Mind you, might give David Richards a bit of leeway to go for Honda F1 Team now ...

 

I'm surprised at Subaru ! Whatever about Suzuki - an easy excuse after a tough first year I'd say.

 

QUOTE Mind you, might give David Richards a bit of leeway to go for Honda F1 Team now ...

Ide say that might be something to do with it, didnt ProDrive want to enter the F1 world with their
own team........

Pulling out of the WRC will affect their car sales imo.....

 

Subaru, that a name that you really associate with WRC. I think it will really take away from their car performance reputation

real pity....

 

QUOTE (draycottgirlz @ Dec 16 2008, 10:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Subaru, that a name that you really associate with WRC. I think it will really take away from their car performance reputation

real pity....

i really hate to see Names like that pulling out.......

 

QUOTE (draycottgirlz @ Dec 16 2008, 10:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Subaru, that a name that you really associate with WRC. I think it will really take away from their car performance reputation

real pity....

Suzuki pulling out might effect the jnr championship more,
pitty about subaru it's only a new car, probably back in 2010 anyway
is mitsubishi coming back now?

 

Sure no-one is selling cars today anyway. And Subaru are still living off the good old days of Mcrae/Burns, they've done shag all for the past few years, so cant see it making that big a dent in things!

Sure Mitsubishi dropped out a few years ago and peoply barely noticed!

 

Subaru haven't had a win since 05 ! christ I didn't think it was that long.

 

they'll all be back when they bring in the Super 2000's......

 

QUOTE (Declan @ Dec 16 2008, 10:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Subaru haven't had a win since 05 ! christ I didn't think it was that long.

True enough but when your looking at the rally's there never to far away nearly alway's
catching a 3rd 4th or 5th
Chris atkinson will turn into a good driver i bet
Now all we'll see is citreon up front & a clatter of ford's behind

 

QUOTE (WESLEY H @ Dec 16 2008, 10:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>True enough but when your looking at the rally's there never to far away nearly alway's
catching a 3rd 4th or 5th
Chris atkinson will turn into a good driver i bet
Now all we'll see is citreon up front & a clatter of ford's behind

3rd/4th or 5th is last in the WRC these days .... and to be honest, they're closer to 5/6/7th! They cant compete with Ford / Citroen so they were only ever been 'best of the rest' for the past few years.

 

While I was shocked to hear the news, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes for SWRT to sit this season out. Super 2000 regs come into effect in 2011, and Subaru don't have a suitable platform to run with at the moment. This gives 'em a chance to develop a compliant car for the future.

 

Whatever the underlying reasons it's sad to see motorsports in such a state of flux. With the global recession under way it gives all sorts of manufacturers a good cover story to do this or that without much complaint.

Audi and Porsche have pulled out of the 2009 American Le Mans Series. Chrysler has pulled their sponsorship of the Safety and Course cars from the Australian V8Supercars formula.

I'm waiting for the Detroit 3 to start pulling sponsorship in NASCAR - the old adage of win on Sunday and sell on Monday seems to be evaporating for all manufacturers. If GM has let Jay Leno and Tiger Woods go for money reasons I don't think pulling the sponsorship of whole teams is far behind.

If any good comes from this climate it might be where 'privateers' come back into racing - they haven't had a presence in any formula for a long time.

 

IT's sad to see Subaru and Suzuki pull out if the WRC, i'd say next season will be tight between Ford and Citroen and probably not very exciting.
When the Super 2000 rules come in in 2010 you will see alot more manufacture teams coming back to the top level. VW, Peogeot, Fiat, Opel and Skoda all have Super 2000 cars competing in the IRC championship, hopefully they will also run cars in the WRC in 2010. It will take a few years to get the championship back on track, like when they banned group B cars in the 80's, it took a few years for the group A cars to develop.

Some good news...Kris Meeke has been announced as a Peogeot driver in the IRC for next season.
http://www.rally.ie/article.php?article_id...9#081216_132200

 

its sad ta see them go but its a sign of the times the wrc is going like this a while now. althought them new super 2000 are comin up they are farely expensive to run. this year is going to be a year for the clubman. up until about 3 weeks ago they had up on 100 entries for galway int (16,17,18th jan) wit around 70% of them being 2wd

 

they should go back to the 80's and use mk2 escorts, ur quattro's, 6r4 Metro's and the like when it was driving skill and seat of your pants driving!

Subaru's new imprezza has bombed, it fugly and I can't see them sell many, so this may be the reason they pulled out as it costs millions to enter and compete at such a level, they may think its not worth the cost?

Suzuki ain't never really competted competitively IMO, so they won't leave much of a whole in the WRC scene?

I don't know whether its just me, but I think the WRC has got a little boring as cars got "better" and driving skill ain't as much as a factor anymore? I think whats needed is a load of rwd souped up class of cars powersliding down narrow twisty rally stages would do wonders for the sport? though in saying that how many rwd cars are built these days?

 

QUOTE (babyface @ Dec 16 2008, 07:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>they should go back to the 80's and use mk2 escorts, ur quattro's, 6r4 Metro's and the like when it was driving skill and seat of your pants driving!

It would be savage to get back to the days of the group B rallying....

Although the Super 2000 cars look and sound savage aswell...

Polo Super2000:

 

The likes of Group B wont happen again, far too fast and dangerous. It was a victim of its own sucess. I'm all for amatuer competition in motorsport, i'd hope to rally some day myself (unlikely though

)

As regards Rwd, every run of the mill car was rwd back in the day. Unless you modify a shell and run rwd (pointless in rallying, what happens when you have a prang?) or you run a Bmw or Merc, which dont really have reputations in rallying. Or a smart, but that might roll end over end if you brake too hard..

 

I think the newer WRC races are like watching someone playing a play station or xbox, not much difference!

And driving them ain't anywhere near the fun as apposed to the early 80's cars!

 

If all else fails...start watching rallycross.

550bhp cars racing neck and neck on tarmac and gravel...

 

QUOTE (babyface @ Dec 16 2008, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I think the newer WRC races are like watching someone playing a play station or xbox, not much difference!

And driving them ain't anywhere near the fun as apposed to the early 80's cars!

I agrees.Just have a look at this and make up your own mind.When rallying was all about the driver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKgeCQGu_ug