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news :: rally
06/22
Autoport.com (UK): Solberg to test Peugeot 307
Petter Solberg will still test a Peugeot 307 WRC, despite the upturn in performance from his Citroen Xsara WRC on last week's Acropolis Rally. The Norwegian was fighting for the lead when the front-left suspension on his Xsara collapsed. He will use the same car on next week's Rally Poland, but a switch to the 307 for Finland remains an option.
06/15
Autoweek.com: Ken Block takes first place in Pennsylvania rally
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block has not had the cleanest record at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pa. His car broke last year, he crashed the year before that and he rolled his car this year. However, his luck may have changed. Block set the fastest times on the opening stages of this year's rally, helping him to finish with his second win of the season over the weekend.
New Zealnd Classic Car: Subaru's STI division celebrates 20 years of success
For over 20 years now Subaru's motorsports division STI (Subaru Tecnica International) has been creating championship-winning rally cars and exciting road-going versions that have caught a strong following globally. Now, to commemorate its work with Subaru models, the STI division is getting its own special museum in Tokyo with a number of exclusive STI models on show to keep fans happy whenever they visit.
Wellsboro Gazette: Block/Gelsomino hang on for Rally win
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, from Rancho Sante Fe, California set the fastest times on the Friday, June 5, opening stages of the Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally® presented by Citizens & Northern Bank at Wellsboro and never looked back, taking his second win of the season on Saturday, June 6, at the 33rd running of this notoriously tough event. Of the 26 teams running in STPR®, 11 did not finish.
Nihon Car: Subaru STI Legacy B4 Will Soon Compete in the Japanese GT300
If so far only Cusco Racing ran an Impreza in the GT300, Subaru and STI are planning to soon launch a modified Legacy B4 (sedan) to compete in this category.
Autosport.com (UK):
Rovanpera to make rallying return
Former Swedish Rally winner Harri Rovanpera will return to the sport at next month's Rally Mexico. Rovanpera, who has not competed since completing his Skoda contract at the end of Rally GB in 2006, will drive a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in the Rally of Nations element of the Leon-based event.
Q & A with Robert Reid
2001 World Rally champion co-driver Robert Reid has landed on his first foreign round of the WRC for 18 months in Greece this weekend. AUTOSPORT caught up with him.
Squamish Chief (CA): Local rally racer leads the pack
Winning all but one of the event's 13 scheduled stages, Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell of Toronto, cruised to the win in their Subaru WRX STi with a stunning margin of over six minutes to their nearest competitor, Andrew Comrie-Picard of Toronto
05/12
Rally America: Oregon Trail Rally Lands in Portland and Mount Hood Area
The battle for top points in the Rally America championship is heating up the Pacific Northwest as the series moves to Oregon for the fourth round, the Oregon Trail Rally (May 15-17). A tight race at the top of the standings sees NOS Energy driver Andrew Comrie-Picard with a three-point lead over Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana and Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust -- who are tied for second-place.
Hood River News: Big-time race hits country roads of Hood River Countie
An exciting event is set to hit the back roads of Hood River County this month, and with 50 top-notch rally racing teams tearing through the forested roads of the east-side hills, the May 15-17 Oregon Trail stage of the Rally America Championships promises to be yet another world-class competition to come to Hood River this year.
Dalles Chronicle: National rally racing arrives in Columbia Gorge
Area residents will have a chance to see rally racing on a national competition level this weekend when Rally America hosts the fourth round of its national championship series in the Hood River area. This is the first time there has been a national rally competition this close to home. Ananda Siverts, marketing director of Rally America, said many top racers are from the Pacific Northwest area and are looking forward to racing this particular circuit. Spectators are also looking forward to the photo opportunities.
Motorsport.com: Laguna Seca: Subaru Road Racing Team preview
Currently sitting runner-up in the Drivers' Championship, Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) drivers Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Kristian Skavnes, Sparta, N.J., and team members head cross-country and westward to historic Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, Calif., for round 4 of the Grand-Am
KONI Sports Car Challenge series which can represent a complex logistical challenge for East coast-based teams.
