Suzuki and Subaru out of WRC 2009

[haggisbasher]

Following Suzuki's announcement yesterday, Subaru have followed suit and withdrawn from WRC 2009.

See official Subaru statement below:

Subaru to withdraw from World Rally Championship

Subaru has announced its decision to withdraw from the 2009 World Rally Championship.

This sudden decision was in response to the widespread economic downturn that is affecting the entire automotive industry, and follows Suzuki’s withdrawal announced yesterday.

After 20 years in the sport, during which time the Prodrive-run Subaru World Rally Team has won six World Rally Championship titles, this is not only sad news for Subaru and the team, but also for millions of rallying fans around the world. Thanks to its highly successful World Rally Championship programme, Subaru has developed into one of the world’s most widely recognised and evocative automotive brands.

Prodrive chairman, David Richards, said: “Subaru’s departure from the World Rally Championship is a great loss as it is one of the sport’s icons. The Subaru World Rally Team has created true champions such as Colin McRae and Richard Burns and its absence will be felt by many the world over. Although this decision closes a significant chapter in Prodrive’s history, our focus now turns to the future.”

For many, Prodrive and Subaru are synonymous, given the long-standing and close association between the two companies. However, while the Subaru World Rally Team historically represented a significant part of Prodrive’s business, today it accounts for no more than 20 per cent of the company’s turnover.

Prodrive will look to redeploy as many of the rally team as possible in other areas of its business operations, which have grown to span advanced engineering and manufacturing for the automotive, defence, marine and aerospace industries, in addition to other motorsport programmes.

Despite the current economic downturn, Prodrive’s automotive engineering business remains buoyant as it works with vehicle manufacturers to accelerate the development of next generation fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative fuel technologies.

Together with Subaru, Prodrive’s commitment to its customer rally teams will also continue unabated for 2009 and beyond. Over the past 15 years, Prodrive has sold close to 500 rally cars to more than 400 private competitors and independent rally teams in 47 countries. During this time, Prodrive’s customers have won five consecutive Production World Rally Championships and countless international rallies. In 2008, Prodrive-supported customer teams have claimed eight rally championship titles around the world.

Looking ahead, 2010 will see the introduction of new World Rally Championship technical regulations, which provide Prodrive with an opportunity to prepare for re-entering the championship with a new team and build on its 24 years of World Rally Championship experience and success.

[gsyracer]

By 2010 the word "motorsport" will be absent from the dictionary as it seems a lot of teams won't be able to compete resulting in no motorsport events.

[ChrisPage]

It is a dark time for international motorsport at the moment. But serves to remind us we shouldn't build the sport around the manufacturers as they will always come and go. It's the people and the talent in the sport that counts.

Personnaly I believe that people will always find a way to race cars, whether in a rich manufacturer supported set up or not.

When Honda pulled out of F1 people turned to Williams and said, well you are a poor team, you MUST be gone soon.

Williams reply (as a constructor and racing team, not a company looking for profit)? 'So long as we've got two pennies to rub together we will go racing. We will never voluntarily drop out of F1'

That's the attitude we should be supporting and promoting through the sport as a whole. Let Subaru go. Some privateers who are fun to watch and have the passion will take their place.

[redturner37]

That's the attitude we should be supporting and promoting through the sport as a whole. Let Subaru go. Some privateers who are fun to watch and have the passion will take their place.

Not quite so, privateers as such just dont have the finance in place. Frank Willianms has said on more than one occasion that as long as he can get the sponsorship, then he will carry on, but at no time will he put his own money into F1. So much for privateers.

[ChrisPage]

The point is it's the manufacturers who push the costs up to a level the privateers can't match - that's why Williams struggle to compete now, and why Jordan pulled out.

If all the manufacturers left tomorrow the costs would plummet and we would see the privateers racing well again.

I do apprechiate the role in the sport's history manufacturers have always played, but racing will go on without them.

Subaru have obviously made the same decision as Honda - cost + poor performance = get out.

The privateers will never make that choice because it is their lives - so long as the sport as a whole can provide the privateers with a platform that isn't as ridiculously expensive as it has been in recent years, we will always have motorsport, even at it's highest level.