Ford to Withdraw from the World Rally Championship at the End of this Season

In a surprise move, Ford of Europe became the second team after MINI in four days to announce a withdrawal from the World Rally Championship (WRC) after the 2012 season.

Ford's motorsport division, in its current form, has participated in the WRC with a full factory-backed team since 1997 in cooperation with Malcom Wilson’s M-Sport.

In a statement, the Blue Oval explained that its decision to leave the series one year earlier than originally planned was made due to the “difficult economic environment” in its European business.

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MINI to Pull Out of the WRC at the End of 2012 Pointing Towards the Financial Crisis as the Reason

Just as suddenly as it entered the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a decades-long hiatus in 2011, the BMW Group's MINI brand is abandoning the sport.

On Friday afternoon, the British carmaker announced that it will terminate its works involvement in the WRC at the end of the 2012 season by withdrawing its financial support for "WRC Team Mini Portugal".

The bad news came from Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management.

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Loeb Wins 9th Consecutive WRC Championship, Citroen Claims 8th Manufacturers’ Title

We bet that rivals of Sebastien Loeb wish that the 38-year old Alsatian hadn’t quit being a gymnast in favor of rally racing in 1995… If he had stuck to his former profession, Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena wouldn’t have done a Michael Schumacher (in his first Formula 1 stint) and dominate the FIA World Rally Championship.

Actually, they have outdone Schumi for they have won the WRC title nine years in a row after winning this weekend’s Rallye de France and helping Citroen secure its eight manufacturers’ title in the WRC.

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This is the Only Hyundai i20 You Really Want to Drive

The Hyundai i20 is fine for what it is – an affordable, "cookie cutter" supermini with an inoffensive design and all the usual amenities you expect from a modern-day model, but it’s not the kind of car that will excite you.

Unless, that is, we're talking about the racing version that made its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show last week and with which, the South Korean automaker will mark its return to the FIA World Rally Championship.

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