Stopt Sainz???

[Werner333]

Double World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz has admitted that he is no closer to knowing what car he will be driving in the 2003 World Championship and that retirement is at least a possibility.

“You can never be confident,” Sainz stated. “I hope to know something before Australia. It is not good to be in the situation where you don’t know what you are going to do. I am still waiting an answer from Ford. It seems they are really struggling to put something together.”

Sainz is aware that the prospects of returning to Subaru are not encouraging. In the absence of a Ford offer, joining Hyundai remains a possibility.

Bron: http://www.worldrallynews.com

Misschien goed voor Duval en/of Loix, maar het zou toch een verlies zijn.

[Bart]

Carlos Sainz took a step closer to securing a drive in next year's World Rally Championship when he tested Citroen's Xsara World Rally Car in southern France yesterday.

The two-time world champion's prospects for 2003 had looked bleak when current employers Ford adopted a youth policy for its WRC campaign, with Markko Martin and Francois Duval leading the team next year.

A proposed move to Hyundai then came to nought, but it looks encouraging for Sainz that he could be joining Sebastien Loeb and Colin McRae – Sainz's team-mate at Ford and Subaru – in a possible three-car attack for Citroen's first full season in the WRC.

Sainz's co-driver during the test was Marc Marti, who read pacenotes for Sainz in Rally Catalunya earlier this year when regular co-driver Luis Moya was injured in a testing accident. Marti was also co-driver for Jesus Puras when the Spaniard drove for Citroen in 2001.

( Bron: wrc.com )

[schumivill]

Aléé,ga mijn steentje Engels bijdragen,

It appears as if Carlos Sainz has found his niche for the upcoming 2003 WRC with reports that the Spaniard is due to be announced as a full time driver for Citroen, joining former Ford man Colin McRae. Citroen are planning to put up a strong challenge next season as they go head to head with fellow French manufacturer, Peugeot.

Bron:Rally-Live.com

[Werner333]

Sainz splits with co-driver Moya

Long partnership comes to an end

The longest-running partnership in World Rally Championship history has come to an end after Carlos Sainz's co-driver Luis Moya announced his decision to quit in the wake of the Spaniard's deal to drive for Citroen in 2003.

Moya's reasons are financial. He claims that his salary would have been cut in half at Citroen from what he earned at Ford.

"We haven't been able to agree on a financial package," Moya told the Spanish press. "I've never been the best paid co-driver and I've never looked to be, but I'm not going to co-drive at any price. I don't see why I should be paid the same as a co-driver at Skoda."

In 14 years, Sainz has competed in 165 world championship rallies, only four of them without Moya by his side. Their 24 victories makes Moya the most successful co-driver in WRC history.

"The split hurts and the same is true for Carlos," Moya added. "I know that I will never win a world rally again. But I'm going to think about my two children and my future."

His replacement will be Marc Marti, who partnered Sainz in his first test for Citroen earlier this week. The veteran's deal with the French make has yet to be announced officially.

Bron: http://www.autosport.com