by Rob WilkinsSubaru's operations director Paul Howarth has revealed that they have identified how they are going to be back to the top.
The Banbury-based outfit's form over the last two seasons hasn't been particularly memorable, but Howarth has faith that they will get it right in 2008, echoing the comments made by SWRT managing director, Richard Taylor [see separate story].
"Everybody has kept their heads up and kept going forward. It would be very easy for things to deteriorate in these circumstances. But everybody has given as much as they can. We have stepped back and looked at it in detail and we have identified how we are going to get back to the top," he confirmed to
Crash.net Radio.
"A smaller or bigger team could have got really frustrated by now. There has been frustration but hopefully we are on an acceptable track going forward. We have a plan. We have a vision and we have a target. You just stick to that until you meet it and then stop at the target forever really - or as long as you can, until something else happens."
Asked about the new Impreza, which will be brought in at some point this coming year, Paul added that all the fans really need to know is that they are well on the way with 'a beautiful new car for the 2008 championship'.
"We are not saying yet when it will be out. But the main priority is to make sure we deliver a new car for the team to use in the championship, which is competitive against the
Citroen and the Ford - and as long as we can do that we can get back to where we should be," he continued. "It will be good to have a clean piece of paper and start again."
But is there a lot of pressure on the team, especially as they haven't won now since 2005?
"There is pressure for everybody - from the Japan side, from the drivers, everybody in the team, the engineers, anybody connected to the team. The pressure is there regardless," he explained. "We are in this business to win rallies and the team has got a great history.
"We have just got to keep digging in and what is very noticeable is the amount of support from the spectators over the last two years, who have stood by the team and really seen the pain that has gone on.
"But we have just got to keep digging our way out of that and making sure we don't accept anything but getting back on the podium. We will only do that by beating our opposition, which all credit to them are very professional and very capable teams. We will have to lift the bar beyond them and that is the target for everybody in the team."
TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH PAUL HOWARTH - RECORDED PRE-RALLY GB: CLICK HERE
