This season, M-Sport will compete in the British Rally Championship with 19-year-old Max McRae and British driver Garry Pearson, both of whom will be behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Rally2.
McRae has previously competed in a Ford Rally2 car once before. Now, he becomes the third generation McRae to drive for Ford in the British championship.
McRae hails from a true rally dynasty. His father, Alister, once competed in the World Rally Championship, and his late uncle, Colin McRae, clinched the World Rally Championship in 1995. Max’s grandfather, Jimmy McRae, is also a legend in the UK.
Raised in Australia, Max McRae competed in the junior class of the European Championship last year, but now he faces a leap to a more powerful four-wheel drive car. His programme for this season includes four rounds of the British championship in a Fiesta Rally2, with co-driver Cameron Fair.
“I can’t wait to gain some amazing experience in a Rally2 car and learn so much from working with this incredible team. Our season will start at the North West Stages in March where I will take part in my first rally on tarmac in the Rally2,” McRae enthuses.
Pearson, 32, finished second in the British Rally Championship last season. The title was taken by M-Sport’s French driver Adrien Fourmaux, who will compete this year in the WRC’s premier class in M-Sport’s Ford Puma Rally1.
For M-Sport’s team principal Richard Millener, participating in the British Rally Championship is of utmost importance.
“The pairing of Garry and Max, I feel, is a really strong one, and I look forward to seeing how they fair in the latest spec Fiesta Rally2. It won’t be an easy task as the entry to the championship is the strongest in years,” Millener says.
The British Rally Championship’s opening North West Stages is scheduled for 23 March.
