Formed in 2003, Ford department Ford TeamRS is responsible for motor sport and performance cars. Ford TeamRS oversees all Ford of Europe's motor sport activities, of which the World Rally Championship plays the main role. The team also works closely with Ford's main engineering teams to lead design and development of Ford's road-going performance vehicles, known worldwide as ST and RS. The Director of Ford TeamRS is Jost Capito, performance engine development engineer and former motor sport competitor. He is a true experienced expert in the business and ensures enthusiasm and dynamic leadership of the department.

"In combining these two highly motivated and demanding business units, our objective was to maximise the strengths and demands of each to create a real force in competition and product development. We have noticed clear benefits from feeding our motor sport knowledge and success in rallying directly into our road-going performance products."

The first product to be developed exclusively by Ford TeamRS was the Fiesta ST, launched in Autumn 2004. A core team of about 30 Ford TeamRS staff were also able to count on the co-operation of different departments across the company, like Body Engineering, Chassis Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Powertrain and Vehicle Engineering as well as the original Fiesta vehicle line development team. This approach, applied to all performance vehicles, ensures that there are always a variety of talents contributing to every new performance car project. The striking Electric Orange Focus ST was the Team's next project. The powerful car was launched in Autumn 2005 and received enthusiastic acclaim. Beside the performance products, Ford TeamRS also oversees some Special Vehicle Programs (SVP). For example the 101 Ford GTs allocated to the European market by Ford USA, were homologated by Ford TeamRS.

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is Ford of Europe's primary motor sport activity. Ford has been rallying for many years and has a strong heritage that Ford TeamRS is nurturing. For the past 10 years, with the help of M-Sport who run the Ford WRC team day-to-day from their base in Cumbria, Ford has been highly competitive in this challenging championship, winning the FIA WRC Manufacturers' Title in 2006, to name just one. Whilst the Ford Focus RS WRC looks like a road-going Focus on the outside, it has actually been given a super-charged engine and a strengthened chassis, among a number of other developments, which allow it to compete in all WRC events each year. Sixteen WRC events take place all over the world, across four continents, in challenging and different climates and weather conditions. The BP-Ford World Rally Team is close to winning the Manufacturers' Title again this year, thanks to Finnish drivers Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen who, among the incredibly skilfull Team, contribute to gaining valuable points.

Ford TeamRS also oversees a number of other motor sport involvements, including national championships, like Formula Ford in the UK and the Fiesta ST Cup in Germany. Ford's aim is to be involved at a high level in every significant competition and to foster the accessibility of the motor sport ladder, thereby ensuring that new talents and technologies are swiftly recognised.

Involvement in motorsport is an opportunity for Ford to showcase the technology talent that exists within the company in a way that engages both staff and public, getting them excited about the company and its products. Ford TeamRS ensures that racing expertise is closely linked into the development process of performance cars. This guarantees that Ford racing enthusiasts can buy Ford products that have as close a link to Ford's rich motor sport heritage as possible.