M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm have claimed fourth place at the Rallye Monte-Carlo in their NGK-equipped Ford Fiesta WRC. Recovering from a difficult start, the Finns bounced back and secured the impressive finish after a great battle with nine-time World champion Sébastien Loeb.

In the sister M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC, Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished in eighth place overall.

Mark Hallam, Marketing Manager, NGK Spark Plugs said, “It was a very positive start to the 2020 season with both Esapekka and Teemu putting in impressive performances. It is testament to the efforts of everyone involved at M-Sport over the years for helping the team to score points in 250 consecutive rallies which is a fantastic achievement.”

M-Sport Ford secured a record-breaking result at the Rallye Monte-Carlo. won by Thierry Neuville, with Lappi and Suninen securing the team 250 record FIA World Rally Championship points finishes. This record started 18 years ago when Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae piloted their Ford Focus RS WRCs to third and fourth places at the 2002 event.

A total of 22 drivers and 28 co-drivers have contributed to the achievement which includes seven FIA World Rally Championship titles – three for manufacturers, two for drivers and two for co-drivers – as well as an impressive 50 victories and 185 podiums.