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.
Former F1 world champion and current Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen competed at the recent Rally Finland in a Fiat Grande Punto S2000. Fiat's potential permanent move into WRC has now made the possibility of Raikkonen leaving Formula One for rallying a very real one.
Adapted from www.SportsProMedia.com / www.ft.com
