Ford holds fire on confirming German line-up

At a press conference in Germany last week, Ford's European racing chief Martin Whitaker announced that WRC regular Francois Delecour would join Austrian Raimund Baumschlager in a pair of Focus entries on the asphalt event, but that decision now appears premature.

"It will be one of our factory drivers, but there is no way I will make that decision yet," said Ford rally team boss Malcolm Wilson in this week's Motorsport News.

Delecour is only contracted for a part-programme with Ford and one of its two main drivers, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, may benefit more from an outing on an event which is strongly-tipped to be 'fast-tracked' into next year's calendar.

Whitaker said: "We wanted to get over to the media and Ford in Germany that this is a crucial rally. It may well still be Francois.

"If it is a round of the world championship next year, and if you want to win this series, you want all the experience you can get."

Ford of Germany is believed to be pressing hard for one of the 'big two' to take part, while sponsorship may also play a part. Delecour's car does not run in the colours of the team's main sponsor Martini, which has not had a high-profile sponsorship opportunity in Germany since the demise of the International Touring Car Championship and its Martini-backed works Alfa Romeos.

Hyundai appears certain to send asphalt specialist Piero Liatti to the event if the German importers can come up with a running budget. The team says it will treat the event as an asphalt test for the Tour de Corse and Sanremo rallies later in the season.