M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson have taken their maiden victory at this weekend’s Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Delivering an impressive performance behind the wheel of their EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R5, the Brits secured the win in the WRC 2 Pro and RC2 classes, as well as a notable seventh place in the overall standings.
Demonstrating the progress he has made over the past twelve months, Greensmith’s inspired drive paired his customary speed with the control and consistency needed to tame the stages of this notoriously difficult event.
The pairing’s flawless performance also demonstrated the power and performance of M-Sport and Ford’s most successful global rally car – the Fiesta R5 continuing to win stages, rallies and championships six years after its debut.
Rewarded with a career-best result at one of the world’s most iconic events, Greensmith will be spurred on by the taste of victory – not least when he takes to the top-specification Fiesta at Rally de Portugal and when he gets his hands on the all-new Fiesta R5 later this summer.
Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“Congratulations to Gus and Elliott. We knew Gus’ first victory wasn’t far away, but to claim it on an event as difficult as this with the experience he has just shows how far he has come. The partnership between him and Elliott is working really well and they didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. It was a very impressive, mature drive and they can both be extremely proud of this milestone achievement on their first step up to WRC 2 Pro.
“The Fiesta R5 is our most successful global rally car and it’s still winning rallies and championships around the world. What we have achieved here with Gus – in a car that is effectively six years old – bodes extremely well for the future. Gus will certainly be hungry for more victories this year, and I see no reason why he can’t achieve that; especially when we debut the new car this summer.”
Gus Greensmith said:
“I’m pretty sure this is the best day of my life so far! It took us a while to get here, but it’s an amazing feeling and there are so many people I need to thank. It was almost a perfect rally from beginning to end and we did everything we needed to do. When we needed to push and build a gap, we did. And when we needed to control it, we did. It’s definitely been my best ever performance behind the wheel, and now I’m just looking forward to a beer and letting it all sink in!”
Elliott Edmondson said:
“It’s been a brilliant rally back with Gus and we couldn’t have asked for any more. Monte is always a challenge so I can’t say it was easy, but we managed the whole weekend really well. We showed speed when we had to, and were more cautious when we could afford to be. We couldn’t have asked for a better start and here’s hoping for more good results as the season continues!”
