Red Bull Skoda's future to be decided in autumn?

by Rob Wilkins

Red Bull Skoda team boss, Armin Schwarz has confirmed that they are definitely hoping to continue the programme with the Fabia WRC in 2007.

The Red Bull Skoda operation was formed at the end of last year, when Skoda canned their official WRC effort. As such Austrian squad, Baumschlager Rally Racing, took over the running of two Fabia WRC's in the FIA World Rally Championship - with a ten-event programme, excluding the fly-away events in places such as Mexico and Australia. Speaking exclusively to Crash.net Radio earlier this week, Schwarz added that they should be in a position to make an announcement about 2007 in the autumn.

"Yes of course," Schwarz replied, when asked if they aim to continue with the Red Bull Skoda programme in '07, "but we have to give Skoda and Red Bull options. There are three or four options what Skoda or Red Bull could do in rallying - and then we have to see what they are keen to do.

"I can't tell you very much today because we are just making proposals to Skoda and to Red Bull [at this time]. But this will be - if it will be decided, then I think it will be late September or October sometime."

Schwarz, who retired from driving in the WRC at the end of last season, meanwhile added that he has been surprised at just how much work it has taken to put together the Red Bull Skoda team.

"Thus far from our point it was quite busy to organise a new team and to get new drivers' and everything," he continued. "I hadn't realised it would be so much work and what would be needed to put the team and everything together and so on. I think seeing the season now going almost to half season for us though, things are much better in place. We are looking more after technical stuff now and also planning already for next year and further on. That is the basic thing what we are doing at the moment."