Motoring (ZA): BMW v. Subaru track day - let's see how good you are!
Battle lines have been drawn as BMW Car Club Gauteng prepares to defend its title against Subaru drivers at a Kyalami Track Day Challenge scheduled for Saturday, May 23.
Motortrend: Team Cannonball's Nissan GT-R Wins 2009 Tire Rack One Lap of America
But the battle for third continued with Tony Wiesenhahn and Tony Barber's Subaru WRX leading Catesby Jones and Jose Collado's BMW M3 by 15 points. The Subaru managed a 0.977 g average through heavy winds, taking sixth in the event. Jones, set in do-or-die mode, pushed the M3 hard, looping the coupe across the finish line. His efforts were rewarded with a 1.021 g average, second in the event, and enough points to steal third.
New Vision (UG): Rally fraternity to give Kurji final salute
RIYAZ Kurji will be led to his burial today by a procession of Subaru rally and street cars. The Subaru was his favourite motor rally car. The popular and fast driver died in an accident in the Pearl of Africa Rally on Saturday.
All Africa: Rwanda: Kurji Wins Pearl of Africa Rally
Kurji died on saturday after losing control of his car (Subaru) in the 11th Competitive Section in Malangala. He reportedly hit an anthill,and then a tree.
Rally Sport MNagazine (AU): More WRC rounds for Prodrive in 2009
Following Marcus Gronholm and the Prodrive Impreza’s strong run during the first day of Rally Portugal, Prodrive is aiming to do further WRC rounds in 2009. Despite only having little time behind the wheel of the Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 and not having competed for nearly 18 months, Gronholm comfortably held second place during day one of Rally Portugal. Having got to grips with his pace notes and becoming increasingly comfortable with the car, Gronholm was aiming to pick up the pace on day two with a target of a podium finish. Unfortunately, he ran wide on a corner early in the first stage of the day, clipping a tree and rolling the car. The resultant damage to the engine forced him to retire.
04/30
Motorsport.com: Millville: Subaru Road Racing Team preview
When the green flag flies Saturday afternoon to begin the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the Subaru Road Racing Team and its drivers will start the race sharing the points lead in the coveted Team and Driver Championships.The two factory drivers of SRRT's #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B sedan are Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Kristian Skavnes, Sparta, N.J., who raced earlier this season to a second place finish at Daytona and a fifth at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Aquilante qualified the car on the pole in both races.
Rally Sport Magazine (AU): Subaru to contest Nurburgring 24-hour race
Subaru Tecnica International (STI) has announced that it will compete in the world-famous Nurburgring 24-hour race next month (May 21-24). The gruelling race is now known as the ADAC Zurich 24 Hour Race and STI is aiming for a class victory, using an Impreza WRX STI driven by Japanese drivers Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori ad Koji Matsuda.
Yahoo! Finance: Loeb Declares HANS Device Support - Wrecks Solidify Testimonial
Vojtecha Stajf also paid testament to the safety a HANS Device can provide when he survived a 90+mph (150 kph) crash that shredded his Subaru Impreza WRX STi during this month's European Rally Cups Race in the Czech Republic. Stajf said that his HANS Device and the rigidity of the roll cage saved him from serious or fatal injury.
04/11
Turbo & High Tech Performance: 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi - Japan's Dream Team Collaboration
Have you ever asked yourself just how much work goes into build-ing a serious time attack machine? We aren't talking about bolting on parts from a tuning catalog, but a full-on, top-spec professional project. The car you see here is the perfect example of such a build, and this is the first time this car has graced the pages of any magazine. We teamed up with the guys at Tomei, Cusco, and Voltex to bring you an insight on how this new Team Tarzan Time Attack GDB Impreza has come to be.
Jalopnik: Tanner Foust's Scion tC Drift Car: V8-Powered, RWD, Ridiculous
This car could not be less like a real Scion tC if it tried and, for drifting, it's probably a good thing it isn't. First, the car has been converted into a more drift-appropriate rear-wheel drive setup. Gone is the dinky four-banger, replaced instead with a Toyota NASCAR V8 putting out 650 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque through a four-speed shifter. The car was prepped by AEM and is a beast to behold.
