Why is mitsubishi not in wrc

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At the end of , Mitsubishi announced that they would suspend their WRC campaign for in order to return with a competitive car the following year. Enter the Lancer WRC04…. While it certainly had its demons during , it was essentially a brand new, ground-up World Rally Car.

Internally, was seen as a further year of development for the new World Rally Cars and as such, the performance of the cars varied between events. With Mitsubishi opting out of championship events in Japan, Great Britain, Italy, France and Australia, they were never going to be contenders. However, in , the next iteration of the Lancer WRC, the WRC05, scored a podium at the first round in Monte Carlo, much more consistent finishes and a second place at the last round of the championship in Australia.

Things were finally turning a corner for the team, but on December 14th , Mitsubishi announced that they would again suspend their participation in the WRC in order to revitalise their business. They had hoped to return to the WRC in , but as we all know now, that never happened. While Mitsubishi Motorsports Europe MMSP ran cars at a number of events in and , it did so as privateer entries and without the support of the factory.

In , MMSP was bought out by MML Sports who took over the ownership and running of the entire operation as a privateer outfit, offering the original cars for hire or purchase with full support from MML. When MML eventually decided it was time for them move on from these cars, Tristan was concerned that the remaining cars and parts would be split up and would vanish all over the world, which would make it impossible for him to continue driving his car. Competing in the formidable Group N class, he ultimately got tired of being beaten by Lancer Evolutions on the English stages, so figured he might as well jump ship.

As you can imagine, its location is a well-guarded secret. While their original plan of saving these cars and parts would allow them to compete even more, the reality of the situation is that with so much more to take care of they have customer cars based all around requiring support, and other cars in the process of being restored to exact works specification it has meant that competitive driving has taken a back seat for the time being.

Their enthusiasm is utterly infectious. I could barely keep up with the amount of knowledge, and was just praying that some of it would stick. But are the Belgian's concerns about speed, safety and cost entirely valid? Five drivers have won first time out at the Rally Acropolis, transcending the tough dirt and gravel Greek roads to cement a place in rallying folklore.

Here are three of the first-time winners' tales. From being considered a likely contender to drive the next-generation M-Sport Ford Puma in , Teemu Suninen's abrupt exit has created plenty of questions.

The Finn's bid to become his country's next World Rally Championship winner won't be furthered by being sidelined, but there may be reason behind the decision. It proved to be an engaging addition to the rally, and could perhaps serve as an example for other events to visit famous circuits. With limited recent fortune and pressure starting to mount, Hyundai needed a big result at the Ypres Rally. All the key components came together in Belgium to see home hero Thierry Neuville lead a manufacturer and kickstart its World Rally Championship challenge.

Ford has upped its support in a bid for glory, but can the new machine roll back the years and return the Blue Oval to the top of the WRC tree? French drivers have dominated the World Rally Championship across the past two decades; Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier have racked up the titles in commanding fashion.

With Ogier calling it a day on full-time WRC competition from next year, France will pin its long-term hopes on rookie Adrien Fourmaux, who looks to have a bright future. Tickets Subscribe. Sign in. Tommi Makinen remained quick, the Finn taking victories in four events Portugal, Spain, Argentina and Finland to claim his second World title. More changes took place in , the introduction of split-second timing confirming the level of competition in the FIA World Rally Championship.

The new Lancer Evolution V made its debut competitive outing in Rallye Catalunya in April and was on the podium immediately, with Makinen third and Burns finishing fourth. Visually the car was wider, taking advantage of the new maximum width allowed under world rally car regulations, and had an improved aerodynamic package. A more powerful electronic management capability and changes to the suspension all improved the car's asphalt performance.

Makinen's five victories secured his third title, and two wins by Richard Burns settled the Manufacturers' Championship in Mitsubishi's favour for the first time. The team secured its fifth consecutive World Rally win in Monte-Carlo in January and added to the record by winning the next event in Sweden too with the revised Lancer Evolution VI, a variant on the previous model and classed, for the first time by the FIA, as a World Rally Car. In total, Mitsubishi drivers Makinen and Burns won seven of the season's 14 events ensuring Makinen claimed a record-breaking fourth world title, while Burns finished just seven points behind in second position.

The development of the original World Rally Car, known by many as the 'Evo 6. After victory in Monte Carlo, the season got tougher for the team, yet started well when the FIA agreed to modification of the Evolution VI's rear bodywork and flywheel. The car won Rallye Monte Carlo in its debut outing.

Makinen claimed four victories throughout the year, but competition was tough and former team-mate Richard Burns won the Drivers' title in his new Subaru. The Finn and Mitsubishi finished third in the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, temporarily ending the Japanese company's years of domination.