I read on

Scooby Chick ....

Taken from Autosport..

The World Rally Championship driver merry-go-round is set to slow to a stop within the next week as more key deals are firmed up for 2001.
Decisions are expected imminently from Petter Solberg and veteran Didier Auriol. With top men Colin McRae, Tommi Makinen and Richard Burns all staying put at their respective teams, Solberg and Auriol are two of the few key players yet to have confirmed their drives for next year.

Solberg has been with Ford this year in a third Focus WRC alongside McRae and Carlos Sainz, and observers understood that the 24-year-old has a five-year contract with the Blue Oval.

However, the Prodrive-run Subaru team is believed to have found a weakness in the agreement and has reputedly made the Norwegian a multi-million dollar offer to partner Richard Burns in an Impreza next year. Prodrive technical director David Lapworth confirmed that there “had been discussions” with Solberg and said: “It’s fair to say that talks are continuing.”

Didier Auriol finds himself in much the same situation and the Frenchman will decide whether he will stay at SEAT after talks with the team this week about the performance of the car and improvements for 2001. “I would like Didier to stay, but this is something we will discuss this week.” said Vicente Aguilera, president of SEAT Sport. “We have many things to discuss with Didier, about the performance of the car and the direction of the team.”

K

Hmm... the usual PR speak... it would be great to have some excitement and rumor about these things. I really can't stand football but I love that buzz about whose going where and when... I think the PR people for rallying should let out little leaks like this now and then to set the rally fans on fire...
So what do you think of the move? Being a Subaru fan I have to say it was a good choice! Much better car to drive - he should do well.

I think he will be a World champion within 5 years.

He reminds me of Colin McRae - did you see his shunt on the 1000 lakes!!!

Yeah saw it on Eurosport - it was massive - he's lucky not to be hurt but I reckon that will be in the back of his mind in Cyprus.

Nah - when you walk away from stuff like that you start to get a feeling of invincability. If anything he'll be faster in Cyprus.

If accidents start to affect you then it's time to stop.

I disagree. It's an important learning point to find where your limits are but drivers don't drive faster once they crash. They drive better... there's a difference. It's actually quite humbling to crash a rally car but it's one of those things that people almost want to happen in their careers so they know that point has been reached. That is the difference with professional rally / race drivers and boy racers on the road. A boy racer will think they're invincible; a professional will learn from it.

I agree about the accident bit ..

RB's accident in Finland was a biggie, over 100mph into the tree's according to Autosport ... but proffesionalism ( spelt right ?? ) kicks in and they just brush themselves down, learn from what went wrong and put it behind them and get on with the job of winning ... it's all part of the learning curve .... some are just steeper than others http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/biggrin.gif

I agree with Scooby Chick on the boy racer bit ... they think the big accident will never happen to them ... but it will and it will come when they least expect it too ... you just hope you are no where near them when it does ...

K

Generalisations are tough. Phil may be speaking from personal experience - he does after all race himself. I have had 1 crash, it made me totaly re-evaluate the way I drive, with regards to observation and anticipation of others actions.
For me, you are told how safe it is, sure, but once you've experienced first hand how effective the safety gear in a race car is I'm sure it gives your confidence a massive boost, knowing that you can rely on it in future should things go pear shaped.
Cheers
Chuck

Good point - generalisations do not work.

I didn't realise there was so many Subaru fans here all the time it's great... Soon I'll find out I'm not the only gal with pics of cars on her bedroom walls...Anyway, while you're here, I'd be grateful to know what you reckon of a new site of a friend its

You'll be amazed how many people watch and post to this BBS. And Scooby chicks are everywhere here! My wife almost twisted my arm off to get her 22B http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif .
Chuck

Hi folks!

Is it me or have am I just a totally cynical so & so?

Chuckster

I think that having a his and hers 22B sat on the drive would look really good!

Scooby Chick

According to the website link you put up to check out he's joined!!

Liam

Hi all, just in case ya did't know ..... I never http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

SOLBERG AND MARTIN JOIN SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM

They will support Subaru's number one driver

Solberg And Märtin Join Subaru World Rally Team Dynamic duo join Burns in new Subaru driver line-up. The
Subaru World Rally Team has signed 25-year-old Norwegian driver Petter Solberg and 24-year-old Estonian driver
Markko Märtin to further strengthen the manufacturer's world rally efforts from 2001.

They will support Subaru's number one driver, 29-year-old Richard Burns, in a strategy which will enable the team
to capitalise on the proven rally winning performance of Burns, and the potential of two of the sport's brightest
hopes for the future.

Today's signings form part of a new five-year plan between Subaru in Japan and Prodrive, which re-enforces the
manufacturer's commitment to world rallying, as well as its philosophy of developing the careers of talented new
drivers. Since it was established in 1989, The Subaru World Rally Team has never been afraid to take risks with
less established drivers, and it was this belief in future prospects that saw Colin McRae and Richard Burns get
their first big breaks with the team.

Petter Solberg, who lives in Spydeberg, Norway, has earned a reputation as one of world rallying's best future prospects. His driving career
started with Norwegian autocross in 1992 and progressed quickly. Three years later he won the Norwegian rallycross and hillclimbing
championships, a feat he was to repeat a year later. Petter's first taste of world rallying came in 1998, and from the start of the 1999 season
to date he contested a further nine events with the Ford World Rally Team. Petter has often surprised established WRC drivers with his
pace, and recorded a career best 4th overall in New Zealand this year.

Petter said: "I'm really looking forward to getting the chance of a seat with the Subaru team. The last year has been a very useful learning
process for me, I've had a good time at Ford, and I'm very grateful for their assistance, but I think I'm ready now to take on a more
significant role in a team. Perhaps some people may think I'm a bit young to so this, but I'm really not rushing. I'm going to take things calmly,
step by step, get used to the car and make the most of this opportunity. I would also like to say how grateful I am to all my Norwegian
sponsors who have helped me from the day this all started."

Markko Märtin, from Tartu in Estonia, started rallying in the 1994 Estonian Championship. He made his world rally debut in 1997, and despite
having started just 15 world rallies, he has finished in the top-10 on eight of them. Widely acknowledged by other WRC drivers as one to
watch for the future, Markko will continue with the rest of his planned 2000 WRC programme, driving a Toyota Corolla WRC in Cyprus, San
Remo and the GB events, before starting a full season with Subaru in 2001.

Markko said: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to develop my career with the help of Subaru. It's a great honour to be picked to drive for
one of the world's top rally teams. Also I would like say how grateful I am to Toyota for their continued support over the last two years, and
to my long term sponsors, the Estonian Oil Service and Lukoil who have helped me for four years to get where I am today!"

Four time World Champion Juha Kankkunen, who has been a member of the Subaru World Rally Team for the last two seasons, and starts
his 150th world rally in Cyprus next week, is also being offered a role in the team to capitalise on his 21 years of experience.

Subaru World Rally Team Principal, David Lapworth said: "I firmly believe that this driver line-up gives us the strongest team in the World
Rally Championship. It is the perfect combination of the youth and enthusiasm of Petter and Markko, the brilliance of Burns and the
enormous experience of Kankkunen."