03/31
ESPN: Interview: Checking in with Kyle Sarasin
Having a US driver in the WRC in the next five years would be a huge step for US rally, and I hope I'm part of that, but I think it is important to adopt a more WRC-like format, most importantly two-pass recce. Due to the down economy rally will suffer like every other motorsport, but being the 2nd most popular motorsport on earth just behind F1, it will find a way to survive and continue to be the best sport on earth.
03/30
New York Times: Racers Try to Find Their Way Onto a More Beaten Path
The drivers gathered under a dim yellow bulb in the fire station assembly hall, beside the Girl Scout cookie display, where a middle-aged woman was holding out a deck of cards as a magician would. Pick a card, any card. Race positions were at stake.To either side stood Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, Team Subaru, the most famous, financed and fearsome national force in rally, a motor sport that turns street-legal hot rods loose on closed roads.
Motorsport.com: North Wales: Bulldor Rally summary
After a titanic battle, the Bulldog International Rally of North Wales has been won by Irishmen Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 as they finished a narrow nine seconds ahead of former champion Mark Higgins and co-driver Bryan Thomas in their Subaru Impreza N11 on the 82-mile Bala-based event.
3 News (NZ): Subaru’s Mason and Gilmour look forward to Hawkes Bay rally
Richard Mason and co-driving wife Sara Gilmour were the form horse last year, winning four of the six events in their Subaru Impreza WRX STI. But retirements in the other two rounds of the series saw them finish runner-up in the title race.
Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland: Gronholm Ready For Rally Comeback
Marcus Gronholm is looking forward to his WRC comeback at Rally Portugal following a successful pre-event test in his new Prodrive-prepared Subaru Impreza World Rally Car. "I have the same feeling I had when I last drove competitively nearly 18 months ago," the Finn declared. "The test was good, the car ran well and we made some improvements to the set up of the car," he explained. "All I have to do now is to remember how to make my pace notes!"
Autoweek: WRC star Sebastien Loeb on verge of quitting the sport
“Sébastien’s contract is up at the end of this year. There’s really nothing for him to prove to stay on in WRC,” said a source close to Citroën. “He has won every rally and broken every record. Maybe he can leave at the end of 2009 and start racing straight away next year.”
Rallysport Magazine (AU): Showroom models to provide base for WRC action
The Subaru Impreza WRC, Ford Focus, Citroen C4 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution that vie for every WRC round are based on popular small cars available in Australia at prices starting below $40,000.
But their cost may be as much as $1 million by the time they reach the start of their first competitive special stage. Thousands of hours of computer-aided design, meticulous construction and on-road testing turns them into pocket-rockets capable of accelerating as fast as a Ferrari while even in their highly-developed state remaining fully road-legal.
03/25
Autosport (UK): Prodrive unveils Gronholm's Impreza
Prodrive has revealed the Subaru Impreza WRC2008 that Marcus Gronholm will drive in the Rally of Portugal. The two-time world rally champion, who will return to the WRC for a one-off in Portugal, will drive the car in Wales this week and will have a two-day test in Spain next week to familarise with the machine.
Bleacher Report: The Story of the Subaru World Rally Team Impreza WRCs
I see the red taillights blazing, I hear the distinctive thrum from the flat-four boxer engine, I feel the whoosh of wind as Petter Solberg deftly maneuvers his Subaru Impreza WRC2008 around a tight hairpin by jabbing at his car’s handbrake. The mud now spraying in every direction, the spectators are not deterred in the least. All eyes are focused on the bright blue hatchback dancing towards the horizon, making the zigzagging road that lies ahead magically straighten out. The Norwegian driver snatches second gear, then third, then fourth, as he rounds a sweeping right turn bend to disappear out of sight over a rise.
03/17
Autoweek: WRC will switch to non-turbocharged, Super 2000-based cars in 2010
Tuesday's meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council in Paris was aimed mostly at changes to Formula One, but the council also confirmed that the World Rally Championship will look much different beginning next season.
