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[alpiner]

Mitsubishi više neće učestvovati na Dakaru

Mitsubishi has announced that it has decided to pull out of all cross-country rallying, including the Dakar rally, for financial reasons.

The news comes as another blow to international motorsports. Formula 1 was affected when Honda revealed that they were to withdraw from the sport, while Subaru and Suzuki have decided against entering into future World Rally Championships.

Mitsubishi put its decision down to the current financial crisis.

A statement read: "The sudden deterioration of the global economy made it necessary for the company to focus its resources more tightly."

Mitsubishi has enjoyed great successes in the Dakar rally, taking 12 victories from 26 appearances.

However, this year’s event – staged in South America after the 2008 running was cancelled because of security fears in Mauritania – did not go well for the Japanese company, finishing seventh in the car section.

"Discussions [about their future involvement] were going on before and continuing during the race," Mitsubishi's Adam Sorkin was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

"The decision was finalised today. Basically anything that requires a works or manufacturer-backed team, we're pretty much done. It's going on from 2010. There's no end date in sight."

[memento]

sranje!