WRC future

[the sniper]

If the sport comes down to a level where privateers can afford to run a WRC season, the costs will equally be low enough for manufacturers to have a program for relatively negligible cost. Especially if there's presumably still a market for selling cars to privateers in your scenario. In your doomsday scenario, Formula 1 could be decimated very quickly, but rallying could weather the same storm, as it can theoretically downsize costs very quickly while maintaining a largely similar product.

[Barreis]

but manufacturers don't want that. why to sell the R5 car for 250 000€ as a top car in WRC when you can rent your car for something less money then that (David Richards and Malcolm Wilson invented that). also they want silver rockets as WRC cars.

R5 should be top category with that price

[Franky]

If the sport comes down to a level where privateers can afford to run a WRC season, the costs will equally be low enough for manufacturers to have a program for relatively negligible cost. Especially if there's presumably still a market for selling cars to privateers in your scenario. In your doomsday scenario, Formula 1 could be decimated very quickly, but rallying could weather the same storm, as it can theoretically downsize costs very quickly while maintaining a largely similar product.

In the light of the Renault news, F1 might end up with just Ferrari and Mercedes as factory teams. Haven't been following F1 for some time, so not sure how to classify Alfa Romeo. But F1 really don't rely on manufacturers filling the grid.

Rallying itself would survive, but what I'm more interested in is how will the current crisis affect the manufacturers' involvement. Car manufacturers are in a quite similar situation to the airlines as both are losing money because there are considerably less people buying their products/services. And all the changes in employment will affect the future spendings of people, who will most likely postpone big expenditure. Plus the drop in travel industry will affect car rentals. On top of the drop in sales, there's still the pressure for the manufacturers to make their vehicle fleet greener. And those developments are expensive and different manufacturers are already working together to reduce development costs. Manufacturers also have lots of debt, which needs paying.

We need to keep in mind that big corporations are run by finance guys in the first place and their only aim is to earn profit and spend as little as possible.

Five months ago I would had thought this doomsday scenario is bonkers, but like I wrote in the previous post the world is very different now. And we don't even know when life will be back on normal track.

[Rally Power]

Five months ago I would had thought this doomsday scenario is bonkers, but like I wrote in the previous post the world is very different now. And we don't even know when life will be back on normal track.

Probably Toyota and Hyundai will get over Covid impacts better than any western manu and MSport depends less and less on Ford sake to be at the WRC. The FIA failled to get new manus into the series long before the pandemic (PSA is focused on LeMans/WEC, Skoda is trapped on VW’s electric plan and Subaru is taken an eternity to decide its return) and there was little more to do than getting a compromise with the 3 current manus.

Even if some aspects of that compromise sounds weird (like saving on dampers specs while keeping the expensive GREngines) and there’s no way that 2022 cars will cost €500k like Matton promissed (manus will pay over 100k per car just for the hybrid system), the truth is that the 3 manus agreed on 2022 tech guidelines, so post-Covid savings will likely happen on running costs.

After the announced limitations on major parts replacement, it’s not hard to predict that, as many are already talking, we may end with shorter events or even a smaller calendar. If so, let’s hope those changes can be made in a reasonable way.

[Sulland]

Agreed
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/new-w...CCMKDfL1aPNWxc

Rally should be the motorsport where local lads can compete with (almost) same equipment as the pros, as they now does in wrc2 and 3. The privateers love to beat the factory drivers!

[pantealex]

Agreed
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/new-w...CCMKDfL1aPNWxc

Rally should be the motorsport where local lads can compete with (almost) same equipment as the pros, as they now does in wrc2 and 3. The privateers love to beat the factory drivers!

Basically yes but like in most other sports WORLD level is bit different thing.

[lmmjvss]

My first post in this forum is going to be a pretty weird one but here we go:
Do you think there is a place for these type of cars in WRC? Not the top class, of course. BUT we know these european autocross buggys (in this case it has a co-pilot seat too!) can be as fast as the european/world rallycross cars... SO they are kinda "able" to compete with R5.. maybe? Anyway... any chances in the future?
AND If there IS already a "rally format" series with buggys like this - other than hilclimb - you can send me some links I'd love to! haha Cheers

Random1.jpg

[tommeke_B]

I think one of the strengths of rallying is the close relationship there's always been between cars used in competition and cars sold to the public, even if it's only the looks. I don't think buggy-things belong in rallying, and certainly not in WRC where you need the commitment from manufacturers and big sponsors.

[Zeakiwi2]

Buggies are more a cross country rally vehicle. Cross Karts are more a closed dirt / tarmac track vehicle.

Finnish single seater Cross Kart 2013 on forest track
https://youtu.be/wPXENKf84V8
Depends on local area rules/ insurance / liabilities for used a limited production special vehicle on a public road between stages. The Australian Rally Championship had side by side utilities for a few years.
-----------------------------------------------

The previous space tube frame rally cars were the Group B cars.
Woodner Group B spaceframe 205 history
https://youtu.be/5PGB3l78guM

French get some of the dakar vehicles on french rallies from time to time. (hillclimb with dakar pug in this one)
https://youtu.be/UQKIRajNJPs

Saker tube frame have competed on tarmac rallies.
http://sakersportscars.com/en/home/

The WRC has gone a full circle if the manufacturers tube space frame cars are allowed back again. With the 'cars' allowed to be scaled - they might be considered manufactuers' buggy wrcs?
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/wor...ng-hybrid-2022

Whether the tube cars filter down in lower ranks of stage rallying remains to be seen. The rallycross lites were space frames from Turkey.(Avitas)
https://youtu.be/CUM42CagO3Q

Speed UTV if their initial projects succeed they have plans for an enclosed 2 seater UTV that could be quite suitable for taking part in non-European stage rallying. 300 hp turbo 1000cc on E85, cvt trans, 4wd, tube frame, long travel suspension, HD brakes, full size spare tyre, FIA bag race tank, frame able to separated to service/ remove the engine/ transmission etc
https://youtu.be/mIyWJmyQBgo (very basic prototype sxs utv initial PR display)

[Fast Eddie WRC]

No review of 2022 Rules says Matton:

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/fia-s...deration-calls