End of an Era!

[Trini]

Mitsubishi Done
Mitsubishi will not return to the WRC with a new car. The manufacturer’s decision brings an end to one of the most successful stories the series has ever known, with Tommi Makinen clinching a still-unbroken record of four straight titles from 1996 to 1999.

Mitsubishi was part of the WRC when the series began in 1973, then unexpectedly withdrew at the end of 2005. The break was meant to be a sabbatical while parent DaimlerChrysler sorted out its finances, with a return slated for 2009. But now, company bosses have told the rally team that the withdrawal will be permanent. So far, there has been no official statement.

Since Mitsubishi pulled out of the WRC in a factory capacity, the British-based rally team has entered customer cars occasionally on a privateer basis. Officials from the team hope that some sort of rally activity can be salvaged and are negotiating with senior management in Tokyo.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070821/FREE/70821003&SearchID=73291170446241

:cry:

[4wheeldrift]

When they made the decision to switch from the highly competitive group A cars to a full WRC machine that was when it all went down hill. The company ran into financial problems and was trying to do WRC on the cheap. They never did get the car sorted enough to be really competitive. When Tommi jumped ship that was all she wrote. It just took them 6 years to realize they were done.