Rally1 hybrid cars (2022-)

[AnttiL]

With all this talk about how the Rally1-cars are like the Rally2-cars but with more power, a bit more aero and the hybrid-element...

Wouldn't it make more sense in the long term for the teams to have the developing drivers do more time driving Rally2? No center-diff or active diffs, less aero, 5-speed with stick... Especially Oliver Solberg, but also Katsuta.

Yes, especially for Solberg it didn't make much sense to "learn" the current WRC cars. However for Katsuta, I think the problem is that they don't have Toyota's Rally2 car...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Seems the Hyundai Rally1 really is still far behind the others.

The drivers are struggling with their hybrid system, plus they havent even got the test car with its new body and full aero fitted which will still need testing.

Huge work to do to he ready for Monte Carlo 2022, never mind testing it enough to be reliable ... tick, tock.

[SubaruNorway]

With all this talk about how the Rally1-cars are like the Rally2-cars but with more power, a bit more aero and the hybrid-element...

Wouldn't it make more sense in the long term for the teams to have the developing drivers do more time driving Rally2? No center-diff or active diffs, less aero, 5-speed with stick... Especially Oliver Solberg, but also Katsuta.

The young drivers might also, in the long term, be a better choice due to how easy or hard it might be to cope with how to use the hybrid-system. Sordo, due to his age, might not clic that fast despite his experience. But I might be wrong.

Oliver is probably the one that has tested the hybrid the most from what i heard, so he will be fine

[mknight]

His point was that it might have been better to drive Rally2 than to "waste time" learning current WRCs that don't have much common with new cars.

I agree with that. Especially if it's only for an event or two, like that whole tarmac session (test+Alba+test+Spain).

[Rally Hokkaido]

In case you haven't looked at Dirt Fish, today. They have a report on Sebastien Loeb testing the Ford Puma in Spain on Tuesday: https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/loeb-...puma-in-spain/ EDIT: See WRC Testing thread for pix

[Mackie]

Oliver is probably the one that has tested the hybrid the most from what i heard, so he will be fine

Yes, I think he will take to that system just fine. It's the other parts of the car that I think he would have gained more from driving the R5/Rally2 some more.

[mknight]

Solans on driving current WRC car:
(from https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/how-a...his-wrc-debut/ )

"This however was not the hardest thing for Solans to adapt to. He believed finding the correct set-up – with so many diff maps, damper clicks and so on available – “was quite difficult”.

“It takes a lot of time, a lot of stages, a lot of new tries every service,” he said."

[Mirek]

Solans on driving current WRC car:
(from https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/how-a...his-wrc-debut/ )

"This however was not the hardest thing for Solans to adapt to. He believed finding the correct set-up – with so many diff maps, damper clicks and so on available – “was quite difficult”.

“It takes a lot of time, a lot of stages, a lot of new tries every service,” he said."

There was a nice article from Anthony Warmbold on his blog about the alchemy of the active diffs and how easy it was to fuck it up. Good read for people who don't know
http://wrcbehindthestages.blogspot.c...ravaganza.html

[Yugo_para_siempre]

I was reading the following from CAR.


"The new car doesn’t share much in common with the Puma road car, however. The new Rally1 rules mean that, for the first time, very few parts of the bodyshell need to be shared with the production car. Only the bonnet, windscreen, tailgate and roofskin need to be carried over, allowing a great deal of freedom with the car’s structure and aerodynamics.

‘The biggest thing [for this project] is that we’re not using a production-based bodyshell,’ says M-Sport director (and former professional rally driver) Malcolm Wilson. ‘We’re usually starting with cutting sheet metal. It’s exciting.’

Part of the reason for moving away from production-based bodyshells is to enable greater safety for the driver and co-driver: the seats have been moved inwards and there is extra protection built into the cockpit’s structure to protect against side impacts."


So this will be the 1st time after Group B that the bodyshell will not be gotten from an actual production car?
This is the reason that this Puma is so much more elegant and compact than the production one.

But is this choice more expensive than to use a bodyshell from an actual production car?

[Mirek]

I was reading the following from CAR.


"The new car doesn’t share much in common with the Puma road car, however. The new Rally1 rules mean that, for the first time, very few parts of the bodyshell need to be shared with the production car. Only the bonnet, windscreen, tailgate and roofskin need to be carried over, allowing a great deal of freedom with the car’s structure and aerodynamics.

‘The biggest thing [for this project] is that we’re not using a production-based bodyshell,’ says M-Sport director (and former professional rally driver) Malcolm Wilson. ‘We’re usually starting with cutting sheet metal. It’s exciting.’

Part of the reason for moving away from production-based bodyshells is to enable greater safety for the driver and co-driver: the seats have been moved inwards and there is extra protection built into the cockpit’s structure to protect against side impacts."


So this will be the 1st time after Group B that the bodyshell will not be gotten from an actual production car?
This is the reason that this Puma is so much more elegant and compact than the production one.

But is this choice more expensive than to use a bodyshell from an actual production car?

Yes, the cars use space frame and no, it's not more expensive. In my opinion it is actually much better option for the teams because they can do what they want without asking modifications of stock production which is incredibly expensive and time consuming process.

Another reason why it is a very good thing is that there is less and less suitable stock cars for building a rally car. With the new rules every car manufacturer is allowed to build a WRC car no matter what it sells.