Rally Discussion and Bar Talk Thread

[Jarek Z]

How I hate click baits!

[KiwiWRCfan]

Couple of video clips of Audi S1 AP4 car that has competed in New Zealand Rally Championship since 2018. Car is owned and driven by Dylan Turner. The car has had several podiums in NZRC events. Dylan finished 3rd in Rally Of Auckland in December 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZog0_vT3m0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgyi5ePEze4

[pantealex]

Of course I remember Neste as the longtime sponsor of Rally Finland, but had no idea that it lasted so long. Thanks for the info!

Actually it lasted even longer because there were UNION sponsorship before that and UNION was bought by NESTE.

[Damian Baldi]

RC competición, the same team that build the Toyota Etios and VW Polo R4 here in Argentina, had build two or three Audi A1 Maxi Rally some years ago. Two of those cars are still running.


RC Competicion Audi A1 at the workshop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEbAJnyugNQ

Short review when Javier Castro became 2018 champion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sbt1aFQX58

test in 2019 with the turbo engine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbWFdUhH-Q4

[pantealex]

3-door is older body shape, different chassis than current one which is only available with 5-doors.

[AnttiL]

What was the longest special stage rally in the history of WRC? When did Canada feature in the series? When did a stage feature on two rallies of the same season? When was the longest ever WRC Safari arranged?

Find out here https://itgetsfasternow.com/2021/03/...-ii-1974-1978/

[scn]

I read the post of Andre Oliveira in the "Audi" thread and I saw that FIA is trying to hold old N and A cars in international rallies by extending their homologation by 8 years. This is the first time this is done and it is an indirect admittance that cheaper cars are needed. I think it is also time to admit that some door must be left open for making new cheaper cars, that are not old like N and A.

I am not talking about the "big" classes, I am talking about the small ones. In 1997 the cost for building the new N1 I participated with was about 20 average wages in my country. Now, the cost for a new Rally5 is about 60 average wages. Surely, Greece had a major economic crisis and it is not the correct place to make comparisons, but the difference is still very big in all European countries. How on earth can we attract young drivers with such costs?

P.S. By the way, the 106 N1 was a hell of a car and getting in a rally with 22 other crews with the same cars was a fantastic experience.

[Rally Hokkaido]

I read the post of Andre Oliveira in the "Audi" thread and I saw that FIA is trying to hold old N and A cars in international rallies by extending their homologation by 8 years. This is the first time this is done and it is an indirect admittance that cheaper cars are needed.

Actually, this was done from 2019. The list of homologated cars is from that year. I agree with the rest of your post.

[scn]

Actually, this was done from 2019. The list of homologated cars is from that year. I agree with the rest of your post.

Thank you for the info.
I just read in a newer post that from now on in Rally5 there is freedom to use parts from private developers. This is good news, although the regulation still leads to high costs. But it is the first door to some cheaper solutions, if a car with sequential gearbox can ever be called cheap.

[AnttiL]

I am not talking about the "big" classes, I am talking about the small ones. In 1997 the cost for building the new N1 I participated with was about 20 average wages in my country. Now, the cost for a new Rally5 is about 60 average wages. Surely, Greece had a major economic crisis and it is not the correct place to make comparisons, but the difference is still very big in all European countries. How on earth can we attract young drivers with such costs?

To do some hobby rallying, you don't need to buy a new Rally5 car. There are many cheaper alternatives on national levels, and in most cases older cars can be used as well. Also, second hand cars exist, for example here you can get a secondhand Rally5 for 9900 euros

https://racemarket.net/rally/rally-cars-for-sale/r1