Malcolm Wilson (rally driver)
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (October 2018) |
 | Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. (October 2018) |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 17 February 1956 |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1977–1995 |
| Co-driver |  Nicky Grist |
| Teams | Ford, MG Rover, Vauxhall |
| Rallies | 42 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Stage wins | 29 |
| Total points | 59 |
| First rally | 1977 RAC Rally |
| Last rally | 1995 RAC Rally |
Malcolm Irving Wilson, OBE (born 17 February 1956) is a British former rally driver and current owner of team and constructor M-Sport. He is the father of former World Rally Championship driver Matthew Wilson. He has been married to Elaine Wilson since 1982.[1][2][3]
Biography[]
He has over 20 years experience of rallying at world championship level, much of it with Ford. He drove for three factory teams in the world championship, including MG, in whose Group B Metro 6R4, he shared driving duties with fellow Briton, Tony Pond. He spent several years as Ford's chief test driver, developing new rally cars, including the short lived RS1700T and RS200 models.
As a driver, he won two British national titles in the late 1970s and achieved a long-held ambition by winning the British Rally Championship in 1994, all at the wheel of Ford Escorts.
He crashed during the 1980 Scottish Rally whilst chasing Hannu Mikkola and Ari Vatanen for the lead, breaking both his ankles and almost ending his career, but amazingly he recovered in time for the RAC Rally at the end of the year.
After his driving career, he went on to manage and run the Ford World Rally Team with his M-Sport operation, based at Dovenby Hall near Cockermouth in Cumbria, England.
Under his guidance, M-Sport (formerly Malcolm Wilson Motorsport) has become one of the world's leading rallying private teams, with a string of international titles and wins to its credit. The company now employs over 170 people.
Their work culminated in 2006 when Wilson led Ford to the World Rally Championship Constructors' title for the first time in 25 years; the team repeated this achievement in 2007.
In September 2008, Wilson took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He entered the event in a VK Vodka Kick sponsored Ford Escort RS1800 with co-driver Peter Martin. He was one of a number of ex-world and British champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007.
Wilson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.[4][5]
Complete WRC results[]
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Malcolm Wilson | Ford Escort RS 2000 | 12 |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | Malcolm Wilson | Ford Escort RS 1800 | Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1979 | Total Oil | Ford Escort RS 1800 | 15 |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1980 | Total Oil | Ford Escort RS 1800 | Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1981 | Rothmans Rally Team | Ford Escort RS 1800 | Ret |
Ret |
Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1982 | Malcolm Wilson | Ford Escort RS 1800 | Ret |
66th | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Audi Sport UK | Audi Quattro | 10 |
||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | British Junior Rally Team | Ford Escort RS1600i | 13 |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1984 | Top Gear | Audi Quattro A1 | Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1985 | Malcolm Wilson | Audi Quattro A1 | Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Austin Rallying | MG Metro 6R4 | Ret |
||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Austin Rover World Rally Team | MG Metro 6R4 | Ret |
Ret |
Ret |
Ret |
10 |
17 |
70th | 1 | ||||||||
| 1987 | GM Dealer Sport | Opel Kadett GSI | Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1988 | Malcolm Wilson | Opel Kadett GSI | 8 |
– | 0 | |||||||||||||
| GM Euro Sport | Vauxhall Astra GTE | Ret |
Ret |
|||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Malcolm Wilson | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 13 |
18th | 19 | |||||||||||||
| GM Euro Sport | 3 |
6 |
||||||||||||||||
| Vauxhall Dealer Sport | 10 |
|||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Q8 Team Ford | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 | Ret |
Ret |
Ret |
– | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1991 | Q8 Team Ford | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 | 7 |
Ret |
5 |
Ret |
10 |
Ret |
18th | 13 | ||||||||
| 1992 | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 | 9 |
58th | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1993 | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | Ret |
NZL | 19th | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Malcolm Wilson | Ret |
|||||||||||||||||
| Michelin Pilot Team Ford | 3 |
|||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Ford Motor Co Ltd | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | 6 |
Ret |
23rd | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Jolly Club | 9 |
|||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | R.A.S. Ford | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | MON | Ret |
– | 0 |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Lunch with Malcolm Wilson". Motorsport Magazine. Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsFXtOGeMA
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ6lG1t0K44
- ^ Evans, David (13 June 2009). "Malcolm Wilson awarded OBE". Autosport. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- ^ "No. 59090". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 2009. p. 13.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malcolm Wilson. |
- English rally drivers
- World Rally Championship people
- 1956 births
- Living people
- World Rally Championship drivers
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Ford Team RS