Currently reading: Subaru withdraws from WRC
Japanese manufacturer confirms its withdrawal from World Rally

Subaru is axing its World Rally Championship programme with immediate effect, leaving the series with just Ford and Citroen committed to the 2009 season.

Subaru has competed in the top flight of rallying since 1990, and it has used the Impreza (in various guises) since 1994. Subaru’s motorsport programme is credited with helping Subaru to become a cult performance manufacturer, a market far removed from its traditional rural customer base.

However, the global economic slowdown has forced Subaru to rethink its presence in the WRC. And rallying’s newly rubber-stamped technical regulations, due to be introduced in 2010, specify that the top teams will use a car based on the current Super 2000 specification of machinery.

This would, in effect, have forced Subaru to develop a brand new car, since the Impreza only exists in World Rally Car and more standard Group N forms.

The move is bad news for Prodrive, the Banbury-based engineering consultancy that introduced the brand to the sport and has been responsible for its efforts for the last 18 years.

Prodrive’s 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.”

Prodrive is insisting that Subaru’s team amounted to “no more than 20 per cent” of its turnover. It hopes to redeploy rally team staff to other areas of its business.

The WRC now looks desperately weak; Subaru’s withdrawal comes only days after Suzuki announced that it was pulling the plug on its fledgling SX4 WRC campaign.

John McIlroy

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david RS 17 December 2008

Re: Subaru withdraws from WRC

Even the groups N went away from the series these last years.

They cost more than 100000 €.

And seeing only Mitsubishi at 5000 RPM with their "bang-bang" sound is not my dream.

Even the new cars of the group GT (Cayman, 911) are developed.

It is always the climbing!

I don't know if you have noticed than the monotype series (formulas, touring) are even improved year by year. The prices increasing… It is not serious.

The only purpose should be: the show, the pleasure, the alive cars and the sport! It is everything!

dillonsamben 17 December 2008

Re: Subaru withdraws from WRC

100% Stevievsf absolutely 100%...........

Everyone keeps going on about cost, cost, cost.

Group N was brilliant it was also affordable and the all important spectators could recognise with the cars that were competing.

It is the same in all levels of MotorSport the further you go away from a production base, so the costs escalate and the excitement levels (for the spectators) in many ways goes down.

So have production based engines and production type tyres in all avenues of MotorSport and watch the costs tumble and the excitement levels go up.

Stevievsf 16 December 2008

Re: Subaru withdraws from WRC

Lets just get back to nostalgia Get the independants in. Bring back Group N (I not followed rallying in an age so dont know if it still there in some way) Top Gear had a monatage of 50 years of BTCC recently fab footage! Whether its Rallying or touring cars, get back to basics - standard road cars we drive, minimal race specs. Viewers and Spectators will follow Shame for Prodrive, drive pass their Banbury base on M40, its huge.