[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[Rallyper]

One only have to get used to the new. It takes a while. Then it´s nothing.

Like changing your officeroom to second floor ... from first or the other way around.

[Rally Power]

But that Fia acknowledges a miss with R4, and will make a less expensive new R3 class with 4wd, is for many more youngsters more important.

The article seems a bit vague on that. It’s known the FIA was working on the renovation of current R1, R2 and R3, but it’s hard to believe they’ll bin the new R4 after taking so long to sort it out.

If this renaming is going to happen I see it more like this:
R1: current WRC; R2: current R5; R3: current R4 (Kit Oreca); R4: mix of current R2 and R3; R5: sort of current R1+ or R2-.

Hopefully, they’ll also give a number to RGT and end having 6 classes rather than 5.

[Mirek]

That's is all just a waste of energy which shall be spent on solving real problems. They can start with having a look on the aging 2WD car fleet and think why they have not introduced proper R2T rules already few years a go. The most popular rally class is using old and largely outdated cars and engines. That's the real problem and not how those cars are named.

[Mirek]

Word is that one R2 is finally about to come early next year. Nothing in R3 AFAIK.

[AndyRAC]

Follow the Sportscar example; LMP1, LMP2, etc so you could have WRC1, WRC2, WRC-GT,

And I'd agree with Mirek about the outdated cars & engines......Small 1.0 Litre turbocharged engines are getting more popular; why not a category/ class for them?

Additionally, I'd like to see a proper 2WD class, but I'll keep dreaming...

[Mirek]

I think that there is a lot of stock cars with their potential for use in rallying completely ignored (and which are moreover produced by traditional rally-affiliated manufacturers). I mean mainly a whole army of hothatches which only need rules to make them eligible. Is writting a rulebook for them really harder than to convince manufacturers to build special cars like Adam R2 which has very little common with the stock product? Isn't it easier to take a stock hot hatch and with a rather small effort make it a sort of gr.N rallycar?

Of course I do rememeber the fail of Renault with Megane RS but that was only because the car was put in the same class as the 4WD cars. Wouldn't it be better if it was racing against Golf GTI or Civic Type-R?

Some of You may say that I'm going against my own arguments from the past when I was refering about a potential new gr.A as about a nonsense. I still do. The key is that here I don't mean a top class in the sport. In the lower classes there shall be a natural will to use everything what is freely available on the market.

[KiwiWRCfan]

Japanese website gives potential order of 2019 Calendar as follows.
MC SWE MEX CHI ARG POR ITA FIN TUR GER AUS ESP JAP WAL
link to article https://www.as-web.jp/rally/397349?all
I would view it as just rumor until we see something official

[Rallyper]

I think that there is a lot of stock cars with their potential for use in rallying completely ignored (and which are moreover produced by traditional rally-affiliated manufacturers). I mean mainly a whole army of hothatches which only need rules to make them eligible. Is writting a rulebook for them really harder than to convince manufacturers to build special cars like Adam R2 which has very little common with the stock product? Isn't it easier to take a stock hot hatch and with a rather small effort make it a sort of gr.N rallycar?

Of course I do rememeber the fail of Renault with Megane RS but that was only because the car was put in the same class as the 4WD cars. Wouldn't it be better if it was racing against Golf GTI or Civic Type-R?

Some of You may say that I'm going against my own arguments from the past when I was refering about a potential new gr.A as about a nonsense. I still do. The key is that here I don't mean a top class in the sport. In the lower classes there shall be a natural will to use everything what is freely available on the market.

Why doesn´t Adam fit in your arguments for stock cars? You more look at Adam as made special for rallying? Then you know maybe inside info from Opel company board?

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Pity we cant have 4WD Audi S1 vs Focus RS vs Golf R instead of ancient Evos...

[GravelBen]

Pity we cant have 4WD Audi S1 vs Focus RS vs Golf R instead of ancient Evos...

DSC_4709 by Ben, on Flickr

AP4 has one out of three at least!



all three if Polo and Fiesta will do instead of Golf and Focus. Plus Mazda, Toyota, Holden, Hyundai etc... not production cars though.