The Auto Channel: Subaru Impreza WRX Debuts at Sebring World Challenge Race
Andrew Aquilante and Phoenix Performance will give the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX its professional sports car racing debut on March 20 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, in the opening round of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship. Andrew Aquilante raced his way to the Touring 1 class National Championship in SCCA’s 2007 National Championship Runoffs, a drive which earned the then-19-year old the coveted SCCA President’s Cup. He began racing professionally in 2008.
03/09
Motorsport.com: Spain: Subaru Rally Team Spain launched
The presentation of the SUBARU
RALLY TEAM SPAIN, was held on the evening of Friday the 6th of March in Suances (Cantabria), heralding the official start for the team that will represent Subaru Spain in the 2009 Spanish Gravel and Tarmac Championships.
Manila Standard (PH): Team Subaru gears up for Asia-Pacific rally ’09
With two consecutive years of wins at the Asia- Pacific Rally Championship, the Motor Image Rally Team is not resting on its laurels. Achieving the manufacturers’ title and the driver’s championship in both 2007 and 2008, it is charging into this year’s APRC season with a new assembled-in-Singapore car and an exciting new driver. The first female driver to compete in the APRC series, 29-year-old Emma Gilmour will be starting with her first leg in Rally Queensland, Australia, next month. Returning champion Cody Crocker, who continues to be the man to beat, will be the first driver to win the APRC championship four times in a row if he scores another championship this year. Both cars will compete under a new name—Motor Image Racing Team.
03/02
ESPN: Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block wins Rally in the 100 Acre Wood event for fourth consecutive year
For the fourth year in-a-row, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block has won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood event, hosting round two of the 2009 Rally America National Championship, in dominating fashion. Block was uncatchable behind the wheel of his 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the fast and flowing Missouri roads, cruising to victory by over forty seconds.
Rally America: Ken Block wins again at 100 Acre Wood
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block took the win at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in southern Missouri this weekend. “I love the flow of the stages of this event,” said Block at the finish. “I love the high speeds.”
Block’s flat-out style is well-suited to this fast and flowing event and he’s proven tough to beat here. He and co-driver Alex Gelsomino have now won this event four times in a row.
The Star (MY): The Gilmour girl
LISTENING to Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns N Roses just before a race may calm her nerves, but rally driver Emma Gilmour is all adrenaline once she revs up the engine. The New Zealander from Dunedin is the first female driver to compete in the upcoming Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with the Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT).
02/23
Autoweek: Prodrive starts listing service for used race cars
Like many race teams, Prodrive, which spearheaded Subaru's World Rally Championship team, sold its cars after retiring them from competition. Some would go to other teams, who would run them competitively, or to collectors. Additionally, Prodrive sells fully prepared new Subaru-based Group N and WRC rally cars to customers.
Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland: Pirelli Gravel Tyre Gets Okay For Asphalt Runs
Next month's third round of the WRC season, the Cyprus Rally, will be the only mixed-surface event held this year. Friday's stages will take place on asphalt, while Saturday's and Sunday's will feature the traditional gravel runs. In an effort to reduce costs only one type of tyre may be used during the event, and logic dictated that the gravel option takes precedence. There were some worries regarding the gravel tyre's ability to withstand the wear of racing upon heated tarmac, therefore tests were ordered to determine the durability of the hard compound.
Crash.net (UK): Gronholm to make WRC comeback
“Prodrive approached and offered me a chance to compete in Portugal with the Subaru Impreza WRC2008 rally car,” Gronholm said. “After having a test in Norway, I decided to take the challenge.” Gronholm added however that his decision to compete in Portugal wasn't a sign that he planned to return to the series on a full-time basis – although he will consider his feelings after the event.
02/21
Bleacher Report: Rally Battle Set for Missouri at Rally America's Round Two
Round two of the Rally America Championship heads south from the frozen tundra of Michigan to scenic Ozark foothills of southern Missouri in southern Missouri Feb. 27 to 28. It is early spring in this region, but the teams must come prepared for anything when it comes to the weather. Anyone who attended last year can attest to that as a freak storm blanket the region with a thick layer of ice in the days before the rally.
