Chris Atkinson to skip Rally Sweden

Former Subaru works driver Chris Atkinson will not make his return to WRC scene in Sweden, but he is determined to “do his best to make the comeback possible”.

Atkinson was scheduled to take part in Rally Sweden behind the wheel of Subaru Impreza R4. However, financial problems apparently rendered Australian’s plans obsolete and his WRC comeback is postponed.

According to Atkinson’s co-driver Stephane Prevot, lack of budget is the main cause of Australian’s early exit from Sweden. “We don’t have final confirmation from Japan, but Sweden is not going to happen. It seems we don’t have a budget.”

Although Prevot is not optimistic about the chances for successful return, Atkinson still appears to have high hopes, despite the fact that, as Prevot puts it, “he was out of WRC action for three years and in the meantime many young drivers with strong budgets arrived the world’s top rallying category”.