Subaru: Latest changes put focus on engineering.

The Subaru World Rally Team confirmed a number of organisational changes earlier this week, prior to their home event, the Rally Japan, which it is hoped will put a greater 'emphasis on engineering'.

A spokesperson for the Banbury-based squad added to Crash.net that the most important of these alterations, which were revealed on Monday in Tokyo, sees Shigeo Sugaya take over as Manufacturer Principal, Engineering from Toshi Azuma. Azuma has now been given a new role, namely that of Manufacturer Marketing Principal.

In addition to this, the team also has a new chief designer, in the shape of Frenchman Christophe Chapelin, who returns to the team after a spell with Nissan's rally raid/cross country team. Chapelin, who will work under the supervision of Steve Farrell, SWRT's director of engineering, replaces Ed Wood. Wood remains at Prodrive, but is now working on their F1 project.

Hiroshi Mori meanwhile has been given more responsibility - and while he remains as chief engineer for the Impreza road car, he will also assist Sugaya with the responsibility of the World Rally Car design in Japan.

These latest changes follow on from those at the start of the year, which saw David Lapworth replaced as director of the WRC programme by Paul Howarth. All-in-all they can be viewed as a step to try and improve the fortunes of the team, following a less than successful season to date, which has seen the squad fail to match Manufacturer 1 rivals, Kronos Citroen and BP Ford.