Rumour time in the WRC… (best-of-rallylive.com) And they forgot to mention Toyota. That's a 2014 consideration but still matters considering Ford's commitment is so far only through the end of the 2013 season, anyone with a contract that ends at the same point, etc.
Be nice to see BMW pump some more money into the MINI effort now that the TV situation has been stabilized for now.
Well, MINI does not have any drivers with a shot at better then "middle of the pack" right now and the good ones are being courted by the big names. They need to make a move or just drop out. I think what they are doing now is "embarrassing" to the brand. Jim
I hardly see MINI "embarrassing" the brand with the WRC car. Kris is their best hope & it may be a while before he is of the same skill level as the top driver's, but he's close. I do agree with you that MINI needs to fish or cut bait.
Here's another unfortunate announcement for the WRC and a twist for those hoping for a top tier seat. Ford to Withdraw as a title sponsor from the FIA World Rally Championship after 2012 Season (RallySportLive.com)
Yup, and it's not just less seats. Now both Latvala and Solberg will be in the market as contenders for the new teams and Loeb's replacement.
WRC has always had a rough ride. F1 tons of sponsors, DTM likewise. Even though rally has the biggest fan base we still struggle to get the sponsors and teams but seeing as the Mini WRC is around $800 turn key from Prodrive plus the logistic of doing a full season you can see why there are not many takers. IRC seems to be doing well and is more exciting to watch.
Nasser Al-Attiyah gets the 'cool dude' award too, for having missed the Finnish rally because he was at the Olympics winning the bronze medal in skeet shooting. Being so multi-talented wouldn't be too bad, if he didn't seem to be such a nice guy as well.
Also, though I don't know why he's running only seven rounds total, he's skipping the opener in Monte-Carlo because of the Dakar.
Speaking of the 2013 season, here's the calendar. Legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo to open new season (WRC.com)
With the demise of SpeedTV in, I guess Jan., what happens to all of our race series, ALMS, Grand-am, BTCC, WTC, Aust. Super-cars? I'm probably like most of you, not a very happy camper!:mad5: