Ford Motor Company announced that its racing engine division Cosworth Racing will focus all its Formula One efforts on the Stewart-Ford team next year. Cosworth Racing will not supply engines to other teams for the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The decision reaffirms Ford's commitment and determination to win the FIA Formula One World Championship. 'We're in racing to win, not just to compete,' said Martin Whitaker, Director of Ford Racing, Europe. 'Concentrating all our efforts on one team means that we can focus more clearly on our prime goal of winning races and the World Championship. Ford is now demonstrating far greater competitiveness across the two FIA World Championship programmes (Formula One and the World Rally Championship) and if we are to put Ford back at the front of the Formula One grid we have to channel all our technical resources in one direction.'
Not only will Cosworth Racing concentrate on a single team for the 2000 FIA World Championship, but additional resources will be dedicated to next year's programme.
'This decision makes the goal crystal clear,' said the Managing Director of Cosworth Racing, Dick Scammell. 'The single objective of Cosworth Racing is to win wherever we compete. Greater emphasis will now be placed on increasing support to all our existing programmes, including those outside Formula One. Also, as our company expands, so we will look at opportunities to grow our business in new areas of motor sport.'
Ford's latest CR-1 V10 engine, which made its race debut at the Australian Grand Prix with the Stewart-Ford team, is the lightest, smallest and one of the most powerful engines in Formula One. The decision ends recent speculation about further supply of engines to other Formula One teams.
This year Ford supplies the Fondmetal Minardi team with the VJ engine, which is an evolution of last year's Ford Zetec-R V10 unit. Through Cosworth Racing, Ford traditionally has been the leading supplier of customer engines to Formula One teams.
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