The drivers are chasing victory in the FIA World Rally Championship Drivers and Manufacturers competitions, but wins are not the only numbers on their minds as the team visits 12 countries, including Australia, during 2009.
What makes the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team so successful?
Here are a few behind-the-scenes facts and figures from last season that illustrate what goes into a winning team.
Some of the smallest numbers are among the most important, such as the amazing two minutes mechanics take to change a clutch unit.
130,646 Kilometres flown by each “away†team member
16,100 Meals served by the team's catering staff around the world during the year
9300 Eggs eaten by the team and its guests during the season
8000 Data samples per second recorded by Pi engineers for both the Focus chassis and the engine
6600 Focus ST road cars sold throughout Europe in 2008
5012 Kilometres completed by Mikko Hirvonen
3520 Hotel rooms booked by the team's logistics department (events only)
1100 Kilograms of chicken prepared by the team chef
1000 Number of 33oml bottles of water consumed by the team per event
950 Kilograms of penne pasta cooked by the team chef
454 Data channels recorded on both the chassis and the engine by Pi data engineers
450 Kilograms of baked beans cooked by the team chef
288 Stages completed by Mikko Hirvonen in 2008
199 Staff at M-Sport, the team's base in the United Kingdom
173 Total number of manufacturer points scored in 2008
161 Total driver points scored by Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala in 2008
96 Fastest stage times set by Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala
91 Focus WRC cars built by M-Sport since 1999
55 On-event team personnel
48 Power points used in the team service area
46 Halogen flood lights needed for the team's long-haul service park
43 Days testing in France, Sweden, Spain, Britain, Finland, Germany, Greece and Italy
36 Victories gained by the Ford Focus WRC since its debut in 1999 (plus three more in 2009)
29 Number of hours to erect the service area on each European event
20 Car assembly bays at M-Sport team headquarters
20 Minutes taken by team technicians to change a steering rack
19 The best time, in minutes, Ford mechanics have taken to change the transmission assembly at a service point on the 2008 Focus RS WRC
17 Number of podium finishes achieved during 2008 by the team
16 Different pieces of Pi software all running correctly to make the Focus RS WRC operate
12 2008 specification Focus RS World Rally Cars built as at January 2009
7 Minutes it takes to change a windscreen on the rally car
6 Minutes it takes to change the rear differential on a Focus RS WRC
6 Additional lights fitted to a Focus RS WRC for stages in darkness
4 Wins taken by Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala in 2008
3.9 Focus RS WRC accelerates from 0-to-100 kmh in just 3.9 seconds on asphalt
2 Best time, in minutes, Ford mechanics have taken to change a complete clutch unit on a Focus RS WRC at a service point
1.5 Turns lock-to-lock with high-ratio steering on the rally Focus, compared with 2.9 turns for the road car
0.6 Litres of fuel used per kilometre of competitive stage distance
0.03 Seconds to complete a gear-change in the Ford Focus RS WRC (30 milliseconds)
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
