We will believe when we will see it. Dacia, Skoda, Hyundai & Lancia already claiming they will not build new car. So who's next? Subaru, M-Sport, Lynk&Co
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We will believe when we will see it. Dacia, Skoda, Hyundai & Lancia already claiming they will not build new car. So who's next? Subaru, M-Sport, Lynk&Co
I have for many years in here said that we need another group B to Group A transformation.
Manufacturer rally has become too expensive and is very limiting for new talents, due to too few seats in total, and big cooperations keep it safe, with the experienced boys.
I have been fought in here from people that like manufacturer involvment and feel that that is the only way ahead.
The manufacturer map look very much different today than 10-15 years ago, and we now have very few boardmeetings that control the whole car business. Therefore much less possibilities for many teams. And that trend will not stop.
Going back to the most fun period of world rally championship, after Group B was killed off after 86. A few years later the UK and french motorsport industri started to move. And privat teams started to appear, that fought the manufacturers direct.
Hopefully something like that could happen again. Rally will never be like F1, rally in my head is the maverick of motorsport, and FIA cannot put it into the Racing envolope.
I am hoping cost and tech will be pushed back, and driver talent be put to the front.
Us fans and the drivers love to look at and drive Escorts BDAs, BMW M3s and older historic cars. Cars that are hard to drive in the bends, and are driver cars!
if they start up going 3 sec per km ss in the beginning, is ok. Development will happen, but jokers need to be controlled, also to keep cost down, and fun car control up!
+100Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland
Always wanted this, bcs the sport has evolved way beyond its heritage.
On paper I agree with you. Unfortunately, it seems that instead of passing from group B to group A, they want to pass from group B to group S. Actually even worse, at least group S was supposed to have street versions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland
The problem is that the pool of available and suitable new cars for rallying is small. I don't know how long would Rally2 last as top class (which is more like WRC regs than group A regs), then we'd be left with smaller, less powerful classes. And I imagine that manufacturers would still need to homologate the eventually new Rally3, Rally4, Rally5 to sell to the public, even without a manufacturer team.
For a handful of years it would be okay. But then we have to accept that rallying will become less professional, with slower and less spectacular cars (apart from historic), and interest will drop, we might not get Rally TV anymore, maybe not even WRC, just ERC. If there are no other solutions, to me it's acceptable, it just means WRC has run its course. Some probably prefer the made up funnymobiles with Fabia parts photoshopped on.
If drivers are topnotch, the interest is still there, even if everyone drive Fabia 2WD.
However if top class would be WRC2, with Rally2+ cars it would still attract spectators, believe me.
It's the big question and an existential problem... what is rallying for in the future ?
In the past it was to sell road cars. To prove your brand's cars had speed, quality and reliability. Most rally cars had a very close road-car relative, even if the rally car was just looking quite the same. And performance cars were fast saloons and hatchbacks, any other proper off-road 4x4s weren't for speed.
Now the market has changed. The hot-hatch has almost died out and people want (or are sold on) big SUVs or cars with loads of luxury and tech. How can these be proven by rallying ? Answers on a postcard...
I would still be interested with 2WD Fabia and Clio. But some fans who like flashy spectacular driving more than actual cars, they might not agree. We can hope the interest will not go down too much.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
With Rally2, we'd get some very nice competition years, no doubt. But I don't know how long it will last, I don't think many manufacturers are interested in making expensive Rally2 cars, with similar regs to old WRC cars.
Toyota (?) testing in Algarve with brand new car:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17x...ibextid=wwXIfr
Might be celica ideed like user gigigalli once said..
Interesting
lol at that rear spoiler
who is driving?
Toyota 2027 champion. That's how things are done. And others... Well others just scratch their heads and don't know what to do.
Also besides that spoiler from animation Cars, the beast actually looks better than yaris. Maybe we would again see different styles. Just hope it will be true that the field will increase.
It doesn't have to be based on production car anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by TypeR
Why would Toyota promote fictional car if they have all possible options for representing their cars in WRC. Literally one of few ones that still do small cars, limousines, big suvs, sports cars... Everything. That option is here to increase interest from tuners, because manufacturers simply don't care about this sport and they needed to do something.
