FEDERICO VILLAGRA
| Date of birth: | 21 May 1969 |
| Lives: | Argentina |
| First Rally: | 1997 |
| Titles: | 2004 Chilean Rally champion 2004 Argentinean Rally champion 2002, 2003 and 2005 Argentinean Rally Group N champion 2001 South American Group N champion 1984-1996 various motocross and enduro titles |
| First WRC: | 1997 Rally Argentina |
| WRC wins*: | 0 |
| Total WRC points scored*: | 11 |
| Co-driver: | Jorge Perez Companc |
Seven-time Argentine Rally Champion Federico Villagra began his motorsport career in motocross in 1979 progressing through the ranks to become Argentine Supercross Champion in 1987. After spending several years racing in the USA, Villagra returned to his native Argentina to build a career as one of the country's most successful rally drivers. Participating in his first rally in 1997 he added the title of South American Rally Champion to his resume in 2001.
Having won the N4 class of his native rally championship every year between 2001 and 2005, Villagra gained wider recognition on the world stage winning the Group N class of Rally Argentina in 2006 and 2007.
Midway through the 2007 season Villagra joined the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team
alongside driver Luis Perez Companc, finishing 11th in his first start for the team in Italy.
Villagra finished in 20th place in the 2007 WRC driver standings with two points while the team picked up 14 points over the season laying the foundations for their 2008 WRC assault.
For the 2008 season Villagra led the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team driver line-up and was joined over the year by Luis Perez Companc, Norway's Henning Solberg and Scotsman Barry Clark. Villagra had an excellent start to his 2008 WRC campaign earning two points with a second-place finish at Rally Mexico. He followed up this early promise with his two best WRC finishes to date taking sixth place at both Rally Argentina and Rally Jordan.
Despite finishing outside the points in his next three races and suffering a retirement at
Rally Finland Villagra came back strongly to finish eighth at Rally New Zealand. He finished
the 2008 season in 14th place in the drivers' championship with nine points.
2009 will see Villagra back in the Munchi's
Ford World Rally team car contesting eight
rallies under the new, relaxed FIA rules which allow manufacturer teams to enter only one
car on each event. The team will begin its campaign at Rally Cyprus and plans to contest
WRC rounds in Portugal, Argentina, Sardinia, Greece, Finland, Australia and Spain.