M-Sport appoints Carrier as new chief designer.

M-Sport, the British-based team which runs Ford's programme in the FIA World Rally Championship, has announced Simon Carrier as their new chief designer.

Carrier, who has worked at M-Sport since 2002, will now play a 'prominent role' in the design of the new Focus RS World Rally Car which will carry the Blue Oval's championship challenge from next season onwards.

Carrier will continue to work under the direction of M-Sport's technical director, Christian Loriaux.

"Simon has an impressive career record in motorsport and was a key member of the successful team behind the 2003 Ford Focus RS World Rally Car," said Loriaux.

"We are now moving into a new era with the design of the 2006 Focus RS, based on the new generation Focus road car, and I'm confident he is the right person to lead our team forward in the design of what is likely to be Ford's most important rally car ever."

"Ford's motorsport programmes have been a fairly constant theme throughout my career," added Carrier. "We are entering a massively exciting time at M-Sport with the design of the new Focus RS WRC and I'm proud to lead the design team into this project.

"We have much to live up to after the first generation Focus RS, but I'm confident that we have the ability and the expertise within the team to produce a car that can take Ford to the world title."