Tuesday, 8th July 2008

Suzuki worried about WRC too.

Suzuki World Rally team manager Paul Wilding has said they share the same concerns as rivals Ford and Citroen about the current state of the World Rally Championship.

The FIA has still to confirm the technical regulations for 2010 and on, and while the World Motor Sport Council meet recently and instructed the FIA to 'finalise' the appointment of a central promoter no decision has yet been made there either.

"I think it is a very concerning thing for everybody," Wilding told Crash.net Radio recently. "A couple of the other manufacturers' have said if the outcome of the discussions that are taking place at the moment are not satisfactory with regard to the future, then they may think about pulling out.

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"From our point of view as well we are in the championship because we understood what the championship was all about. It was about getting out there, it was about promoting the brand and it was about showcasing the SX4 WRC car and Suzuki products to the world. It would be nice if the championship could continue to be promoted and if it can be promoted more in the future then it would certainly be of help."

As for reports Suzuki might take a sabbatical next season after only one year at the top level, Wilding was quick to dismiss it as pure speculation.

"I haven't heard anything like that. Our focus at this stage is to try and achieve the most that we can possibly achieve this year. You don't enter into a project like this very likely," he continued. "From an economic point of view just to enter the championship for one year would not make sense.

"The spirit initially behind entering the WRC I know was for a longer period. As far as the rumours that are going around all I can say at this stage is that they are just rumours. They are just speculation.

"At this stage we are focusing on the job at hand and putting in the hard work so the benefits can be reaped - and reaped in the future.

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