Court could present Burns with quiet defence.
Richard Burns may not have the chance to defend his hard-earned World Rally Championship crown, as Subaru seeks to prevent him from driving for any other team.
The ongoing struggle for Burns' services - which, it was hoped, would have been resolved in time for team nominations to be lodged with the FIA last week - has headed for the British High Court, as the Prodrive-run Subaru team moves to exercise a clause it has in the driver's contract preventing him from leaving with the championship.
Richard Burns may not have the chance to defend his hard-earned World Rally Championship crown, as Subaru seeks to prevent him from driving for any other team.
The ongoing struggle for Burns' services - which, it was hoped, would have been resolved in time for team nominations to be lodged with the FIA last week - has headed for the British High Court, as the Prodrive-run Subaru team moves to exercise a clause it has in the driver's contract preventing him from leaving with the championship.
Burns signed for Peugeot before the final two events of 2001, and duly went on to clinch the crown on an anti-climactic Network Q Rally of Great Britain, but Subaru insists that it has a clause claiming an option on his services should he land the title. Burns remains quiet on the issue, but has let slip that he expects to be driving for Peugeot next year. However, Subaru pressure has already prevented him from embarking on a first test with the French outfit, scheduled for Sweden this week.
According to Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, if Subaru wins a court injunction preventing Burns from racing anything other than one of the blue-and-yellow Imprezas next season, the champion could well have to watch his rivals fighting over his crown with recourse to defend it.
