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Peugeot, Citroen to pull out of rally series


Reuters / November 04, 2004
LONDON -- French stablemates Peugeot and Citroen dealt rallying a double blow on Thursday with the shock announcement that they were pulling out of the world championship at the end of 2005.

The decision came just two days after Ford had given a commitment for the next four years, ending fears that they too could quit after pulling the plug on their Formula One operations.

Peugeot and Citroen, both part of the PSA Group, have won the last five manufacturers' titles as well as three drivers' championships.

But a PSA statement said they were reviewing new opportunities in motor sports due to tougher conditions in the car market.

"PSA Peugeot Citroen has decided that the marques will no longer take part in the WRC beyond that date (2005)," the statement added.

While Peugeot's continued involvement was in doubt after two difficult years, Citroen had been expected to stay after investing heavily in a new car for 2005.

Without the French teams, the manufacturer-dominated championship runs the risk of looking threadbare even if next year promises a healthy lineup.

So far only Ford is publicly committed to staying beyond 2005, although former world champions Subaru can be expected to join them.



NEW REGULATIONS

Mitsubishi will make a full-time return next year, after skipping several rounds this season, while Skoda said in September they would be staying after scaling back operations in 2004. But neither have committed beyond 2005.

Citroen have won both crowns this year, with France's Sebastien Loeb taking the country's first drivers' title in a decade after narrowly missing out in 2003.

Thursday's statement, coming before a meeting of team bosses and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in Paris on Friday to discuss cost-saving measures, will send a tremor through the driver market.

Both Loeb and Finland's Marcus Gronholm, twice a world champion with Peugeot, will be looking for new seats from 2006.

A decision on the new technical regulations, to come into force from 2006, will be made next month.

FIA president Max Mosley put forward a proposal in September that he said would cut costs and could encourage new manufacturers to enter the sport.

They included the use of common parts and a limit on sophisticated and expensive components and development.

Peugeot, champions three years in a row before Citroen beat them in 2003, have won just once this year and clashed with the FIA in June when they were disqualified from the Cyprus Rally for using an illegal engine part.

Team boss Corrado Provera told reporters later that he considered the punishment excessive and "the shame cast upon Peugeot is unacceptable".

Sta cosa mi fa un po paura sinceramente, spero che non rovinino tutto.. :-\

mi fa strano, la c4 wrc è già pronta....

a meno che non sia una minaccia ferrari-style in vista dei nuovi regolamenti..

Provera vorrebbe un regolamento pro peugeot da anni ed infatti minaccia per il 2006....per me dovrebbe solo farsi furbo.