in period Focus WRC data.
  • Suspension: MacPherson-type competition struts at front and rear in a WRC99 technical sheet, with rally-specific lower arms and dampers. The road Focus used Control Blade multilink rear suspension; do not assume its components were carried over unchanged.
  • Brakes: Surface-dependent ventilated disc and racing-caliper configurations.
  • Weight: A WRC99 technical sheet lists 1,230 kg while a general Focus WRC summary quotes 1,330 kg; record the cited configuration and do not substitute road Focus mass.

1999-versus-later warning: Some online Focus WRC sheets describe the 2006–10 Duratec/Pipo-era cars instead. The Focus WRC99 used Zetec-E/Zeta heritage. Engine displacement, mounting, steering controls and transmission details require a model-year source.

Early homologation issue: At the 1999 Monte Carlo Rally, McRae's car was provisionally third but later excluded because the external/remote water-pump arrangement was judged outside the homologated configuration. It is not recorded as a third-place classified finish.

🏆 Competitive Highlights

  • 1999 Monte Carlo: The Focus debuted, showing pace but losing McRae and Grist's provisional podium to the water-pump homologation exclusion.
  • 1999 Safari Rally: Colin McRae and Nicky Grist gave the Focus WRC its first WRC round victory in Kenya, only its third championship start.
  • 1999 Rally Portugal: The McRae–Grist crew followed immediately with a second victory in the next round.
  • 1999 reliability: Development failures and retirements later in the season limited Ford's championship challenge despite the car's early speed.
  • Other 1999 crews: The factory program also ran drivers including Thomas Rådström and Petter Solberg; their results must not be mixed with McRae's wins.
  • Subsequent evolution: Later Focus WRC generations continued into the 2000s, but those specifications do not belong automatically to the original WRC99.

Driving Characteristics

The new transverse engine installation and separately oriented longitudinal Xtrac transmission freed M-Sport to reconsider packaging, mass distribution and mechanical access from first principles. Although the ordinary Focus introduced the Control Blade multilink rear suspension, specialist WRC99 technical data describes competition strut assemblies front and rear. Road-car suspension terminology must not be substituted for the works chassis.

The high-torque turbocharged engine, active drivetrain controls and revised suspension offered strong loose-surface traction. The same level of technical ambition, however, made reliability and homologation compliance central issues in the first competitive season.

Development & legacy

The Focus marked a complete architectural break from Ford's Sierra-derived Cosworth rally cars. Its first-year Safari and Portugal wins demonstrated immediate potential, while the early water-pump exclusion and later retirements show why the record should include both engineering advances and setbacks.

Research sources

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