Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson have been left to weigh up their options for the next season, but are both struggling to secure a deal. As for their Suzuki colleagues, there has been no comment forthcoming from the team regarding their talented drivers. For Solberg, he is contracted to Subaru, while Atkinson is with Prodrive and both contracts expire at the end of 2009. The greater implication of this is that if Subaru and Prodrive don’t release Soberg and Atkinson (and thereby cough up a penalty for terminating the contract), the drivers will have to settle for watching the WRC from their sofas.

 

Edition 62 Handbrakes & Hairpins: http://rallyehq.com/handbrakes-and-hairpins/H&H-62.pdf

  
Chris Atkinson said: “I sort of knew something was going on, but I didn’t expect this. 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. It is unlikely that I will be competing on Rally Ireland in January. The team haven’t spoken to me. Not a word. I guess that’s just the way it is.”

 

 
Solberg stated: “I need to evaluate the situation before I make any public statement. 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.” Marcus Gronholm bowed out of the WRC at the end of the 2007 season, and his presence was missed. Now with the situation seeming likey we’ll not see Petter “Hollywood” Solberg’s charisma and driving flair next year, the WRC loses another star...

 

In the meantime, Ford has released press statements confirming their commitment to the WRC, according to autosport.com and rallybuzz.com. “We are naturally disappointed to learn of the withdrawal of both Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki and Subaru, form the FIA World Rally Championship. “We will participate in 2009 and we look forward to renewing our challenge with the Ford Focus RS WRC for both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships. “We will retain our exciting and dynamic young driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, who have benefitted from another year’s experience and maturity, supported by one of the most enthusiastic and hard-working teams in motorsport at M-Sport - which we believe will again make us highly competitive in 2009.

 
“It provides a big impetus to your product reputation and sales, especially for the Focus. For Ford to demonstrate our products in a successful way, on a global basis via television and the internet, through involvement in the World Rally Championship represents good value. The WRC continues to represent the pinnacle of our motorsport ladder of opportunity.”

 

 
That is all very good and well, but it is no secret the motor manufacturers remaining in the WRC face tough economic times ahead, and have been battling shrinking sales figures. How long until of the two remaining motor maunfacturing giants succumbs to the economic downturn, and too packs it in? That would spell the end of the WRC as we know...

 

With the upcoming technical changes slated for 2010, a number of drivers and team principals have stated in the media their opposition of the proposed technical regulations. For a manufacturer like Suzuki, it would make more financial sense to have withdrawn from the WRC in 2009 anyway, so that they could have filtered more money and development energies towards building a quick S2000+ WRC car for 2010.

 
But for Subaru to pull out? Will Prodrive develop a new rally partnership programme with a new manufacturer for the S2000+ WRC era?

 
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembrey is, however, still optimistic about the future of the WRC. In an interview with autosport.com, he stated: “What’s happening now is a reshaping of the WRC. We’ve got the new technical regulations coming for 2010 and I’m enormously excited about that season. Yes, 2009 will be a tough year - it’s going to be a tough year worldwide. It’s going to be a transitional season for the WRC.

 

 

But I’m very excited about the future. We’ve got manufacturers ready to commit cars to the new formula. Manufacturers like FIAT, Volkswagen and Peugeot will, I’m sure, have cars, and Citroen and Ford are going to build cars. It’s not like we’re taking a step into the dark here, we’re stepping into an exciting period where the cars are ready to go in a much more cost-effective championship. A WRC programme is going to cost a tenth of what it would cost a manufacturer to go to Formula One. There’s no doubting the value of a WRC programme in these costconscious times. And, with the new global promoter deal coming, this is just the right time to get into WRC. I’m not just trying to talk this thing up, there’s no doubt the loss of Subaru is sad for the sport, but we have to look ahead.

 
There are enough doom and gloom merchants around who will be ready to stick the knife into WRC, but they don’t see the sport from the inside like we do. We have to be pragmatic about next season and use it to build the platform to launch the sport into 2010. Believe me, the WRC is going in the right direction with the right manufacturers involved and the right people behind it.”

 
The costs of WRC are massively prohibitive. For instance, a gearbox will set you back in the region of R500 000! The FIA and WRC are wise in taking a bold step to reduce the costs of the WRC, and the teams are embracing the vision. In my opinion, the WRC is a victim of its own success: just the same as in Formula One. To provide ever more faster speeds, more reliable machinery and a greater spectacle for the millions of fans worldwide, the costs of production and manufacture of these unique parts is expensive.

 

And then there the logisitical nightmare that is travelling around the world... It is no secret that Ford is in huge financial trouble, with the US government bailing its parent company General Motors (GM) out, along with other motor manufacturers to the tune $15 Billion. How long until the board of executives cries enough with Ford’s motorsport programmes? It is a little worrying, even sitting from this side of the matter. I do, obviously, hold out for a successful and prosperous future for WRC!

 

 
With more people like Paul Hembrey in the sport, the continued support from fans and media interest, I believe that even though the WRC will have a tough year in 2009, it will arise in 2010 leaner and meaner than ever before!

 

Long live the WRC!