Motor Authority: Subaru's first WRC rally car for sale by Prodrive
A piece of motorsport history is up for grabs via Prodrive's new carsales site. Subaru's first-ever Impreza World Rally Car (WRC) is on sale for an asking price of £85,000 ($121,813). That might seem like a lot for a stripped-out, heavily used track/rally stage-only Subaru Impreza, but with the McRae/Grist names on the window and the actual racing heritage of this car, it's likely a fair price.
BBC (UK): Rally star's £50,000 car stolen
A £50,000 car belonging to one of Wales' young rally stars has been stolen from a garage in Powys. Jason Pritchard's Subaru Impreza was taken over the weekend from his parents' business in Builth Wells.
Motorsport.com: Subaru Rally Team Spain formed
Subaru Spain will have an official presence in both the Spanish and Gravel Rally Championships for 2009 where they will be represented by a new team, SUBARU RALLY TEAM SPAIN. The project includes participation in both of the national rally series competing with a three driver line-up driving the new Subaru Impreza - Prodrive 2009, group N. The program also looks to the participation in two events outside Spain, rounds of the World Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).
Autosport (UK): No cause determined in McRae crash
Air accident investigators have been unable to determine a definite cause of the helicopter crash that killed 1995 World Rally champion Colin McRae and three others. But the official report into the tragedy did criticise risks taken by McRae during the flight, and revealed that he did not have a valid flying licence at the time.
02/09
Jalopnik: 2009 Sno*Drift Rally: Michigan's Great Motorsport Secret
The rally went down as a classic snow rally with plenty of snowbank-Plinko and lots of off-course sliding. Spectators were quick to jump in and assist when drivers chose to jam their cars firmly into the stout, powdered walls. Our rookie favorite of last year Kyle Sarasin was stuck in an old front wheels-driven Mitsubishi Eclipse after his previous yellow Subaru-wielding team was disbanded. The title of Most Jalopnik Rally Car of this event was taken by Greg and Tom Woodside in their turbo 1987 Dodge Shadow.
Crash.net (UK): New Pirelli ice tyre rolled out for Norway
Pirelli's re-designed Sottozero 'ice' tyre will make its debut on Rally Norway this week, the second round in the 2009 World Rally Championship. Up until now virtually all WRC ice tyres have been constructed in very narrow 16 inch diameters with the objective of providing a long and thin contact patch capable of biting deep into snow, whilst still providing good traction capability.
Carsrally.ca: Antoine L’Estage wins season opening showdown at Rallye Perce Neige
Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard of St Jean-sur-Richlieu, Que., started the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship presented by and supported by Yokohama, with a win at the legendary Rallye Perce Neige The rally featured an exceptionally strong field that included six former winners, and some of the most trying conditions this rally has ever seen.
Crash.net (UK): Petter Solberg World Rally Team launched
Petter Solberg officially launched the new 'Petter Solberg World Rally Team' today ahead of Rally Norway, the second round in the 2009 World Rally Championship. Hollywood', who of course was left in the lurch back in December when Subaru canned its WRC programme at short notice, has been working flat-out since then to put together a programme and he confirmed a few weeks back that he will use a Citroen Xsara WRC car in Hamar.
Crash.net (UK): Petter Solberg: I’m ready for Norway!
Petter Solberg has promised he will do everything he can to 'fight' on Rally Norway this coming weekend, when he makes his debut appearance in the 2009 World Rally Championship.
Crash.net (UK):Petter Solberg - PSWRT: Q&A
Petter Solberg will compete in a Citroen Xsara WRC car on Rally Norway this week, the second round in the 2009 World Rally Championship. Crash.net Radio's Rob Wilkins caught up with him to find out how his preparations are going...
02/04
Reuters (UK): Mitsubishi quits Dakar Rally to cut costs
Mitsubishi will pull out of cross country rallying, including the Dakar Rally which the Japanese team has dominated in recent years, as part of cost-cutting measures caused by the global economic downturn.
