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Subaru Don't Rule Out 2010 Return

Subaru officials insisted that quitting the World Rally Championship was not meant as a long-term decision and the only reason why the team will not be present in the 2009 roaster was the global economic crisis. However, with the latest cost-cutting measures introduced by the FIA for the 2010 season, there is a very good possibility that the Japanese manufacturer will return to the sport that made Subaru a famous marque worldwide.

“Reaching the decision has been an extremely difficult task, not least because of the countless Subaru fans that have supported our cars for so many years. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for our fans' strong and loyal support worldwide,” said Fuji Heavy Industries' president Ikuo Mori (the company who currently owns Subaru).

“We have achieved our initial objective to improve the brand recognition and given the unprecedented economic deterioration, it was necessary to review our investments, these are the main reasons.”

“The possibility of a Subaru car back in the top category of the WRC in the future is not zero, however for this moment there can be no assumption of a comeback. If we can be allowed, we want to continue - especially for the fans,” added Mori.

In the meantime, Prodrive boss David Richards was left looking for a car supplier ahead of his 2009 campaign in the WRC. However, the British team owner expects his former 'partners' to make a return to the series in 2010, when introducing the Super 2000 platform should lead to a wave of new manufacturers joining the WRC.

For now, only two manufacturers have remained in the series, Citroen and Ford. The two teams have been dominating the series for the past 3 years and are likely to confirm their presence for next year's campaign.
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