[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

Richard Burns foundation, new release of website:

www.richardburnsfoundation.com

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Originally Posted by RS

Autosport report that Toyota started testing their WRCar, but that it probably won't debut until 2016. Or 2017 when the "new rules" come. What are these new rules?

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And Motorsport Italia doing the testing......... Hmmm. At least Sarrazin is a bonus, along with Lindholm.

Vw to run their 2015 Polo towards the end of this year, to get a head start on the next..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113013

How can they run paddle shift, seeing how much fuss there was about Kubica's system?

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Originally Posted by Allyc85

Vw to run their 2015 Polo towards the end of this year, to get a head start on the next..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113013

How can they run paddle shift, seeing how much fuss there was about Kubica's system?

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In the face of current regulations - they can't.

It must be a mistake by the writer, maybe VW is re-designing their gearshift lever to something like in P208 R2 which is quite close to paddle shift even it is a sequential...

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Originally Posted by Juha_Koo

In the face of current regulations - they can't.

It must be a mistake by the writer, maybe VW is re-designing their gearshift lever to something like in P208 R2 which is quite close to paddle shift even it is a sequential...

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Or perhaps manufacteurs know something we dont.

On Rally Emotion there's more news about today's Toyota tests: http://www.rallyemotion.it/8886_wrc-...-debutto-gara/

Seems that also Kubica has been walked away from test road and an helicopter flew over the road, but the team completely covered the service area...

It's kind of a spy-story! :D

Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motors' president, wants to hear messages that fans want Toyota to challenge the WRC again. Let's sign the petition!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/f...-toyota-in-wrc

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Originally Posted by Francis44

Or perhaps manufacteurs know something we dont.

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So, it indeed appears that VW is pushing for paddle shift to be allowed for 2015. They have marketing interests at stake due to DSG gearboxes.

Not a good idea in my opinion, costs will rise again and 1,6L WRCs lose one of their key "idea", the sequ-gearbox...

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Originally Posted by Juha_Koo

So, it indeed appears that VW is pushing for paddle shift to be allowed for 2015. They have marketing interests at stake due to DSG gearboxes.

Not a good idea in my opinion, costs will rise again and 1,6L WRCs lose one of their key "idea", the sequ-gearbox...

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On the other hand even "cheap" R3 cars are allowed to have paddles (not hydraulic though). Pneumatic ones are used in DS3 R3 and were homologated also for Civic R3 but they are not used there for reliability reasons (JAS guy told me once on Barum).

Have costs come down for paddle shifters from when they were banned? Or are paddles simply inherently expensive to build and maintain?