Mitsubishi boss quits team

Dauncey will be joining his new employers, who run Britons Alister McRae and Mark Higgins in the Production Car championship, in the position of Operations Director. This advance in his career will provide a new challenge for Derek personally after an impressive 11 year commitment to Mitsubishi and the WRC Team.

“The departure of Derek Dauncey is a huge loss for us,” Mitsubishi motorsport president Sven Quand. “We regret his decision to leave. He has always done an outstanding job for the team and has helped to restructure the new team in recent years. We wish Derek good luck and a happy and fulfilling future for his new challenge.”

Meanwhile, the former multiple World Rally champions are expecting yet another tough outing on this weekend's Cyprus Rally – the first true gravel event of the season. "For the team, this will be another completely different rally and maybe one of the most difficult ones for us," said Panizzi. "We will see. It is going to be hard, especially on such a rough and slow event.”