DECEMBER 14, 2004

MG Rover bound for DTM?

The word on the street in Germany is that the British car company MG Rover is on the verge of announcing a project to take on Mercedes-Benz and Audi in the DTM. Opel will be present in 2005 but will then depart the series. MG Rover has been keen on competition since it was acquired from BMW by Phoenix Venture Holdings and ran teams at Le Mans and in the BTCC before money problems forced the prrogrammes to be stopped. It seems that the plan to merge the company with China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has opened up the possibility of competition again and the company will go into action in Germany, probably with the Rover brand. The move follows the announcement a few days ago that Brilliance China Automotive is to become the first Chinese automobile maker to compete in an FIA World Championship having secured an entry in the new FIA World Touring Car Championship using its ZhongHua brand.

MG Rover is Britain's last big car maker and has a strong pedigree in motorsport daing back to the 1920s.