Effective end of 2005 season: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/39...m
So, just as Ford stakes its competition heartland on rallying, and forgoes F1, the most effective competitors are withdrawing! I'd like to think that Ford frightened them away, but joking aside, half the spectacle of the sport has probably just disappeared.
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Yes it's bad given there won't be any fun but I'd be more disappointed if Ford decided not to sign up for the next 4 years...trouble is - I don't actually know why.
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Adam
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Yikes, talk about the big guns going! what are the contracted drivers going to do? some of the best too.,
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Bit of a shocker PSA leaving. But there are going to be plenty of other teams, Ford, Skoda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Hyundai said they would be back in in the next few years.
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It is easy to understand why manufacturers like Subaru and Lancia entered rallying. However I often wondered why Citroen in particular, and Peugeot to a lesser extent, entered WRC in such a big way as for all their merits/demerits they don't sell on their sporting image.
I appreciate that any publicity is desirable but their rally cars are so far removed from anything they produce to make any link tenuous to say the least. Gone are the days when a pretty standard Peugeot 404/504 could win the East African Safari rally.
I also think it is just a matter of time before there will be a serious accident on WRC (probably in a 3rd World country) and spectators killed.
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Another serious accident you mean!!
It's not that many years since spectators were killed in accidents on WRC - back in the days of the Group A (A?? correct me if I'm wrong) "homologation" racing cars, such as the RS200, Audi Quattro etc
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Close! Group B. Group A was the showroomish stuff ( Group N ) as its now known.
Fullchat
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If you read it, they actually say they will review their position during 2005. I'd be surprised if they both go but it's been known for a long time that they won't both stay in the WRC - indeed it was rumoured one would leave at the end of this season.
(I always find it amusing how the BBC often tend to be a month or two behind in picking these things up)
And to be fair on them, it is a bit pointless two stablemates competing against each other...
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> If you read it, they actually say they will review their position during 2005.
Well, I did read it.
"Given the current economic climate in the industry, PSA Peugeot Citroen has decided not to commit to the world rally championship beyond 2005," said a statement on Thursday.
"In 2005 we will be studying alternative ways in which to keep an interest in the world of sport with a reduced budget.
"As soon as we know, Citroen Sport and Peugeot Sport will announce which disciplines we will be investing in beyond 2005."
To me, this is quite clear. During 2005, they will indeed review their position, by deciding what to do in motorsport instead of full blown WRC.
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Lazy translation, that's all.
Tenant compte d'une conjoncture automobile plus difficile, PSA Peugeot Citroën a décidé de ne plus engager ses marques dans le championnat WRC au-delà de la saison 2005
S'engager can mean to commit; engager les marques would just mean enter, so the French is much less ambiguous.
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