Malcolm Wilson speaks candidly to World Rally Radio's Greg Strange about the problems Ford and M-Sport, the outfit that runs Ford's World Rally programme, are facing. . .
Greg Strange: I am with Malcolm Wilson who is the principal of the Ford World Rally team, and there has been quotes attributed to you Malcolm about uncertainty over next year's programme. We know that there are going to be 16 rounds next year, what is your position?
Malcolm Wilson:" The position is such that anybody who is running a company and the have posted results like Ford has posted in the last quarter would obviously be looking at every avenue of their business to see what the situation is and how losses can be addressed.
"As we speak, Ford is reviewing all aspects of its involvement in everything. The thing that hasn't helped the situation is next year the calendar increases to 16 events, which obviously will be an increase in costs. The FIA has been looking to reduce costs but sadly these reductions come nowhere near the costs of including two extra events.
"Ford had already targeted us with the challenge of reducing the budget by 30 percent for 2004. We were obviously trying to work to that, but then you get this bombshell thrown in as well, of two extra events, and it **** a completely new perspective on it.
"But hopefully, we will still be in the business during 2004. Ford has a long heritage of being involved in motorsport and I think there is no question that everyone within the company feels there is a real value of being involved in the World Rally Championship. But when times are difficult you have got to cut your cloth accordingly. I just hope it doesnt amount to cancelling its World Rally Championship programme."
GS: Is there a deadline? Is there a point where you have to know?
MW: "There probably is. But in this situation, even if it comes to January, three days before Monte Carlo or whatever, and we are in a position
"We have built a fantastic facility at Dovenby. We have got the best resource and the best engineers of probably any rally team in the business, so we have got a fantastic platform and it would be a great shame to see all that disappear."
GS: What's the message you have said to the paymasters at Ford?
MW: "I understand their situation. If my business was in the same state I would be reviewing every aspect. Sadly, but it's a fact of life, that there are greater concerns and that the World Rally Championship is well down the priority list. But talks are ongoing and I think it is looking a little bit more positive towards the championship.
"Whether we do it in the same fashion or not, I dont know. We will have to wait and see but I the nice thing is that there is a genuine will there; the people in Ford do want to keep rallying.
GS: This week we have seen almost 100 people made redundant at the Hyundai World Rally team. I know the situation is completely different but obviously there is concern at home about future employment at M-Sport. What is your message to your own people?
MW: "As you can imagine, I am not the best of sleepers in any case, but obviously this is of great concern to me. We have built up a fantastic team of people we are approximately 180 people and we have got some of the best people in the industry. I dont want to lose a lot of these key people. If we weren't running the Ford programme, then it is inevitable that a lot of these people are going to move to other areas. That is last thing I want to happen.
"I think one thing I would like to say is we have a very successful business prior to being awarded the Ford contract. That rally car customer work was my sole income years ago. Needless to say, that as we have developed the Ford World Rally programme, in tandem we have developed the customer side of the business. So it wouldn't be doom and gloom at M-Sport, that is for sure. We are not in the situation of doing what MSD did and paying 100 or so people off, making them redundant, because almost 50 percent of our turnover is related to the customer side."
GS: But it would be very difficult to maintain the current levels of staffing if you were not running a programme for Ford at works level?
MW: "For sure, if you weren't running at works level. I mean, the engineers and the designers get their motivation and drive from coming up with new things, producing the fastest and best car. Those people are very, very talented people. They have grown with the company over the years and that would be the sad thing for me to see people who have been with us for a long time having to be put in that position."
GS: The present situation has been brought about by things outside of your control. The problems Ford has had and the need to drive down costs, they are not of your making. Nor is the decision by the FIA to increase the number of rallies. Do you think the decision on the number of rallies is wrong, and do you think that the FIA is trying to make changes at the wrong time for the motor industry?
MW: "The timing for what the FIA has done really is a disaster, in all honesty. It couldn't have come at a worse time.
"I think the sad thing is as well is that all the manufacturers got together and went back to the FIA with a proposal because at the end of the day there is value in having two extra rallies.
"But we felt that the timing is wrong, not just from a financial point of view but from a logistical point of view. Trying to incorporate an extra two long-haul events, Japan and Mexico, into an already cramped series, it's not just the extra cost of getting people and hotels, it is the knock-on effect of the amount of equipment you then need to have to go around the world. You are in the position where you have to have two kits of equipment and that is a huge cost."
GS: If the FIA put all its plans on ice for a season, would that help Ford make its decision in your favour?
MW: "Absolutely, it has been made perfectly clear to me... we were on track basically to reduce our costs by 30 percent and there was no question that had we maintained that budget I don't think we would be even having these discussions. It would have been signed off and agreed and we would continue."
GS: So pretty tense times for you. . .
MW: It is very, very tense, very difficult times. The worst thing is the uncertainty. I can't go to my staff and tell them anything. They might think I know something that I am not telling them. But the situation is that I dont.
"Another big issue is that there are so many of the details that still need to be clarified from these FIA changes. They are trying introduce a system of flexi-servicing, which would mean you can send less people to an event, which is great. It is a great cost-saving and I take my hat off to them for trying to achieve that. But they are not sure they can implement that on each rally. Well, when you are talking about a 30 percent reduction in staff to go to New Zealand, that's 15 or 16 fewer people - flight tickets alone are probably Ŗ20,000, plus hotels, plus, plus, plus.
"But if you don't know now that that is the case, it is impossible for me to do a budget to present to Ford Motor Company. That is just one issue there are a lot of issues that are restricting the teams in the service park here of actually doing a finalised budget."
GS: Do you ever find yourself thinking, 'how on earth did this come about..?'
MW: "I really do wonder how it has happened. If you look at this year, we have got the most successful World Rally Championship season ever. We have got four different manufacturers winning. And not winning by default or winning by people having problems. We have never had so many different drivers winning WRC events; we have got so many young drivers coming on.
"I think one thing the FIA has got absolutely spot-on is the technical regulations. The cars are so evenly matched, yet there are so different in concept and layout. And I think that side of the sport is in fantastic shape."
GS: Media coverage is through the roof. . .
MW: "Media coverage is the best figures ever presented. And the great thing from a technical point of view is that all the manufacturers go together with the FIA technical delegate and we've come up with good, sound solid proposals going forward so we cap the technology so we stop the team spending millions on a super-duper active suspension, and things like that.
"So we have got an absolutely great platform to go forward on. And not only that, but the teams that are less competitive now, because of the way that we have capped the technology there is no reason why these teams cannot be on a par with ourselves, Peugeot and Citroen within two years.
"Whatever you do with cost-cutting, you will never make an uncompetitive team competitive, but given the technical regulations we have got now there is no reason everybody can't get to the same level in two years.
"There's a good saying if it isn't broke, don't fix it. . ."
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