Subaru And Suzuki Drop Out Of Wrc

[sav man]

WRC is only left with Ford and Citroen now . Chris Atkinson went well this season, and I was hoping he might of got a win next year. Hopfully both teams return in 2010 with the new s2000 regs, might even get some of the other s2000 cars into the big leage (Toyota, Fiat...)

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&a...amp;desc=Subaru pulls out of the WRC://http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?ln... out of the WRC

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&a...amp;desc=Suzuki suspends its WRC programme://http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?ln...s WRC programme

Edited December 16, 2008 by sav man

[Ant97GTR]

Sad news

With everything going on with WRC and F1 it does make you wonder about the future of top level motorsport...

[JAS-25T]

It's only the beginging....

[Marlin]

Indeed it does. I was shattered to hear this news on the stezza this morning, not good

[phunky_monkey]

I thought Suzuki may leave it next year and wait for S2000 regs, but I didn't think Subaru were going to pull the plug... not good at all.

WRC is my favourite form of motorsport, and it's getting worse every year.

[sav man]

I'm hoping that Subaru still run a "non factory team". like citroen did acouple of years ago...even though all the staff were the same as the factory team.

[Beer Baron]

bummer. looks like WRC may be on it's last legs as we know it. such a shame.

[Ant97GTR]

I also wonder if all this stuff is going to effect the GP bikes as well....sure the budgets are probably much smaller than WRC or F1, but even so with everyone tightening their spending it wouldn't surprise me

[gtr660hp]

This is just the start of what may turn out to be a mass exodus of factory teams from top level motorsport.......Honda gone from F1 (rumours of Toyota about to follow). Subbie and Suzuki gone from WRC (with rumours of a wll known French factory thinking along the same lines)

[BigDirtyJase]

I also wonder if all this stuff is going to effect the GP bikes as well....sure the budgets are probably much smaller than WRC or F1, but even so with everyone tightening their spending it wouldn't surprise me

If was going to effect MotoGP...most likely the first ones in the firing line is Suzuki and Kawasaki...I couldn't see the Honda, Yamaha or Ducati pulling out of MotoGP

I'm very surprised the Subaru have pulled out of WRC...Suzuki...being a small an reletively new to the series would be expected....

I'm hoping with S2000 rules coming in they will come back and maybe more manufacters like Mitsubishi, Toyota, Fiat etc.

[gtr660hp]

It depends how bad it gets. Honda just announced it has withdrawn its factory team from AMA Superbike so anything is possible

[Belsil80]

Subaru is to WRC what Ferrari is to F1. Where are they going to go? all the car manufatures confuse me... Subaru leaves wrc yet toyota are in F1 and dont even make sports cars anymore. honda was the same..

[phunky_monkey]

But then again, Citroen confuse me. They own Peugeot, but rally under the Citroen name despite Peugeot being the one who produces "rally inspired" hot hatches and Citroen producing ugly blobs... never understood that

[Ant97GTR]

But then again, Citroen confuse me. They own Peugeot, but rally under the Citroen name despite Peugeot being the one who produces "rally inspired" hot hatches and Citroen producing ugly blobs... never understood that

Marketing mate...Peugeot already have a racing heritage that continues to sell cars. Citroen didn't really have a marketing edge and their entry into the WRC was nicely timed with the release of a new range

[phunky_monkey]

But their range doesn't include anything that can be remotely promoted by WRC. I could understand if they brought out a C4 AWD/FWD Turbo a la Ford XR5/WRX/Evo, but from what I'm aware they don't have anything "motorsport inspired" in their range. So how can they draw on motorsport exposure to sell their cars?

If it works though then good on them, shows what I know and I'm in marketing

[sav man]

well Citroen don't have a s2000 rally car and Peugeot do. so Peugeot might come back to wrc.

[phunky_monkey]

I'm hoping that they do, they were the best team going 'round back in the early 2000's.

[djr81]

I'm hoping that they do, they were the best team going 'round back in the early 2000's.

You do realise that Citroen & Peugeot are the same company, don't you?

[phunky_monkey]

I do indeed

But then again, Citroen confuse me. They own Peugeot, but rally under the Citroen name despite Peugeot being the one who produces "rally inspired" hot hatches and Citroen producing ugly blobs... never understood that

Hence why it confused me as to why they ran under Citroen instead of Peugeot

[Ant97GTR]

So how can they draw on motorsport exposure to sell their cars?

Simply putting the name out there.....and the sucess that they've had means the names been in lights too. You can't buy advertising like that too often. Couldn't agree more about their range of road cars though!

+1 for peugeots return