Subaru warn against 2WD future
| By David Evans and Steven English |
Thursday, March 13th 2008, 11:40 GMT |
 Subaru World Rally Team managing director Richard Taylor believes the manufacturer would quit the World Rally Championship if a two-wheel-drive future is enforced by the FIA.
Autosport magazine this week reports that the sport's governing body will consider whether to limit the main class of the WRC to two-wheel-drive cars from 2010.
A decision is expected at the next meeting of the World Motorsport Council on March 26, and Taylor thinks Subaru would walk away from the WRC if they couldn't field their four-wheel-drive cars.
"Subaru's market is four-wheel-drive," he told Autosport. "If this change came it could be the trigger for Subaru to pull out, they wouldn't be remotely interested in it."
The other manufacturers, and the WRC Commission, have already agreed that a four-wheel-drive Super 2000-plus specification would be the best way forward, but FIA president Max Mosley is rumoured to prefer the idea of a two-wheel-drive future.
An FIA source told Autosport: "Two-wheel-drive cars with 1600cc or 1800cc turbocharged engines remain an option. Mr Mosley has been very clear on what he wants from the future regulations. He wants the cars to be slower, safer, cheaper, and more spectacular.
"Two-wheel-drive cars would certainly corner slower, so would be safer. It's safe to say two-wheel-drive would tick all the boxes Mr Mosley has asked to be ticked."
Mosley was unavailable for comment, but WRC Commission president Morrie Chandler admitted the idea was being discussed.
"At the end of the day, if the World Council doesn't want what we've put forward, then it would be possible for them to go for two-wheel-drive."
But Chandler would prefer a stipulation of rear-wheel-drive if the two-wheel-drive plan went ahead.
"Front-wheel-drive is totally unspectacular," he said. "People would love to see rear-wheel-drive rally cars with their tales sliding. That would be lots of fun, but it wouldn't represent the market.
"I don't think the manufacturers spending around 50 million euros would be impressed to find that they have to use a car that can't be bought by the man on the street."
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