Colin McRae's world championship bid next year could end up in smoke after hints that his Subaru team's long-time sponsor, cigarette company 555, is ready to scale down its rally involvement. The cash will be going to the fledgling British American Racing team, led by Falkirk's Craig Pollock.
The new Formula One team, financed by British American Tobacco, is reputed to be devouring #50m, and BAT's Lucky Strike brand has already been forced out of motorcycle racing to underpin the F1 assault.
While rumours 555 would pull out have been circulating, Dave Richards, head of Prodrive which prepares McRae's Subaru Impreza, confirmed yesterday as he watched Colin McRae start his assault on the Argentina Rally: ''555 have made us an offer for 1999 but it doesn't come up to the previous levels.''
Unlike Formula One, in which the teams are utterly dependent on sponsors' cash, the rally teams are believed to be financed by the manufacturers to around 80% of the total budget.
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