Mortl goes into combat for Subaru

The 31-year-old and German co-driver Klaus Wicha will compete alongside regular team members Tommi Makinen and Petter Solberg, and will be nominated to score points for the Japanese manufacturer on both events.

"Achim is clearly a very talented driver," said Subaru team boss Daivd Lapworth. "We've been following his career for some time now, initially as a member of the Subaru Allstars, but also on rallies this year with the Power Horse team. Our team strategy for the rest of this year remains focussed on Tommi and Petter. The reason for giving Achim this opportunity is that we're looking ahead to 2003 and longer term options.

"We know Tommi and Petter will be with us next season, but as we've said in the past, we will never rule out running a third car if there's a championship benefit in doing so, and this is still the case. By running Achim in Germany and Italy we're giving him the chance to prove what he can do given the best car and support team. There's no better way of evaluating a driver's potential than putting him in the car."

Mortl said: "It's great news, and certainly the biggest opportunity of my career so far. To be able to compete on level terms with the best drivers in the world is a great chance for me. As far as my objectives for the rallies go, it all depends on what the team strategy is, I want to perform well, but I also have to be realistic. The German rally will be my first on Pirelli tyres, so there'll be some adjustments to make, but I hope to achieve all the team want me to, and hopefully collect some points for Subaru as well."