Because they can promote the brand, not just one particular model.
just like these ones:
https://monochrome-watches.com/app/u...ally-car-1.jpg
https://monochrome-watches.com/wp-co...ally-car-6.jpg
One-piece video on here:
https://www.rallye-sport.fr/toyota-e...avec-la-wrc27/
Tom Fowler confirms it's a Toyota WRC27 prototype but not what the car is...
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/toyot...-for-wrc-2027/
Looks more like the promised MR-2 sillhouette wise than a Celica!
So no word who was the driver?
AI gave a clearer version of the prototype in the video:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCG6CrHX...pg&name=medium
It's the Celica and Evans was driving the test car you saw in videos.
Thought I'd seen that shape before..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/388712272...Bk9SR7rRoeSTZw
M-Sport likely to battle on with the revised Fiesta Rally2 until 2028...
“We will only be able to start with the Fiesta Rally2 in 2027,” Millener explains. “I also don’t see us bringing a car to the WRC27 regulations this season; that will more likely be the case in 2028. Because first and foremost, we need to see what the details and future plans of the promoter look like.”
Fiesta Rally2, a beacon of hope
Accordingly, Millener is heavily promoting his customer car, which has been generating less and less revenue in recent months as the competition has overtaken it: “Our Fiesta Rally2 has been further developed. In Sweden, Romet Jürgenson was the only non-Toyota driver to set a WRC2 best time. In the upcoming rounds, we want to demonstrate how well our package compares to the best Toyotas, Lancias, or Skodas. I am convinced of the Fiesta's qualities – both in terms of performance and reliability.”
https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...uto-eher-2028/
This year is the last year when you can homologate Rally2 with current regulations. So it is not about manufacturers interest, beyond this year it will not be possible to homologate new Rally2 car.Quote:
Originally Posted by focus206
today (and for the future) it seems everything is more about about attention and what spaces the promoter/federations can offer to companies to put/sell ads. in their products (circus)... with a decent RoI. "things cant be things anymore, they need to be a platform where companies want to put their ads in exchange for money". maybe not having REDBULL as the promoter could help in that sense? i mean, they dont want much competition, right? heheQuote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
if aston martins are running honda engines, alpine running mercedes and caddilacs running ferraris - theres no point thinking motorsport are about cars and brands anymore. its just marketing =[
I DOUBT there is any Dakar Raptor suspension tech being trasnfered to road cars for when they run around in perfect american/european asphalts
nice new toyota!! bring it to fight against anyone with a yaris, fiesta, fabia, i20, polo, ypslon, c3. looking good already!
just me or it sounds like the 3cyl engine?
It is the Rally2 engine, so three cylinders.Quote:
Originally Posted by saco0o
I'm must admit I think it looks hideous, proportions are off and the thing looks about as fat as a Erwin Wurm Porsche.
I agree after the initial plessant surprise of it being revealed.Quote:
Originally Posted by becher
It's a 'coupe', but with that bulbous cabin and high roofline and boxy arches, it doesn't look nice at all.
mine is more like a question of if the manufacturers would actually be interested to build cars with regs similar to Rally2 in the future...Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
I think they want to replace Rally2 cars with WRC27 or whatever it will be called, I mean, it's their goal. But I don't know what will then they do with WRC2, WRC3, JWRC in a few years.
This is nothing new, M-Sport told it before they will not do new car for next year. I expect nobody will have new car on beginning of 2027 except Toyota who is working on the car for more than one year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
That's more a question for the new promoter.Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
Especially without the camoflague...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCKwP9Va...jpg&name=small
But this is 3 months further on and they've still not even decided if they'll build a car at all. They're re still waiting on the new Promoter's plans which could be another few months. And then they have to decide if it's going to be their own car or a Manufacturers and only then start to design, build and test it ! The start of 2028 looks to be a push at that rate.Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
Mad when you think the boss of M-Sport is also the Deputy President for the body that is in conversation with the new promoter. Maybe he's also got a position at the new promoter lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
We will see if there will be new promoter or only new investor...
A new investor without ownership wasn't worth all this charade, and the current promoter was clear it wanted out and has voiced absolutely nothing about the future. A new owner of the current promoter is as good as a new promoter.
If they even have any option at all, that's the question.
If it will be "new owner", but with same people like now and involvement of FIA... ...I am not sure to be a winning combo.Quote:
Originally Posted by WRCStan