[microbunny]

For all the rally fans out there..news is circulating that current Citroen ace and defending WRC champion, Sebastien Loeb may join Ford and contest the WRC2006 title fight in an all-new 2006WRC Focus based on the new MK2 platform.

This guy is a monster of the road and has already established himself as 'The Man To Beat' in current professional rally. He won the whole thing in 2004, setting and shattering record after record, and he now looks on deck to take it all again in what is certain to be the last year for his team and sister team Citroen & Peugeot.

----FROM WRC.COM, FORD RALLYESPORT, AUTOWEEK, RALLY SPORT----

Loeb linked to Ford for '06

Reigning champion and current title favourite Sebastien Loeb could spearhead Ford's renewed assault on the World Rally Championship if Citroen decides not to return to the sport in 2007. The French firm wants to see the future shape of rallying's top level before deciding if its 2005 exit will be long-term or just for one-year.

Loeb is one of four leading drivers - along with team-mate Francois Duval and Peugeot's double world champion Marcus Gronholm and team-mate Markko Martin - who are searching for a drive for next season following the withdrawal of sister companies Citroen and Peugeot at the end of this year. Citroen is contemplating a return if budgets for competing in the WRC can be significantly reduced.

Loeb has admitted that his preferred option would be to drive for a privateer Citroen team if he knew that the marque would be coming back in a works capacity with the all-new C4 in 2007 to retain his long links with the firm. The other possibility for Loeb is a deal with Subaru, but the Frenchman is thought less likely to go for this option as the team is centred around 2003 title winner Petter Solberg.

"I would prefer to stay with Citroen," Loeb told Autosport magazine this week. "It's a little bit like a family, but at the same time it could be an interesting challenge to go to another team. I'm meeting [Ford team boss] Malcolm [Wilson], but I don't want a deal just for next year. I don't think Ford would want me to drive their new car for one year and then leave. It's the same with Subaru. It would be hard to go in there when [Solberg] knows the team and the car, so I'm looking for a longer-term deal."

Ford is building an all-new Focus WRC, based on the new road-going model, for 2006 as part of a renewed commitment to the WRC. Current driver Toni Gardemeister is likely to get one of the seats with the team after some impressive drives this year.

[mo_focus]

well hopefully the second generation will be better then the first and also it has to be better the the citroen, but with both Citroen and Peugeot gone, hehe there wont be anything else to beat. Suburu is just old and slow and i belive mitsubishi is having some money problems.
Peugeot did the same thing back in the 80's with their 205's. they come, they win, and they go.

[K_OS]

OUCH I heard a while back that Peugot was leaving at the end of the year but Citroen leaving as well is a blow to the WRC. There are other company's that are thinking of a possible entry into the WRC in the near future, Toyota is one company that has now freed itself of the burden of running open wheeled racing in NA and will be looking towards either the WRC or dumping more money into there F1 program, Suzuki has been doing extremely well in the lower classes of the WRC now for several years and soon it will get bored of winning in those classes and will be looking for a new challenge, Hyundai will be looking to return to the WRC Junior classes in 2007 or 2008, after the last disastrous outing in the full WRC in 2002 that left Alister McRae without a ride for almost a full season with a new full factory effort Hyundai will probably will probably do what Suzuki did and test there techonology in the Junior classes before promoting itself to the full WRC.

Laterz :)

[crazikev]

whens this stuff on tv? I see it less than darts on tv