RT:
Yeah, the key thing really with that change was to get the right level of resource onto the current car and onto the new car. Under that Graham Moore took over complete responsibility for the current 2007 car, which has enabled Christophe Chapelain to focus solely on the project for the new car for 2008. David is there to help and guide both projects.
Crash.net:
The images of the new Impreza were released earlier this month. The debut of that car has been delayed. When are we likely to see it in the WRC?
RT:
That will really depend on how the testing goes. We are on schedule and the first body shell will be completed within a couple of weeks. We aim to be running the car in the last quarter of this year, which has been the plan for some while. We will see how the progress of that goes and also how the progress goes with the performance of the current car and those factors, combined with the events on the calendar next year, will decide when we will actually see it. Realistically though, we probably won't make a final decision on that until the early part of 2008.
Crash.net:
Are the reports the car has been delayed accurate then?
RT:
The original programme, to put this into perspective, was developed in 2005. We knew as far back as that that a new car would be coming, but the exact timing of it depended upon what
Subaru's requirements were both from a marketing point of view and when the various editions of the road cars were released. So, I think when we said it would be 2008, everybody jumped to the assumption it would be Monte Carlo. But we never actually said that and we are quite comfortable with the sort of timing we are working to at the moment.
Crash.net:
Basically, to summarise, there is no delay then?
RT:
There is no delay on the plan we have had in place for quite a long time. But as I say the original concept back in 2005 would probably have brought the car in a little bit earlier. However we are only talking about a few rallies and to be honest it is not a big deal.
Crash.net:
Looking at the event in Finland, you had a lot of problems there with
Petter Solberg's car. Have those issues been resolved now and fixed?
RT:
Yes, we think so. We have found a couple of things on the car, which while it looked at the time as if they might be similar on both the Friday and the Saturday, in fact they were different. We had a centre differential issue on the Friday, which we are quite confident we have fixed. We have clearly found what that was and that has been sorted out. Then we had a chassis-damper problem on the Saturday and again we are pretty confident that we have got those sorted now.
Crash.net:
There have been reports that Petter could leave the team at the end of this season, even though he has a deal. What can you tell us about that? Is it just rubbish then? Is he talking to Citroen?
RT:
As far as we are concerned it is - and as far as the conversation I had with Petter a few days ago, he thought it was too. I think we can put that to one side to be honest. It is the time of year when all of those kinds of discussions tend to happen anyway and inevitably with the relative performance we have had, I am sure people would be asking that question. But as far as we are concerned there is no truth in it what-so-ever.
