Ford claimed all three podium places on the Rally Norway today with the Focus RS World Rally Car. It was the first clean sweep for the Blue Oval in the FIA World Rally Championship since the 1979 Rally New Zealand when Escorts filled the top three places.

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen led from start to finish to win for the BP-Ford World Rally Team. The Finns finished 9.5sec ahead of team-mates Marcus Gr?¶nholm and Timo Rautiainen in a similar Focus RS. Third went to Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud.

The result lifts BP-Ford into a 16-point lead in the manufacturers' championship after three of the 16 rounds. Gr?¶nholm now leads the drivers' series by four points from Hirvonen.

The rally was the opening round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy International for Fiesta ST cars. The category was won by Barry Clark and Scott Martin.

For more information: Contact Mark Wilford or Georgina Baskerville on the BP-Ford World Rally Team media desk in Hamar Tel: + 47 62 511753 Photographs are available on www.worldrallypics.com/ford

Source: [url=http://www.whowon.com/sresults.asp?SanctionID=840&StoryID=213053]WhoWon.com[/url]