Motorsport.com: Perce-Neige: Series round one preview
The Canadian Rally Championship is set to start this weekend on the snowy roads of the Rallye Perce Neige Maniwaki, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama and takes place in Maniwaki, Que., north of Ottawa. The event has run for over 40 years and has been on the national calendar for close to 35 years.
Rally America: Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana takes first 2009 win
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana scored the first victory of the 2009 season with a decisive win at Sno*Drift in northern Michigan. Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom built a healthy lead from the start, ending Day 1 with a 52-second lead over challenger Tanner Foust. By the end of the contest, the duo had extended the gap to a minute and 49 seconds.
Autoweek: Rally spectating isn't for everyone: A column by Roger Hart
Standing knee-deep in snow in 10-degree temperatures in a northern Michigan woods tells you all you need to know about why rallying isn't a big spectator sport in America. No grandstands, no corn dogs, no margarita bars in sight (although I saw more than a few cold, cold Miller Lites being hoisted by some fans). But those extreme weather conditions and the minimalist environment, plus the exhilaration of chasing the rally cars around to various stages, is one of the reasons I'm so drawn to the sport. That, and the admiration of the skill it takes to control a car at speed on low-friction surfaces, is what draws me out into the woods.
Dirtnewz: Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana scored the first victory of the 2009 season with a decisive win at Sno*Drift in northern Michigan
Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom built a healthy lead from the start, ending Day 1 with a 52-second lead over challenger Tanner Foust. By the end of the contest, the duo had extended the gap to a minute and 49 seconds. “It’s a great way to start the season, with points under my belt,” said Pastrana. “But every mailbox looked like a deer on that last stage.” Deer have become something of a theme for Pastrana and Edstrom at Sno*Drift. Last year at this event, Pastrana and Edstrom lost their lead when they struck a deer on the second-to-last stage and were unable to finish.
Crash.net (UK): Adapta adds second entry for Norway
The Adapta World Rally Team has revealed that it will enter a second car into the Norwegian round of the World Rally Championship. Anders Grondal and co-driver Maria Andersson will line-up alongside Mads Ostberg and Ole Kristian Unnerud for the second round of the WRC season and the 24-year-old said he was pleased to have been given the chance to drive the Impreza WRC2008 in his home event.
01/30
Alena News: Sno-Drift Rally begins today, runs through weekend
The drivers in Northeast Michigan have battled icy and snowy roads since early November. This weekend some of the world's best drivers will navigate some of those same roads and conditions with a chance to pocket a large pile of dough. The Rally America racers will visit Lewiston, Atlanta and Hillman and vie to earn the title of Sno-Drift Rally Champion. "Racing on ice and snow is really not much different than racing on gravel," three-time defending champion Travis Pastrana said. "I really didn't get a chance to drive cars in the snow much because I spent every winter in Florida since the fourth grade racing motorcycles."
Autosport (UK): Interview with Chris Atkinson
Yeah, then things got a bit worse. I took off the lamp pod at the start of the second stage and then I simply forgot to put the bonnet pins back in. I went into the stage; off the line: first, second, third and then bang. The bonnet came up and smashed the screen. I had to stop and bolt it back down. It comes as a massive shock when that happens. I couldn't believe it. That made it even harder to drive in those conditions. The screen started to mist up, there were cracks everywhere, I just couldn't see. And all the time, the road's really narrow, it's pouring with rain and you're trying to find braking points and to get the car turned into the corners. I was glad to get into service.
01/28
International Herald Tribune: WRC starts without Subaru, Suzuki
Defending champion Sebastian Loeb begins the chase for his sixth title on the muddy, twisty roads of Ireland on Friday when a 12-race World Rally Championship, which has lost a third of its teams after the pullout of Subaru and Suzuki, starts up in wet and wintry conditions.
Autoweek: Mitsubishi Evolution, Subaru STI moved to Touring Car group
Following sweeping technical-regulation changes to the 2009 Touring Car category in the Speed World Challenge series, SCCA Pro Racing announced the reassignment of two models to the class. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (both the VIII and IX) and the Subaru Impreza STI move from the higher-powered GT group to Touring Car.
