Ford might not have enjoyed the success it craved on Philips Rally Argentina with Dani Sordo losing out on an almost certain podium finish on the event-closing Power Stage. But sixth place for Petter Solberg meant it still had cause for celebration.

Photo: D.Darrall

Solberg’s performance was the 150th consecutive points finish for the Blue Oval in the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, the first car make to achieve this standard in the 39-year history of the WRC following a run that stretches back to Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2002.

During the intervening seasons at least one Ford nominated driver has finished in the points on every subsequent world championship rally.

Ford Racing senior manager Gerard Quinn joined Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson in celebrating the milestone in Villa Carlos Paz yesterday evening.

“This record is the product of a remarkable blend of speed and reliability,” said Quinn. “We’ve shown over a decade of WRC rallies that we can score consistently. Celebrating 150 consecutive points finishes here today gives us the confidence to go on to mount a challenge for the manufacturers’ title during the remaining eight rounds of the season.”