Australian Rally Championship regular, Will Orders, has withdrawn from this year’s championship, with his car now being converted into a tarmac racing car.
Orders, who was contesting this year’s championship in an Impreza WRX owned and run by Michael Thompson, will now sit out the rest of the championship.
Team owner, Michael Thompson, has stated commercial reasons for the team’s withdrawal from the championship.
“There simply isn’t enough sponsorship money coming in to run the team,” Thompson told RallySport Magazine. “At the moment I’m funding two-thirds of the team, with sponsorship making up the other third, so it’s just not a viable option.”
Thompson added that with no factory drive on offer for Orders at the end of the year, no prospects of major sponsorship and no prizemoney in the Australian Championship, he saw little reason to continue with the team’s 2007 program.
“It costs around $20,000 per event to run the ARC, and I’ve got to the stage where I’m not willing to foot most of the bill myself,” Thompson said.
“At the start of the year we nearly lured a multi-national major sponsor, which would have enabled us to run a two-car team with Will Orders and Dean Herridge, but unfortunately we couldn’t get that over the line.”
The team’s disappearance from the championship may not be the last high profile departure this year, with Dean Herridge confirming recently that he’s no certainty to contest any further events after this weekend’s Toyota Kluger Rally of South Australia.
Herridge said that his chances of contesting the final two rounds of the championship depend on what result he achieves this coming weekend.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
RallySport Magazine Subscription
Select Subscription Level
Select Subscription Length
Recurring Subscription Cost
A subscription to RallySport Magazine give you access to all our rally
content from Australia, New Zealand and around the world – with news,
features and experiences nobody can match.
Our team are dedicated to providing an unrivalled experience which
shares, supports and promotes the sport of rallying.
By clicking "Subscribe Now" you agree to receive news, offers and updates on RallySport Magazine.
If you do not wish to receive marketing communications, you can update your preferences in My Account.
We will commence charging your payment method after the 7 day free trial expires.
If you cancel after expiry of your trial, cancellation will take effect from the end of your current monthly subscription period.
You will not be refunded any fees paid to RallySport Magazine unless otherwise set out in the terms and conditions.
Account Created!
Welcome to RallySport Magazine VIP Membership.
Get ready for your rally news experience to completely transform.
Start browsing news, exclusive VIP content or check out your account.