[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[Mirek]

I don't se it as dangerous but for me it's simply ridiculous and stupid idea.

[GravelBen]

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...ates-wrc-teams

Drop this round already.

How dare they have a rally out in the countryside instead of a city!

[T16]

I don't se it as dangerous but for me it's simply ridiculous and stupid idea.

Why? They have to slow for a chicane. Chicanes seem to be riddles with problems. They have the same effect without the hassle, so what's the problem?

[Hartusvuori]

I don't se it as dangerous but for me it's simply ridiculous and stupid idea.

So it's the mindset of slowing down for nothing instead of slowing down for an imaginerary physical object? I hope you all understand why chicanes are there in the first place.

[Tarmop]

A physical chicane, in addition to bringing safety, adds something to the competition...you have to be nimble and presice. I would even prefer if there was compulsory tire change in that spot...something to remind a competition, but just stopping... .

[Mirek]

Why? They have to slow for a chicane. Chicanes seem to be riddles with problems. They have the same effect without the hassle, so what's the problem?

Because with physical chicane You actually have to break to go through some given fixed object on the road and do that as fast as possible. It's not possible to do that with virtual chicane. You can't make them all brake on the same spot. How would that work? In my understanding You can get some signalization to slow down on certain speed but for that You need to give also some time window do so which means the virtual chicane is not a fixed obstacle but a variable one. It can work on very long boring straights but for what? There's no danger there. You usually need the chicane to be at some very dangerous spot but on such place You usually don't have the luxury to create a 100 meters long zone in which they need to slow down because You would need to give the signal for example in the middle of the turn which is of course bullshit and a dangerous one on top.

Also how do You give the crew the information that it slowed down enough? In a real chicane it's clear. You either pass clear or don't pass and You need some skill to do so. Nothing to argue about (with proper rules not those which are present in WRC). But with a virtual chicane? Would You give a sound or light signal that the braking was enough and they can accelerate again or how is that supposed to work? This is not an F1 where You simply activate a speed limiter for driving through boxes.

[SubaruNorway]

Would You give a sound or light signal that the braking was enough and they can accelerate again or how is that supposed to work? This is not an F1 where You simply activate a speed limiter for driving through boxes.

It's pretty simple
https://youtu.be/b1Vw9BXDU24

[T16]

Because with physical chicane You actually have to break to go through some given fixed object on the road and do that as fast as possible. It's not possible to do that with virtual chicane. You can't make them all brake on the same spot. How would that work? In my understanding You can get some signalization to slow down on certain speed but for that You need to give also some time window do so which means the virtual chicane is not a fixed obstacle but a variable one. It can work on very long boring straights but for what? There's no danger there. You usually need the chicane to be at some very dangerous spot but on such place You usually don't have the luxury to create a 100 meters long zone in which they need to slow down because You would need to give the signal for example in the middle of the turn which is of course bullshit and a dangerous one on top.

Also how do You give the crew the information that it slowed down enough? In a real chicane it's clear. You either pass clear or don't pass and You need some skill to do so. Nothing to argue about (with proper rules not those which are present in WRC). But with a virtual chicane? Would You give a sound or light signal that the braking was enough and they can accelerate again or how is that supposed to work? This is not an F1 where You simply activate a speed limiter for driving through boxes.

I think you’re over thinking it. Can’t see why they can’t all just drop to a certain speed within a certain marked area, for a specified distance.
e.g. they all have to drop to 30kph for fifty metres anywhere within a 100m zone.
Modern tech will play a part, no doubt about it.
Regarding their use, I’m not sure if they will play a part in reducing average stage times, slow crews in a particularly dangerous area or possibly both.
Either way, if it increases safety and reduces all the shit and shite that seems to go with a traditional chicane, I honestly can’t see why you or anyone are getting so worked up about it.
Fair enough, be silly enough to watch a stage at that point and you’re losing out, but otherwise... no problem.

[Mirek]

It's pretty simple
https://youtu.be/b1Vw9BXDU24

So basically what I thougt, i.e. something You can hardly put in pacenotes (You know drivers in rally do drive on pacenotes), You need to watch some indication and You need to choose an area which is large enough to allow creation of slowing-down distance, i.e. it absolutely can not be used on all places where chicanes are placed now.

For me this is useful only to slow down the average speed and not the trully dangerous places and that means it has little to no effect on safety.

On top of that it's completely silly to watch as pointed out already.

...and reduces all the shit and shite that seems to go with a traditional chicane...

Isn't it much better to simply create clear rules for chicanes? It does work in some countries like here in CZ if the rules are clear and written black on white. The shit going on in WRC is only a result of non-existing rules.

[Rally Power]

Virtual chicane discussion on twitter https://twitter.com/skunnercampbell/...85691422162944 At least Rich Millener from M-Sport and Iain Campbell of Wales Rally GB are defending them.

Organizers (like Campbell) probably have a very biased opinion on this, as virtual chicanes would be a much easier and cheaper way for them to follow safety guidelines.

We should go back and take a look on why it’s said we need chicanes: a) they’re there to slow down cars in some risky spots; b) they’re there to make stages average speed lower.

In the first case we all know there will never be enough chicanes (physical or virtual) in place to make rally routes totally secure and accidents will continue to happen, even in places that no one thought were dangerous.

The second was already debated after 2017 Sweden and Finland events and the common acceptation is that lowering the average speed with chicanes doesn’t make the stages safer and the average speed limit isn’t by itself a reliable safety indicator.

So, like the current physical chicanes, virtual chicanes would hardly make stages safer but certainly would make the sport looking ridiculous. Let’s avoid it.