[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[the sniper]

Sad to see a move away from production bodyshells... I wonder who pushed for that. Here's hoping we don't get any odd looking 'scaled' cars like the Mustang in Australian Supercars! Standard tire for WRC2 seems like poor idea, could discourage entrants. Standardisation of Hybrid systems is the sensible solution.

[EstWRC]

meh

[erikli2]

Sounds like a good compromise to me. There´s no option than to go hybrid if we want more than 1-2 manufacturers in the championship in the years to come. Not sure about the bodyshell part though.

[doubled1978]

The standard hybrid part is sensible, so it doesn’t immediately turn into an arms race.
The scaled bodyshells bit could be odd, but it depends on each case. I agree the Mustang in Supercars looks weird.

[SubaruNorway]

Does scaled body shells mean that you could take an STI and just make the whole car smaller...?

[doubled1978]

Does scaled body shells mean that you could take an STI and just make the whole car smaller...?

Essentially yes....
The upside to it is that if manufacturers want to promote a model globally that doesn’t fit the regs size wise, they can scale the shell to make it happen. I suppose an example would be Mercedes deciding that after the budget cap in F1, they want to spend a bit of the excess budget rallying, they can use the A45 and make it fit.

[Eli]

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...RReo4b0zeWMEYg

The FIA has confirmed the introduction of a new generation of hybrid powered cars for the 2022 World Rally Championship.

In a raft of decisions coming from World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on Friday, the governing body has also raised the potential for the reintroduction of C segment World Rally cars, as well as a return to a control tyre for a three-year period from 2021 onwards.

The next homologation cycle for the WRC will include common electric motors and batteries for the first three seasons.

But the FIA has now introduced the potential for a second level of hybridisation to be introduced from 2025, which would allow for harvested energy to be used in competition and allow greater technical freedom for competing manufacturers.

The level of technological change - and the amount the teams will be permitted to do themselves - after the first three years will depend on the success of the first period of the hybrid rules.

An FIA statement explained that: "The cars will feature a supplementary hybrid system, to be comprised of common components and software for the first three years, with the potential for more technical freedom in 2025.

"The aim is to enable the cars to run on pure electric power in cities and provide an electric power boost on special stages."

On the subject of the size and shape of the new cars, the FIA statement read: "Manufacturers will be allowed to use a production bodyshell or a prototype tubular structure to current WRC size guidelines, while the FIA is set to define carry-over elements from production vehicles for key visual elements.

"There will also be an option for 'scaling' of the body within prescribed limits, to allow larger cars to comply with dimension targets."
The main field of the WRC will return to a control tyre formula for the first time since 2010, covering the 2021-2024 seasons.

Pirelli was the last single tyre supplier in the series - running from 2008-2010 - but since the start of '11, Michelin has won every round of the world championship except for DMACK's '17 Rally GB success with Elfyn Evans.

The FIA statement explained the move was "to reduce costs by preventing an escalation in tyre development". In other news announced by the WMSC, M-Sport will offer two WRC outings in a Ford Fiesta WRC in a new Junior WRC initiative sanctioned by the FIA.

The current Junior WRC structure will continue for the next two years, with the winner getting a Ford Fiesta R5 plus support package.

In addition, if that driver then wins the following year's WRC2 title, M-Sport will field a Fiesta WRC for them on two world championship rounds.

"To support this programme, M-Sport, in conjunction with Pirelli, has developed a national 'feeder' programme across Finland, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Italy that will allow them to step up into the world stage the following season," the FIA statement explained.

In regards to the 2020 WRC calendar, the schedule has been spiked and will be the subject of an electronic vote before the end of June.

The FIA statement read: "Approval of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship calendar was deferred to the end of June 2019.

In the intervening period it will consider the potential rotation of competitions."

The FIA also confirmed a long-term extension to the current agreement with WRC Promoter.

[Rally Power]

Sad to see a move away from production bodyshells... I wonder who pushed for that. Here's hoping we don't get any odd looking 'scaled' cars like the Mustang in Australian Supercars!

Really sad to imagine this could be the first step for having silhouette WRC cars, based on control chassis…
The possible return of events rotation is also a big surprise. As expected, common hybrid system seems to be a smart move.

[steve.mandzij]

Technically the cars are bound to be really quite interesting with the regs. I am a little skeptical about the prototype shells (particularly with the whole scaling thing, which I find ridiculous), but if the teams are allowed to make bonkers looking cars I'm all for it. Group B had homologation specials but cars like the S4, the 037 and the S1 E2 were crazy looking despite not being nearly at all stock or road relevant. And with the current state of road relevance we've got right now (which is to say, at least aesthetically, not much, and even less in some cases than others) I don't really pity the further loss of it.

Sure enough, maybe I'd like a return to Group A or early WRC levels of similarity, but if the WRC is going to evolve it's cars from what they are now it's a nearer step for them to move towards silhouettes rather than return to the basics (that might sound a little confusing: if road relevance were expressed as a line, and the current WRCs a point on that line, the point would be closer to the silhouette side than the early WRC side, I believe).

[Mirek]

Slowly losing their relationship to road cars altogether. Don’t like that

The ongoing trends in the automotive world go directly against usability of said cars in competition and as such it makes sense to ease the rules to allow the teams to build a rally car no matter what they produce in stock. In the current world it makes sense and I am not against it. I would be against twenty years a go but not in 2019.