Fiat & VW to choose WRC over IRL?
Two car manufacturers, believed to be Fiat and Volkswagen, are on the verge of joining Citroën and Ford in the World Rally Championship (WRC), says its chief executive.
Fiat currently races in the rival Intercontinental Rally Challenge. As SJ of Formula 1 blog points out, it doesn’t take a leap of imagination to place Kimi Raikkonen in one of the WRC cars.
The Ferrari driver has dabbled in rallying this year, contesting the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship two weeks ago, where he impressed before crashing out.
He drove an Abarth Grande Punto in the event – a car built by Fiat and tuned by Abarth. Fiat also own Ferrari, which should make it easier to transfer his contract. Recent rumors have suggested the team is trying to buy Raikkonen out of his 2010 race deal for an eight-figure dollar sum. F1Fanatic
08/18/09 So much for Fiat or VW coming into IndyCar racing. The World Rally Championship (WRC) could be set for a boost as Fiat and Volkswagen are on the verge of signing up to the series.
WRC has struggled in the wake of the recession, with Suzuki and Subaru withdrawing from the championship at the end of last season, leaving the series with only two manufacturers, Ford and Citroen.
News of the potential new entries into the world of WRC was confirmed by Neil Duncanson, chief executive of series owner North One, a British television production company.
“I’ve got one or two (manufacturers) who I think will come in. I don’t want more than four because any more than that and they can’t win," he told London's 'Financial Times' newspaper.
Competing in the WRC costs a manufacturer around US$20 million a season. That is far cheaper than Formula One, but Duncanson believes that rally cars' close resemblance to road cars makes the series a much safer bet for manufacturers looking to sell cars than Formula One.
"The manufacturers find themselves in a much better position because we are selling the real cars," Duncanson said.
08/18/09 An article in the Financial Times claims Fiat could enter the World Rally Championship in 2010:
Two car manufacturers, believed to be Fiat and Volkswagen, are on the verge of joining Citroën and Ford in the World Rally Championship (WRC), says its chief executive.
Fiat currently races in the rival Intercontinental Rally Challenge. As SJ of Formula 1 blog points out, it doesn’t take a leap of imagination to place Kimi Raikkonen in one of the WRC cars.
The Ferrari driver has dabbled in rallying this year, contesting the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship two weeks ago, where he impressed before crashing out.
He drove an Abarth Grande Punto in the event – a car built by Fiat and tuned by Abarth. Fiat also own Ferrari, which should make it easier to transfer his contract. Recent rumors have suggested the team is trying to buy Raikkonen out of his 2010 race deal for an eight-figure dollar sum.
08/18/09 So much for Fiat or VW coming into IndyCar racing. The World Rally Championship (WRC) could be set for a boost as Fiat and Volkswagen are on the verge of signing up to the series.
WRC has struggled in the wake of the recession, with Suzuki and Subaru withdrawing from the championship at the end of last season, leaving the series with only two manufacturers, Ford and Citroen.
News of the potential new entries into the world of WRC was confirmed by Neil Duncanson, chief executive of series owner North One, a British television production company.
“I’ve got one or two (manufacturers) who I think will come in. I don’t want more than four because any more than that and they can’t win," he told London's 'Financial Times' newspaper.
Competing in the WRC costs a manufacturer around US$20 million a season. That is far cheaper than Formula One, but Duncanson believes that rally cars' close resemblance to road cars makes the series a much safer bet for manufacturers looking to sell cars than Formula One.
"The manufacturers find themselves in a much better position because we are selling the real cars," Duncanson said.