Ford of Europe Appoint New Senior Manager of Motorsport

Ford of Europe will have a new man responsible for their motorsport operations, as the company announced late last week the appointment of Gerard Quinn as their new Senior Manager of Motorsport. Quinn will therefore replace Mark Deans as head of Ford of Europe's motorsport programmes, as a result of the latter announcing his departure from the company to “pursue personal projects”.

Until this very past weekend, 45-year old Quinn was Dealer Operations Manager for Ford of Ireland, a position which was handed to him in mid-2008 (June). From now on, however, the Irishman will work closely with Malcolm Wilson, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Director, for the well functioning of Ford's motorsport programme inside the World Rally Championship.

According to the press release issued by Ford of Europe, Quinn will become active in his new role from as early as the upcoming round of the WRC schedule, the Acropolis Rally in Greece.

“I'm excited at the prospect of joining the M-Sport team in Greece. I have a good relationship already with Malcolm Wilson, and I'll be looking forward to seeing the drivers again. We're relying on them to deliver more success there with the Focus RS WRC!” said Quinn.

While welcoming Quinn in his new position with the WRC team, Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe's Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service and the man to which Quinn will have to report on a day to day basis, wanted to thank Deans for his services with the company.

“Mark has been a great asset to the Ford Motorsport management team over the last 18 months. He has helped to keep our WRC activity running through the industry crisis, and delivered an impressive one-two victory with the team in the most recent rally in Sardinia. We're grateful for Mark's commitment and dedication to the company during his 29-year career with Ford, and we wish him and his family all the very best for the future,” said Sviggum, according to the press release.