Norway’s Mads Ostberg will continue to compete in his Subaru Impreza World Rally Car this season after the collapse of a last-minute deal to enter the S-WRC with a Peugeot.
Ostberg’s Adapta World Rally Team had been in discussions with Peugeot Sport about ending its long-term association with Subaru in favour of an S-WRC cup programme with the French firm’s Super 2000 specification 207.
Both parties reached agreement on the sporting side of the plan after a successful test last week, but budgetary problems later meant the project was abandoned.
Instead, Ostberg and his co-driver Jonas Andersson will remain in the WRC class, tackling up to six events this year in an Impreza run in conjunction with British preparation firm, Prodrive.
"We had a good test, and the planned Peugeot Sport supported program run by PH Sport with my own technicians joining was high standard - it’s a pity that the idea came up so late," explained Ostberg.
"With limited time it was not possible to present a financial program that we could accept. With a little more time with potential sponsors, I believe we could have agreed to run it. We could have been fighting for the Championship with this car, I am convinced. From my side the whole case has been a luxury problem only, I had two good alternatives, and I am happy that we have made the final conclusion. I am looking forward to drive the Subaru in a joint venture program between Adapta and Prodrive. And to be totally honest I must admit that WRC is the ultimate class, where I feel home.”