New R4 Car - Think Tank

[pantealex]

How long ago was it FIA went for an overprized kit from Oreca, that formed the basis for the new R4 class, not long.
Now we see cars coming on the market, and 2020 is really the first year that teams can plan a season with R4, nationally, regionally, and that now also is allowed in The World Championship rounds.

Suddenly the "old man club" in FIA turn around and put together a new ladder, where it is hard to see where R4 fits in.

My proposal would be
R1 - WRCar
R2 - R5, no factory teams left, so no need for a "Pro" class
R3 - R4 kit
R4 - R3 = new R2 awd
R5 - R2
R6 - R1

All current cars will have to be re-branded with the new R Class, so we do not have two names, one for the class, and one for the car. Not logical!

That in my opinion, makes more sense, and we will have a real logical rally ladder, for all. National, regional and world series!

PS; Agree on that new R3 will not be a gentleman driver class, it will become a class for up and coming talent, that need a cheaper way into awd!

You are always wanting new things before we even have reserved old ones

5 classes is enough, try to forget all others.

R2 4wd is not coming 2020.

[Ricardo Filipe Matos]

R2 4wd? Yes what is needed is more 4wd

[Fast Eddie WRC]

@R4Kit
Six different #R4Kit models already ride in rally! The seventh is coming for soon... We cannot wait and you? #SuzukiSwift

[Damian Baldi]

Beside the cost differences between a R5 or a Maxi Rally and the R4, there is a difference in the concept of each car. The R5 is a car available just one step below the WRC for those whom could pay it. The Maxi Rally is a response to the argentinean needs for an affordable 4WD car in middle of the country realities. But the R4 isn't just a standarized Maxi Rally or a cheaper R5, it is focused on the driver's abilities or skills development (not in his wallet).

As I had read from Javier Castro (from RC Competition), the french engineers that had come to help with the development of the PSA turbo engine of the Maxi Rally, sent the MR idea to Oreca, and then Oreca sent it to the FIA. The FIA called to a licitation (won by Oreca) to develop the R4 concept. Castro said that the Oreca kit isn't just a kit to replace the Maxi Rally, it's a closed package to avoid the development, and it have every measurement and torque documented, the way to build each car and all the homologation information wrote with nothing free to be change (apart from the brand of the dampers you want to use).

The R4 have more electronics than a MR, even it have suspension sensors that I think send the information to the ECU to be recoveded later as data to read. The teams just have to make the car work, and then it's all up to the driver. That's the theorical reading.

I have put my throughts about the Maxi rally on their thread, later you could think about a complot of the FIA to control the market of the kit cars, but that's another story.

[Alpine-110]

What is price of the R4 kitcars new now?

Will ERC make this sole cartype for erc2 for 2021?

[pantealex]

What is price of the R4 kitcars new now?

Will ERC make this sole cartype for erc2 for 2021?

Those cars are now called Rally2+KIT

So far 0 starts in ERC, I don´t make rules but I´m pretty sure that N and R-GT are also allowed in ERC2 for 2021

[Rally Power]

What is price of the R4 kitcars new now?

Probably around €170K; that means 30 to 40 more than a decent second hand R5 and helps to explain why so few drivers are buying R4’s.

[vino_93]

Guy Botterill won the first two rounds of SA championship this week-end with Etios R4 :


Chris Coertse was here for the first outing of the Hyundai i20 R4 from Rallytechnic. He crashed on first race, then ended 3rd (between Botterill and him was the Yaris S2000 of Joubert)

[Andre Oliveira]

Renault Clio Rally2-Kit (R4) of Teo Martin Motorsport and MSI Race Tech

[Coach 2]

Probably around €170K; that means 30 to 40 more than a decent second hand R5 and helps to explain why so few drivers are buying R4’s.

A little comment regarding the purpose of the R4 kit, Rally2 kit or whatever it is called.
It is very expensive for a manufacturer to make an R5. This means that many manufacturers, for various reasons, do not see themselves benefiting from such an investment.
On the other hand, there are importers of cars from brands that do not have an R5 who would like to participate in national championships, also for various reasons.
It is probably this need that the FIA ​​is trying to cover through this class for the conversion of suitable cars.
The regulations for this class must necessarily mean that they are somewhat less competitive than R5. Most people should understand this themselves without further explanation.
But the difference to R5 should (and is) so small that if one driver is x% better than another, it means that he can assert himself or make himself noticed. Maybe actually win the national championship he participates in.
I am very sure that this is not about creating a class where the cars are mainly meant to be cheaper than the R5.