Autosport (UK):
Atkinson downplays Ireland chances
Chris Atkinson says he doesn't expect to challenge at the front on the first day of Rally Ireland tomorrow in his first event for Citroen, despite setting competitive times in today's shakedown. The Australian was just half a second slower than five-time champion Sebastien Loeb earlier today, but just wants to concentrate on getting used to the C4 tomorrow.
Mosley: S2000 still possible for 2010
Mosley refuted the argument that Super 2000 cars were not spectacular enough, with five-time world champion Sebastien Loeb even stating that he would walk away from the sport rather than compete in a championship run for S2000 machinery.
Bloomberg: Rally Racing on Black Ice, Doing 360s for Fun: Jason H. Harper
The car is out of control. A moment ago I blasted into a curve too fast and now we’re spinning on a sheet of black ice, careening sideways. I’m sawing the steering wheel, desperately trying to catch the slide. Boom!
01/23
Autosport (UK): Atkinson interested in IRC drive
Former factory Subaru driver and Monaco resident Chris Atkinson was an interested spectator on this week's Monte Carlo Rally - with the Australian admitting he would be interested in a drive in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
NZ Performance Car: Proton to replace Subaru in WRC?
Before Subaru entered the WRC way back in the Nineties, it was little more than a small Asian automaker. Its rallying efforts helped to put it on the map but Subaru has decided to ditch the WRC this season. So another little-known Asian automaker may be ready to pick up what Subaru no longer wants. That company is Malaysian automaker Proton.
Motoring (ZA): Chaos as Monte Carlo rally quits WRC
The 2009 rally season will start this week in confusion after the sensational "transfer" of the legendary Monte Carlo rally from the World Rally Championship series to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge The WRC title remains the sport's crown jewel. The two-year-old rivalry between the two series has reached new heights with the decision by Monte Carlo to jump ship from WRC to IRC, under whose banner it will take place this week with 64 drivers taking part.
Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland: Solberg To Test Le Mans Series Car
While one Le Mans Series Courage-Oreca Team car will be running a new V10 AIM engine during its upcoming test run, a second car appearing on track is sure to attract attention as well since former Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg will be at the wheel!
.01/20
Autosport: Solberg discussing 2010 Proton drive
Petter Solberg is in talks with Proton over a potential World Rally Championship programme in 2010. The 2003 world champion met with the Malaysian manufacturer's directors last week and is believed to be looking at a part-time campaign this season, coupled with testing and development work on the Satria S2000 for next year.
NGV Global: Sensational 2009 Premiere for Subaru CNG Rally Team
Fourth place in the overall standings in Austria's first rally event of the year underlines the successful test deployment of the Stohl OMV racing team's new Subaru Impreza MY07, powered by compressed natural gas (CNG)
Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland: Subaru, Suzuki were given 'reasons to get out'. Prodrive chairman David Richards argues the FIA gave Subaru and Suzuki 'reasons to get out' of the World Rally Championship with the way the current regualtions are - and argues that Super 2000 is 'not the answer in itself'. The blame for the withdrawal of both Subaru and Suzuki from the World Rally Championship at the end of last year can be laid squarely at the feet of organisers the FIA, argues David Richards
Rally-America: Sno*Drift Kicks Off 2009 Rally America Season
Bringing good news to the motoring world in otherwise trying times, the nation's top rally racing drivers will kick off the 2009 Rally America National Championship Series at the demanding Sno*Drift rally from Jan. 30-31 in Atlanta, Mich.
RTE (IE): John Kenny's Motorsport Blog
The big fall in entries for Rally Ireland, which takes place from 29 January to 1 February, is not unexpected.
Two years ago, Rally Ireland, now the first round of the 2009 World Rally Championship (WRC), attracted a full entry list of 90 crews plus reserves.
Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland: Prodrive set for job losses after Subaru pull-out.
David Richards' independent Prodrive operation faces having to put almost 200 people out of employment as a result of a 'significant' loss of work following Subaru's shock withdrawal from the World Rally Championship. Prodrive is the latest motorsport company to announce redundancies, it has been revealed - as the company reels from Subaru's withdrawal from the World Rally Championship and as many as 600 job losses at Aston Martin.
