Mitsubishi set to announce return!

[Zytek_Fan]

After taking a year out in 2006, Mitsubishi are set to announce a return to the World Rally Championship in 2007 with a two car team running in the Manufacturer Two category.

Although there has yet to be any official confirmation from Mitsubishi Motorsport, rallye-magazin.de reports that Finn Toni Gardemeister will lead the team in its return to WRC competition, with Khalid Al Qassimi – the 2005 Middle East Rally Champion – stepping up to the WRC as his team-mate.

Mitsubishi elected to withdraw from WRC competition at the end of 2005 despite some impressive performances at the wheel of the Lancer WRC from both Gigi Galli and Harri Rovanpera, with the plan appearing to be to return in 2008.

However, some impressive performances from the Lancer in privateer hands – notably in Sweden when Daniel Carlsson and Galli finished third and fourth – appear to have persuaded Mitsubishi to bring its return forward.

The '05 specification Lancer is set to be used for the opening events of the season before the introduction of a new '07 version later in the year. It is also expected that the team will not compete in the four non-European events on the 2007 calendar in Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan.

[h00t_h00t]

They aren't competing in the Japanese rally? Isn't that like Ferrari refusing to race in Italy?

[2ndclasscitizen]

Will the new 07 car be based on the new model Lancer just announced? Or still on the current bodyshell?

[Zytek_Fan]

Originally Posted by 2ndclasscitizen

Will the new 07 car be based on the new model Lancer just announced? Or still on the current bodyshell?

Not entirely sure, but I am pretty certain they'll use the new bodyshell and base it around the WRC05 chassis

[F1_Master]

That's my guess as well. We haven't seen the final Evolution yet, have we? I think we've only seen the base Lancer which screams Volvo from the front.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Originally Posted by F1_Master

That's my guess as well. We haven't seen the final Evolution yet, have we? I think we've only seen the base Lancer which screams Volvo from the front.

I think seeing that the new Lancer looks like that, the new EVO will look quite a bit like the Concept X

[Ferrer]

It's easy to change bodypanels, what is underneath is what's iomportant. IIRC Ford did the same with the transition from Focus Mk I to Focus Mk II, altough admiteddly the Fords were more similar than the new and the old Lancer.