WRC main class in 2025

[J4MIE]

That is a good point. Power requirements across the leg of a rally, or even half a leg, are probably quite challenging for current battery technology.

EV technology is still in its infancy, it’ll continue to improve as this is the big thing most folk are fearful of being stranded or having to stop and charge for 2 hours on your way somewhere.

Things will improve, other technology may come along and better it. I’m sure that coming up with engineering solutions to all the problems people complain about isn’t beyond human capabilities.

I remember watching a video of Paddon in an EV a year or two ago and nearly fell off my seat as it was so good to watch. Wow! Bring it on.

[mknight]

Again and again people talk about EVs like it's the year 2010...

Current EVs work just fine in practice (where there is fast-charging infrastructure).

More importantly they also work in a rally as Baumschlager has repeatedly demonstrated. For rally you obviously take the infrastructure with you (a few charging trailers with battery packs, enough for those 10 or so top cars).

People tend to forget that a rally car might use upto 1L of petrol per stage km and need a lot of refueling zones between stages.

If anything on some rallies you could have 5-10 min charging stops between stages. Small changes to schedule, sometimes not even that.
Off course there are/were some rallies that have stupid liasons, but those are a problem for other reasons too and sometimes get worked around ( Acropolis and Mexico before that shipping cars on trailers to/from superspecials).

It is all about the will to take a risk. Sure everything might not work immediately and the first rallies might be alien.

[Franky]

More importantly they also work in a rally as Baumschlager has repeatedly demonstrated.

Have they done anything with it after 2021? Just got curious and decided to check but only saw three entries from 2021.

[Kenneth]

Well these cars are being used in World Rallycross, so I guess they focus on that right now and don't really focus on use in rally.

[AndersX]

Actually, good discussions here. Not sure, though, how much of this can get through the FIA info gathering systems ( possibly their media monitor makes some summary from forums - at least it would be smart way to do).

I would say:

- think long term, by introducing EV as alternative championship step by step and switch to it if/when time arrives;

- use Rally2 as massive re-birth of rallying concept where at least 30 cars have the same tech.

- in case of Rally2, Manus teams will be better anyway - testing, engineering potential to find better set ups etc;

- WRC ROI for manus is doubtful today, because of high costs; get to R2, costs will decrease drastically, exposure will be the same, even bigger, car and comp sales will boom, talented guys will be able to perform right from the Day 1.

- drop that hybrid BS - it did not work for street cars, it wont work for rally - mainly because of the price impact. Time for damage control actions.

In conclusion, if FIA has guts and bright minds, it must go R2 for next Gen period till EVs or other alternatives are strong enough. Even if manus are protesting to R2, it would revitalize the rallying concept. Availability, accessability, competition will be good sales points of rallying again.

[fiscorpun]

Dacia may enter Dakar in 2025.
...Type of news that we would like to see in WRC =[

[wyler]

i'm not that optimistic in this rally2 picture...

roi for manus would be the same if the audience will stay the same. and it's a big if. a lot of people on the stage leave after rally1. they ll leave after top driver at best. same as for tv. outside of here (intended as hard-core fan) there could be a drop in interest just because the show is less fun for tv watchers/occasional attendees.

rally2 will equalize competition. would be nice, but i don't buy it. put rovampera vs loubet in a rally and they ll stay the same, they ll not be magically even. top tier drivers will make a difference, and people will get bored following 30 second tier. take erc example: there's competition when drivers are more or less the same level. put in paddon and already there's no chance for championship, there's a battle only when he's cruising for points. and he's not top tier.

private will compete with manus. nah, manus will use all the budget they have to get advantage, in a field or another.

hope to be wrong, anyway...

[lmmjvss]

How about this idea... Tell me if "theres something here" or not.

