so Subaru are also officially out now too..

[TimGR]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8163572

[Martin]

And there's only one official manufacturers team doing the BTCC next year - Vauxhall

The rest are private teams

[Dave1800BDA]

big shame teams pulling out, always wondered how they really do finance these teams, sponsors etc yes, but surely not the vast amount they do spend is purely sponsor money

[Tim]

but are they pulling out so they can take over honda f1 who are only a few miles away or so they can devlop a s2000+ car for 2010

[Rallyman72]

Welcome to the Wales Rally GB 12 CAR in 2009 then. Just two works teams remain AT THE MOMENT and one of those isn't flush with cash.

Will Dave Richards now take up his option for an entry to F1 that he had last year. Somehow I doubt it even if he can buy the Honda F1 team for next to nowt.

[garthbtp]

Shame, hard times ahead for Car makers!

[rwdrs]

The motor industry has been in trouble for at least the last 10 years, Ford and GM in particular. It's just common sense for halfways healthy companies (Honda, Subaru etc) to cut their losses and concentrate on flogging cars instead of spending left right and centre on prestige "advertising".

[driverace]

Subaru

This is only the start .I have a freind who is a car dealer,and he says its the worst he has known for 30 years.they are selling no new german built cars
Its a case of cut your cloth !
There will be a lot of drivers about chasing drives and having to take a cut in wages or even having to pay now !

[graham John]

Subaru pull out of world rallying


Subaru last won the WRC in 2003 and has been third four times since


Subaru have become the latest team to withdraw from next year's World Rally Championship as the economic downturn continues to hit motorsport hard.
It comes a day after Suzuki also quit the WRC and less than a fortnight after Honda withdrew from Formula One.
Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg all won titles with the Japanese team in its 20-year history.
"This sudden decision is a response to the widespread downturn affecting the industry," Subaru said in a statement.
The team was established in 1989, when the manufacturer teamed up with Prodrive, a motorsport and automotive engineering group with dealings in the UK, Thailand and Australia.



"Subaru's departure from the World Rally Championship is a great loss as it is one of the sport's icons," added Prodrive chairman David Richards.
"Although this closes a significant chapter in Prodrive's history, our focus now turns to the future."
Richards, who also owns the commercial and media rights to the World Rally Championships, said the decision had been taken over the course of the weekend as the economic downturn claimed another victim in the world of sport.
"We had an urgent call for a meeting over the weekend," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"Despite the fact that we have entered the championship for next year and were actually testing last week in Spain, Subaru just felt the sudden downturn in their business was so dramatic that they had to make some quick decisions."
606: DEBATE

It's a real shame - WRC won't be the same without the blue and yellow cars around



BlueMain

Among his previous roles were stints as team principal at Formula One teams BAR and Benetton, and Prodrive may now look at a move into motorsport's highest tier.
The 56-year-old Richards admitted he would now have more time to think about such a step and said radical cost-cutting measures, which were announced by the sport's governing body last week, made a move into F1 more "realistic".
In the meantime, Prodrive has said it will be looking to redeploy staff assigned to the WRC programme, which accounts for around 20% of the company's turnover. Subaru won six world titles in all, with the last coming with Solberg's victory in 2003. But recent years have been harder going for Subaru, with their last rally win coming in Mexico back in 2005. Subaru's exit leaves just two manufacturers in next year's championship in the shape of Citroen and Ford.



cheeRS

[LOUIE]

do you think itll effect the gt series though???
cant see audi pulling out or aston for that matter, its there main base for further car development

[RUDDY]

M-Sport are letting staff go as well.