Marcus Gronholm ensured that his first season with the BP Ford team ended on a high with a record breaking victory on Wales Rally GB, the final round found of the World Rally Championship season.

Gronholm's victory in the Welsh forests ended a Rally GB victory drought stretching back 27 years for the 'Blue Oval' and concluded the teams most successful season ever – with the all-Finnish fairing of Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen securing eight wins over the course of the year.

Success in the season finale also marked an important moment in Gronholm's career as it took him past Tommi Makinen in the all-time WRC standings – securing his place as the most successful Finn in world championship rallying. A 25th WRC win puts him equal third on the winners list, behind Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz and equal with Colin McRae.

In truth, problems for both team-mate Mikko Hirvonen and Subaru's Petter Solberg meant that victory in Wales was never really in doubt for the championship runner-up as he produced his usual solid display to lead the event in its entirety.

Despite building up a 1min 18.8sec lead during the opening two days, the 38-year-old eased through the final special stages to return to the finish inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium having extended his advantage to 1min 35.5sec – despite dropping a few seconds on SS15 when he briefly went off.

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

At the end of his best season in the WRC, Gronholm was understandably delighted with a seventh win of 2006 and he admitted that passing Makinen's victory tally was something he never expected to achieve.

"It's fantastic to win again and this ends a great season in perfect style,” he said. “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. It was made easier for me yesterday when Petter Solberg had problems and since then I have had the rally under control.

"In terms of rally wins, this is my best season and I'm delighted to deliver this win for the team. I can't believe I have moved ahead of Tommi to become the most successful Finn ever. That is an achievement I could never have dreamed of when I started in the sport.”

For team boss Malcolm Wilson, the only downside to the weekend was Hirvonen's retirement on the opening leg, and he was delighted to end the campaign with a win on home soil.

“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,” he said. “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."