Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led the three-day event from start to finish through the muddy forests of south Wales to win by 1 minute 35.5 seconds in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. It was the seventh victory of the season for the Finnish duo, and the eighth for the BP-Ford World Rally Team — making it Ford’s most successful rally season ever.

The win also made Grönholm the most successful Finn in the WRC. His 25th win moved him ahead of Tommi Mäkinen and into equal third in the all-time standings.

Victory also means that BP-Ford, crowned manufacturers’ world champions on the previous round in New Zealand last month, set a new points record under the current scoring system. The Blue Oval’s last Rally GB success was in 1979, the same season in which it last claimed the world title.

The rain-soaked gravel roads provided a stern challenge for the world’s best drivers on this 16th and final round of the season. The muddy tracks proved too much for many of the 111 starters, the largest entry of the season, who tackled 355.92 kilometers of competition.

The final leg took competitors north-west of the rally base in Cardiff to the Brechfa Forest complex. Always technically demanding and slippery, heavy overnight rain made conditions treacherous in the four speed tests, covering 112.00 km.

Grönholm built up a 1 min 18.8 sec lead during the opening two days and the 38-year-old could afford to take no risks in the mud and rain. He eased through the final special stages to return to the finish inside Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium having extended his advantage to 1 min 35.5 sec.

However, even he was caught out by the conditions and dropped a handful of seconds on the second stage when he spun.

"I entered a downhill hairpin a little too quickly and spun the car. I had to reverse back onto the road and dropped a few seconds, but it wasn’t such a big drama," he said.

"It’s fantastic to win again and this ends a great season in perfect style. It has been a long three days in the Welsh forests but we were able to drive cautiously today on what were the most difficult stages of the event," he added.

BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted to end the season in style. "It was good to come to Rally GB with the title already settled and give the drivers the opportunity to drive flat out with no pressure. It’s 27 years since Ford won Rally GB and to end the season with eight victories for the new Focus RS WRC is a fantastic achievement. It has been a dream year."

Ford Team RS director Jost Capito said: "It’s perfect to finish the season with a convincing win in Rally GB and confirm the manufacturers’ championship."