01/10/09
Rallysport Magazine (AU): M-Sport Focus for Solberg in 2009 WRC?
Petter Solberg says that he has been offered a drive in this year's WRC, but will wait until tomorrow to make up his mind if he will accept it, according to reports in the UK.
01/09
Crash,net (UK):
Solberg: I'll only return if I can win!
Out-of-work Subaru refugee Petter Solberg has admitted that he is desperate to return to the World Rally Championship for his home event in Norway next month - but only if 'everything is right' and he can fight for victory.
Richards hopeful of Subaru return one day.
Prodrive chairman David Richards admits that Subaru's sudden withdrawal from the World Rally Championship last month took even him by surprise - but he hopes that the manufacturer may be back again one day...
Mills set for coaching role with Rally Elite.
Phil Mills will join the MSA British Rally Elite scheme this year it has been confirmed, as a performance and coaching adviser. With Robert Reid having moved up to become MSA performance director in 2008, a new elite skills coach was required for the rally scheme in 2009. Mills will thus combine his duties as Petter Solberg's co-driver with helping to develop Britain's best young rallying talent as a performance adviser to the programme.
Autosport.com (UK):
Solberg wants to return for Norway
Petter Solberg says he is determined to secure a new drive in time for his home event in Norway on 13-15 February. The Rally Norway organisers have extended the closing date for entries until 13 January, giving Solberg an extra week to find a seat.
Q & A with Petter Solberg
Subaru's sudden departure from the World Rally Championship has left 2003 title-winner Petter Solberg on the sidelines. During a visit to the Autosport International Show, he spoke about last month's shock news, his search for a new drive, and the current state of the WRC.
Solberg reckons WRC can recover
Former champion Petter Solberg believes the World Rally Championship has the potential to recover from its current crisis but has called for better promotion of the sport.
Sports Illustrated: How good would Robby Gordon be if he gave up off-road racing?
Robby Gordon celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday in Argentina, where he was overseeing final preparations for Team Dakar USA in the Dakar Rally. An owner-driver just as he is in Sprint Cup, Gordon has put together an impressive effort to win the marathon of endurance races, transplanted this year to South America from Africa because of security concerns.
Motortrend: Prodrive to Celebrate 20 Years of Rallying
There will be no bright blue Subaru-sponsored Prodrive-engineered Impreza WRX STI flying down dirt roads in the 2009 season of WRC. After 20 years of participation, Subaru pulled out of the championship citing tough economic times. Still, to celebrate its time in the series, Prodrive will create a commemorative display for the Autosport International show in Birmingham, UK.
01/05
This is South Wales (UK): New year starts badly for motorsport
Some have further speculated that these factors may have influenced Fuji Heavy Industries — owners of the Subaru car manufacturing business — to pull the plug on a WRC campaign amid fears that a Prodrive F1 effort would compromise development of the 2009 Impreza S15 model rally car, and prevent an improvement of the relatively poor performances of the Impreza S14 experienced throughout the 2008 WRC season.
Sports Illustrated: Dakar restarts in South America
Transferred from Africa by the threat of terrorism, the Dakar Rally starts on Friday with a symbolic drive in Argentina's capital before heading out on an adventure that will also take in Chile. The first Dakar Rally to furrow the soil of South America will last 14 stages and 5,949 miles before it rolls back into Buenos Aires on Jan. 18.
Rallysport Magazine (AU): Atkinson eager to drive Citroen C4 WRC
Reports in the UK suggest that Chris Atkinson has inveseted money he received from Subaru, following their withdrawal from the WRC, to rent the best car available to him, which was a PH Sport Citroen C4 WRC.
The Age (AU): When the wheels wobble, a crash usually follows
IN SPORT, there's a fine line between irony and tragedy. Like it's ironic if, after all Stevie Gerrard's done for Liverpool, he's the man who derails Anfield's best chance at a Premier League title in 19 years because he belted a pub DJ who refused to play Phil Collins. Unless you're a Reds fan, that is, in which case it's tragic.
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