Friday 13th December 2013

WRC drive for Robert Kubica

Kubica makes the jump up from WRC2 with Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport team

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Robert Kubica's motorsport resurgence continues! Today it has been confirmed he will race in the 2014 WRC with Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport team following his championship winning WRC2 campaign this year.

Kubica will switch WRC2 DS3 for Fiesta

Under the Lotos World Rally Team with Mikko Hirvonen and Elfyn Evans, Kubica will contest every WRC round in the M-Sport Fiesta. Confirmed drivers in other teams now include Kris Meeke in the Citroen DS3 and Thierry Neuville in the Hyundai i20. Sebastien Ogier will defend his 2013 title in the VW Polo.

Kubica has experience in a WRC car having tested an M-Sport Fiesta last summer and then, erm, crashing a DS3 (twice) on this year's Rally GB. But he outpaced the factory drivers in that 2012 and, as our Time For Tea? indicated, there can be no doubting his pace. Exciting times ahead for the WRC then.

Of the signing, Malcolm Wilson said: "I am thrilled that Robert will be contesting next season... since he burst onto the WRC scene earlier this year, we have been very keen to have him onboard and I think we can expect some great things from him in 2014".

[Source: Autosport, Photos: LAT]

[Frimley111R]

Great to see him back at the top levels of motorsport again and also great to See Kris Meeke up there too.

[zeb]

True....good to see some fresh faces, think meeke has the pace but not sure about kubica

[DubZeus]

4 teams, been a while since that has happened.

[BlackCup]

Loved Kubica in F1 shame he didn't return, best of luck to him!

Matt

[moribund]

Elfyn Evans confirmed too? Awesome!

Shaping up to be a great season.

[TWPC]

Fantastic news. Really looking forward to this season.

If any of the lads were really serious though they'd have changed their first names by deed poll...

Can't believe in this age of the never ending search for the winning ingredient that they haven't done so. The stats are compelling: 14 of the last 20 WRC & F1 championships were called Seb.

[boundary1840]

All we need now is some good UK TV coverage, it might have turned a corner best year for a very long time from the look of it .

[Zajda]

zeb said:

think meeke has the pace but not sure about kubica

If there's one thing he doesn't lack then it's the pace. At Islas Canarias 2013 he pretty much outclassed this year's ERC champ Kopecký on 1st round (then crashed) and believe me, Kopecký is literally manic on tarmac, so that was quite something.
http://www.ewrc-results.com/results.php?e=7307&amp...
Kubica isn't complete rally driver yet, he lacks experience and (sadly) he is basically forced to drive one-handed. But there are moments his raw speed shines through.

Edited by Zajda on Friday 13th December 17:26