Official WRC thread

According to Norwegian news, Petter is still bound to Subaru by contract for another year, so he won't join another team just yet, unless Subaru lets him go, they might use him in Japan for adverts or something for that last year they pay him.
But, it's also said, he might fund his own car, and enter as a privateer in a way, the same way Henning started out, wasn't it?
 
will subie ever be back if they have to use these shitty S2000 cars?
 
I just read that Loeb is snow testing in V?sterbotten (Sweden) at the moment. So they will probably not quit.

Also this is from WRC.com

Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson are trying to work out their next moves after Subaru?s decision to pull out of the WRC left them, and their co-drivers, without seats for 2009.

Both drivers are well established at Subaru and both have contracts until the end of 2009.

Solberg is almost part of the furniture at Subaru. And despite a relationship which has had its ups and downs in recent seasons, the 2003 world champion has remained loyal to the squad since he was poached from Ford midway through the 2000 season.

Chris Atkinson landed his first factory-team contract when he joined the team in 2005. He?s been there ever since.

Atkinson and Solberg we told of Subaru?s decision on Monday, when a Subaru representative flew from the factory in Japan to the south of France to tell them face to face.

?I sort of knew something was going on, but I didn?t expect this,? Atkinson told wrc.com. ?Now we have to figure out where to go from here. Nothing?s certain. To be honest it?s all still a bit of a shock. Obviously it?s disappointing - we put in four years at Subaru trying our best at every race. Now all I know is there?s nothing more planned.?

Atkinson thought it was ?unlikely? that he would be competing on Rally Ireland - the first event of 2009 - but revealed he hadn?t yet discussed the matter with anybody at the team?s UK headquarters. ?The team haven?t spoken to me. Not a word. I guess that?s just the way it is,? he said.

Solberg, meanwhile, refused to talk about the matter. ?I need to evaluate the situation before I make any public statement,? Solberg wrote on his website. ?I understand that media and the public would like to have answers to all their questions right now, but I ask you all to be patient and wait until tomorrow.?
 
will subie ever be back if they have to use these shitty S2000 cars?

I will never say never, but there are a few problems. The main one being that Subie is the only manufacture that does not use a transversely mounted engine as such the spec S2000 transmissions will not be compatible.
 
To be honest, it all make sense, since both Suzuki and Subaru have ties to GM. And GM has announced that it will shut down all its operations in North America in the month of January.
 
There is one good thing about Subaru pulling out of the WRC.

If Petter Solberg get a drive in a better sorted car, he may really challenge Loeb.
 
Petter has his 2003 WDC winning car sitting in the garage, so maybe he can use that! I wouldn't be surprised to see him in that second car for the Norwegian team. Glad Ostberg is getting a drive. In one way this will have absolutely no effect on the WDC as I think next year it would have been Loeb, Latvala and Hirvonen anyway. Just means that the spectacle isn't really there.

And for those saying Subaru IS rallying?? Sorry but thats rubbish, they are mere babies in the world of WRC. It does have a massive place in the world of rallying though so its a great shame.
 
The WRC will not be the same without blue and yellow cars.
 
The economic crisis is hitting the WRC in the same way in which Henri Toivonen's death hit it. Expect it to bounce back as soon as possible.

It never did fully recover, Group A is just not at the same level Group B was.

This is getting pretty sad. Even though Subi wasn't competitive at the top recently, they will be missed. S2000 has ended two manufacturers' teams. Great work Max and co!
 
Toivonen's death is COMPLETELY different to this. Thats a silly statement. The Group B/Group A switch has definite comparisons to the WRCar/S200 switch though. Last time it attracted more manafacturers and the cars were the same speed within 4 years, hopefully the same happens this time.

S2000 also has nothing to do with this. World economic crisis means they can't justify throwing millions of dollars into a racing program that isn't delivering consistent results.

The current cars are simply awesome to watch and I think decisions regarding the S2000 Kit thing are being made by the wrong people.
 
Subaru and Sazuki could have continued longer if they knew that their cars wouldn't be made useless in 2010. Ford is doing a lot worse than Subaru as a whole and they aren't exactly rolling in the dough. I doubt we will be seeing S2000 at the same level as the current cars without some major changes to the proposed spec.

Anyway in memory of Subaru's current rally run I suggest we give them one last smoke.

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/ar/argatoga/2008/12/16/getdata.php.gif
 
S2000 also has nothing to do with this. World economic crisis means they can't justify throwing millions of dollars into a racing program that isn't delivering consistent results.