- New top class to become 2013-16 old wrc specs cars built by Msport, ProDrive and Vermont. Those cars were already so fun to watch, just have these 3 OEMs building them and selling. I THINK this would make it easier AND CHEAPER for people like Petter Solberg, Prokop, Nasser Al Athya, Toksport, Ralliart, Qatar, RedGrey, EKS, to run a "two car team" in the championship's top class. There are rich privateers that would be able to afford this model too, like Fourmaux, Gus, Loubet.. I dont know. But it would OPEN this possibility for more rich privateers to "race on the top world class", stuff that is almost impossible right now. And since WRC is going to "Arab countries" and America, this cheaper formula could also attract teams and drivers from these places. They have a lot of money over there. (Qatar, Emirates...)
I can even see WRC having "only this new top class" instead of having Rally1 AND Rally2. Like, kinda "forcing" more Rally2 riders and teams to get into this new top class, leaving Rally2 for ERC and National series only (not sure about this, just thinking out loud). TO have more classes, WRC could have Rally3 (which sound like a good formula) + those "Race what you bring" class, cuz rally fans love to see those cars, lets be honest.
On top of that, if a manufacturer wants to have a team, they can only enter by building a car on that same 2013-16 specs AND CAPED ON BUDGET - for them to be on the same level as the costumer/privateers like them or not - but on electric or hydrogen engines! That would also open some conversations with renault and their R5 3e, or conversations with Kressel and their electric engine KIT. Toyota could make their Hydrogen car... heck, or even SPARK and Williams could build a Hydrogen car. Idk, it opens the top class for stuff like that and its a relative cheaper spec, right? I mean... I think it is.... do you think theres something in this idea? Or its a NO NO haha

Then we gotta start changing the weekend format, of course. Points per LEG/day, no more power stage points, changing the time between cars cuz fans are already waiting too much to see cars (ok, sfety and visibility play a role here), gotta change sometihing regarding where and when cars are fixed (giving more importance to service park. It also gotta be more open), then we gotta start changing the package sold to TV/Cable and on Youtube, cuz 3 day highlights are WAY TOO MUCH for WRC to grab attentions. I like the 22 to 40min full highlights of the weekend, with WAY LESS stage-end interviews cuz thats sooo boring and we KNOW we only waiting for someone to say something interesting, which happens ONCE per weekend haha Maybe something more close to those "bloopers" from Dirt Fish ON THESE 20 to 40 min highlights. Idk... I just want things to improve

[becher]

How about this idea... Tell me if "theres something here" or not.

- New top class to become 2013-16 old wrc specs cars built by Msport, ProDrive and Vermont. Those cars were already so fun to watch, just have these 3 OEMs building them and selling. I THINK this would make it easier AND CHEAPER for people like Petter Solberg, Prokop, Nasser Al Athya, Toksport, Ralliart, Qatar, RedGrey, EKS, to run a "two car team" in the championship's top class. There are rich privateers that would be able to afford this model too, like Fourmaux, Gus, Loubet.. I dont know. But it would OPEN this possibility for more rich privateers to "race on the top world class", stuff that is almost impossible right now. And since WRC is going to "Arab countries" and America, this cheaper formula could also attract teams and drivers from these places. They have a lot of money over there. (Qatar, Emirates...)
I can even see WRC having "only this new top class" instead of having Rally1 AND Rally2. Like, kinda "forcing" more Rally2 riders and teams to get into this new top class, leaving Rally2 for ERC and National series only (not sure about this, just thinking out loud). TO have more classes, WRC could have Rally3 (which sound like a good formula) + those "Race what you bring" class, cuz rally fans love to see those cars, lets be honest.
On top of that, if a manufacturer wants to have a team, they can only enter by building a car on that same 2013-16 specs AND CAPED ON BUDGET - for them to be on the same level as the costumer/privateers like them or not - but on electric or hydrogen engines! That would also open some conversations with renault and their R5 3e, or conversations with Kressel and their electric engine KIT. Toyota could make their Hydrogen car... heck, or even SPARK and Williams could build a Hydrogen car. Idk, it opens the top class for stuff like that and its a relative cheaper spec, right? I mean... I think it is.... do you think theres something in this idea? Or its a NO NO haha

Then we gotta start changing the weekend format, of course. Points per LEG/day, no more power stage points, changing the time between cars cuz fans are already waiting too much to see cars (ok, sfety and visibility play a role here), gotta change sometihing regarding where and when cars are fixed (giving more importance to service park. It also gotta be more open), then we gotta start changing the package sold to TV/Cable and on Youtube, cuz 3 day highlights are WAY TOO MUCH for WRC to grab attentions. I like the 22 to 40min full highlights of the weekend, with WAY LESS stage-end interviews cuz thats sooo boring and we KNOW we only waiting for someone to say something interesting, which happens ONCE per weekend haha Maybe something more close to those "bloopers" from Dirt Fish ON THESE 20 to 40 min highlights. Idk... I just want things to improve

OEM = original equipment manufacturer i.e. a car manufacturer not a rally team/engineering company running old cars.

[seb_sh]

Toyota showed a hydrogen prototype concept at Le Mans and dropped hints it wants hydrogen in the WRC too. I'd much rather have hydrogen than electric tbh.

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/toyot...en-wrc-future/