originally from http://www.rallysport.com/news/wrc/a...s/000488.shtml

Provera said: "We have decided not to keep him any more. He has not performed like we would have wanted. Since he crashed out of Finland he seems to have had a mental imbalance in his mind."

Rovanpera said: "I don't understand this. We had talks in July and there was no problem. Now it looks like I have nothing for next season."

Rising Finn Mikko Hirvonen has been left without a drive as a result of Ford’s cutback for 2004.

Hirvonen contested the full World Championship with Ford in 2003 thanks to a deal between works team M-Sport and Pro Racing, the driver management company run by Timo Jouhki, but Wilson disclosed that there was “nothing concrete” for Hirvonen nor for fellow countryman Jari-Matti Latvala at present.

“We did have discussions with M-Sport, but that is pretty difficult, because of the Ford situation. We are contemplating some kind of programme. Nothing is in line,” Jouhki said.

Latvala will contest the Junior World Championship in Pumas and Fiestas, and may also tackle some events in a Group N car.

The FIA has sent a letter to each World Championship rally organiser warning that “compelling” reasons will be required for waivers from 1000 Pistes-type recces in 2004.

It is therefore all but certain that the revived concept, which has never been applied to World Championship rallies, will be enforced across the board from the Corona Rally Mexico onwards. Only the Rally of Argentina, which will run short of daylight in the southern hemisphere’s winter, seems likely to be granted a waiver. Every organiser was reported to be seeking a waiver.

The theory is that practising and contesting stages on the same day saves time and money. It could lead to the scrapping of recce cars and will reduce the duration of each rally. It will also place increasing emphasis on reliability, because service time will have to be pruned to squeeze the regulation 400 kilometres of stages into three days. 10-minute emergency services are likely to become routine, because flexi-servicing (another new concept, designed to limit the number of mechanics) will require re-groups that extend the standard 20-minute service to more like an hour.

The FIA is pressing on in the teeth of widespread criticism of the 1000 Pistes idea. The doubters believe that competitors practising while spectators simultaneously seek vantage points will lead to chaos and that the delayed start a morning recce requires will derail attempts to make rallying media friendly. There are concerns that television coverage will be badly affected, and that a heavy reduction in service time will lead to more retirements and thus to processional rallies. Others believe that emergency servicing will reduce the spectator appeal of the main service area. It isn’t clear whether emergency servicing will be permitted at the service area.

“We don’t have a problem with a 10-minute service out in the field, but I would hate for it to be like that on every rally,” Ford rally team director Malcolm Wilson said.

His Citroen Sport counterpart Guy Frequelin has reiterated his opposition to a ban on recce cars.

However, it is now expected that the FIA World Council will approve the new rules on Friday, and that they will have to be seen to fail publicly and repeatedly before they are scrapped.

Richard Burns is coping well with the treatment for his brain tumour. That's the view of the Englishman's long-time co-driver and friend Robert Reid.



Reid visited the 2001 world champion last week and spent some time with_him.



"Richard remains strong and positive," he said. "He is finding the treatment quite tough, but the_doctors are happy."



Burns, who was diagnosed with the_astrocytoma tumour after falling ill during the run-up to_Wales Rally GB in November, will not be able to compete in the 2004 WRC while he recovers. His place at Subaru - the team_Burns was due to_return to after two years with Peugeot - is likely to go to former Subaru ace Colin McRae, although the team have yet to confirm or deny that a deal has or will be done.


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