S2000 switch definitely has an effect. Both manufacturers were facing a situation where they had uncompetitive machinery with no devepment potential whatsoever and very little potential for success either. Whether that was the main reason and the world economy a handy excuse or vice versa I don't know, but I think there are at least those two factors in both cases.

The current cars are simply awesome to watch and I think decisions regarding the S2000 Kit thing are being made by the wrong people.

Something had to be done. In retrospect something should have been done way earlier. The current WRC spec is obviously too expensive, and with the rules being as free as the rules about World Rally Cars are modifying them to be cheap would have caused considerable changes anyway.

Subaru and Sazuki could have continued longer if they knew that their cars wouldn't be made useless in 2010. Ford is doing a lot worse than Subaru as a whole and they aren't exactly rolling in the dough. I doubt we will be seeing S2000 at the same level as the current cars without some major changes to the proposed spec.

It's worth noting that neither Subaru (since BAT left) nor Suzuki carried any major sponsorship. Citroen and Ford do, so their finances are not as dependant on car sales as the Japanese teams were.

It is unlikely that the new S2000 spec is going to be as fast as the current WRC cars but if the tradeoff is much tighter competition thanks to cheaper machinery I'm all for it.
 
:(

They just started their new car this year and they leave?

I'm getting depressed with all these tragic news in motor-sports, I need a hug.
 
Very sad news to hear Subaru pulling out of WRC. I hope Solberg and Atkinson can find drives for 2009...

:(
 
I was a huge fan of Subaru but they are making it really hard for me to like them.

I wanted a STI for as long as I can remember. I had the cash to get one also. At the time, the current model was the 'Hawk Eye'. However, I wanted to wait for the new model as it was just around the corner. Once it came out, I was disgusted by it's butt ugly looks and that fact that it is a hatchback. I did however tell myself, that if it was really good to drive I would go for it despite it's awful looks. Reviews started coming and they were all very negative. I therefore abandoned the idea and desperately searched for a 'Hawk Eye' model that dealers had left. I couldn't find any with the spec I wanted to I gave up.

That was all a few months ago.

Until this day, I have been looking for a suitably alternative. A few weeks ago I had a go in a Legacy Spec B and I really liked it. I was planning on getting one after the new year. However, after they pulled out of the WRC and left my 'Hero' without a drive I really don't think I'll be getting a Subaru at all. The whole appeal of a Subaru is it's rally legacy but now that that is gone, the brand has really lost it's appeal.

I am not giving my money to a company that screwed it's most loyal customers/fans.
I guess my search shall continue.
 
I was a huge fan of Subaru but they are making it really hard for me to like them.

I wanted a STI for as long as I can remember. I had the cash to get one also. At the time, the current model was the 'Hawk Eye'. However, I wanted to wait for the new model as it was just around the corner. Once it came out, I was disgusted by it's butt ugly looks and that fact that it is a hatchback. I did however tell myself, that if it was really good to drive I would go for it despite it's awful looks. Reviews started coming and they were all very negative. I therefore abandoned the idea and desperately searched for a 'Hawk Eye' model that dealers had left. I couldn't find any with the spec I wanted to I gave up.

That was all a few months ago.

Until this day, I have been looking for a suitably alternative. A few weeks ago I had a go in a Legacy Spec B and I really liked it. I was planning on getting one after the new year. However, after they pulled out of the WRC and left my 'Hero' without a drive I really don't think I'll be getting a Subaru at all. The whole appeal of a Subaru is it's rally legacy but now that that is gone, the brand has really lost it's appeal.

I am not giving my money to a company that screwed it's most loyal customers/fans.
I guess my search shall continue.

If i was in your position i would have a GC8 STI 2 door in my garage. I see the 2001+ models and i cringe and then i see a GC8 model and remember that Subaru has fucked the WRX up big time. GC8 wrx, original and the best.
 
I agree Solberg - when I saw the new look STI my first thought was "that's not a rally car!"

Honda's gone from F1, Subaru from WRC - this off season sucks! :wall:
 
I agree Solberg - when I saw the new look STI my first thought was "that's not a rally car!"

Honda's gone from F1, Subaru from WRC - this off season sucks! :wall:

What really drives me off the walls is that Subaru say the went for a hatchback body style only because it would be better in the WRC.
 
The economic crisis is hitting the WRC in the same way in which Henri Toivonen's death hit it. Expect it to bounce back as soon as possible.

Its not same thing, subaru and suzuki dropped out from wrc and they do can come come back anytime but Henri is still dead (god rest his petrolheaded soul) and Group B is still dead.
 
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