WRC takes centre stage at Chelsea Flower Show

Don’t panic. While the sight of half a World Rally Car jutting from a flower bed might look like the aftermath of a fairly major shunt, in this case it’s an award winning piece of garden design.

This special recreation of a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car formed part of a sports-themed garden that landed a top award at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

The front end of the car was part of the Cardiff International Sports Village Garden in the Great Pavilion that won a silver medal at the famous show.

The garden celebrated the sporting credentials of the city and was divided into different sports to represent international events held in the Welsh capital during the next few years.

At the five-day Chelsea Flower Show the Ford Focus it represented Wales Rally GB, the final round of this year's championship which will be based in Cardiff on 4 - 7 December.

The car was located in a typical forest special stage environment in the Cardiff display, just in front of the garden's centrepiece - a three metre high floral rugby player set on a raised plinth to represent rugby union's Heineken Cup Final in the city.

Mark Deans, Ford of Europe's motorsport director, visited the show and said: "We were delighted to partner Cardiff City Council with its garden at Chelsea and would like to congratulate everyone involved in achieving a silver award. The Ford Focus RS World Rally Car has won Wales Rally GB for the last two years and we very much look forward to returning there in December to try for a treble."