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Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sport has withdrawn from the final six rounds of the World Rally Championship, but says it will return to the series in 2005 and '06. Mitsubishi has admitted the need to spend more time developing its Lancer WRC, and its last WRC round of 2004 will be next month's Rallye Deutschland. Of course, that also has the benefit of keeping the team from under-performing on home soil when the WRC runs in Japan for the first time in September….
"We have to consider how best to optimize our resources and find our way back to the enormous success we have had in previous years," said Akira Kijima, Mitsubishi Motors managing director.
"We started this season with a three-year plan,” said Sven Quandt, president of MMSP. “The first year with the new car back in the World Rally Championship was mainly focused to develop our new Lancer WRC. To pull out from the whole championship for the rest of the season gives us the possibility to further develop our car with all the experience we have gained since the Monte Carlo Rally this year, where we finished on sixth place."
"We have to consider how best to optimize our resources and find our way back to the enormous success we have had in previous years," said Akira Kijima, Mitsubishi Motors managing director.
"We started this season with a three-year plan,” said Sven Quandt, president of MMSP. “The first year with the new car back in the World Rally Championship was mainly focused to develop our new Lancer WRC. To pull out from the whole championship for the rest of the season gives us the possibility to further develop our car with all the experience we have gained since the Monte Carlo Rally this year, where we finished on sixth place."
