WRC main class in 2025

[Eli]

I seriously doubt that Renault group will ever even consider of joining WRC. They never were serious about that championship. Those lower classes doesn't count as nobody care past Rally2.

There is more brands with herritage in rallying like Citroen, Peugeot, Proton, Lancia, Audi, Mitsubishi, Subaru... we could say even Skoda is now building herritage with that Rally2 killer. But Renault, not them. They simply don't care.

Renault have bigger fish to fry, at the moment they have next year's Dakar to worry about and with Audi out of the picture, they'll do everything to take it. As for Skoda, wasn't there talk back in 2019 that they had plans to come back to the WRC before Covid-19 binned it all?

[saco0o]

off course i couldnt find the link today, but renault brought a "racing version" of the R5 3E during its release and literally said they talked to fia about rallying that car but 'evs were still not on the table' in wrc's mind. i swear something along these lines happened but i cant find. maybe later on my notebook. i found this one, but this is not the one i've read. https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/renau...lying-by-2025/
based on some talks from that time i got my suggestion of having rally2 as top class but only for privateers and constumers, factory teams must run hydrogen, hybrid or electric rally2s (bop)

[Mirek]

off course i couldnt find the link today, but renault brought a "racing version" of the R5 3E during its release and literally said they talked to fia about rallying that car but 'evs were still not on the table' in wrc's mind. i swear something along these lines happened but i cant find. maybe later on my notebook. i found this one, but this is not the one i've read. https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/renau...lying-by-2025/
based on some talks from that time i got my suggestion of having rally2 as top class but only for privateers and constumers, factory teams must run hydrogen, hybrid or electric rally2s (bop)

As I wrote you in another thread* the simple problem with EVs in rallying is that at the current tech level they are not competitive at all and they won't be in forseenable future. The only way to make them competitive is artificially making other existing rally cars slow. That of course won't happen and I am sure people in Renault know that.

* Here: https://www.motorsportforums.com/sho...=1#post1344517

[Fast Eddie WRC]

The Manufacturers have all the power, without them the WRC is dead. They clearly wont or cant accept the proposed changes either financially or in the timeframe.

I see the only solution to getting more cars at the top level being more deals like has been done for Sesks, with WRC Promoter giving some financial support.

This seems to be the way...

"The WRC Promoter is funding Sesks’ drives in the Ford Puma. According to WRC Promoter’s event director Simon Larkin, Sesks’s contract was a breakthrough.

“It’s part of our new commitment to invest in drivers to bridge the gap between Rally2 and Rally1, and also to have more Rally1 cars out there,” Larkin explains.

“I think this is exciting news, and it’s the first of what we believe will be quite a few announcements for 2024,” Larkin promises.

https://rallyjournal.com/wrc-team-pr...announcements/

[Jarek Z]

I seriously doubt that Renault group will ever even consider of joining WRC. They never were serious about that championship. Those lower classes doesn't count as nobody care past Rally2.

There is more brands with herritage in rallying like Citroen, Peugeot, Proton, Lancia, Audi, Mitsubishi, Subaru... we could say even Skoda is now building herritage with that Rally2 killer. But Renault, not them. They simply don't care.

I think you need a lesson in history. How can you compare Renault's and Skoda's heritage in rallying with Proton?

I love Renault rally cars:
https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/img/...rse-68179.html
https://www.wrcwings.tech/wp-content...l-1987-2nd.jpg
https://klassikauto.pl/renault-11-tu...h-motul-hrsmp/
https://www-dirtfish.imgix.net/2021/...psize=panorama

And Skoda? Building herritage? Didn't they celebrate 100 years in motorsport not so long ago?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93207294@N04/50779857281

[becher]

off course i couldnt find the link today, but renault brought a "racing version" of the R5 3E during its release and literally said they talked to fia about rallying that car but 'evs were still not on the table' in wrc's mind. i swear something along these lines happened but i cant find. maybe later on my notebook. i found this one, but this is not the one i've read. https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/renau...lying-by-2025/
based on some talks from that time i got my suggestion of having rally2 as top class but only for privateers and constumers, factory teams must run hydrogen, hybrid or electric rally2s (bop)

There was talk like that yes but that was pure big mouth marketing. It's easy making claims like that in the current automotive environment, yet those claims can be based on a pipe dream fantasy. Even if EV's would be allowed and the championship dumbed down to the according level, I highly doubt they would join and make their talk reality.

[Eli]

To add some fuel to the fire: https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/s...sion/10605045/

But seriously speaking, like many have said here, focus on getting the 2027 regulations right and we might (after what would be 10 years) get another manufacturer involved.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

More from Latvala...

https://rallyjournal.com/now-thats-a...ly-speaks-out/

[Fast Eddie WRC]

And Ogier says a detuned Rally1 will still be spectacular and a benefit if it's cheaper to bring more drivers.

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/detun...rld-for-ogier/

[TypeR]

If a manu team so called ,,principal'' worries about that ,,home-made'' cars would be faster than works-team cars, then maybe look in the mirror..

There are fast wrc2 drivers, who can't get close enough to top drivers.. with same cars.

They are just in a comfort zones and maybe afraid that citroen or skoda would knock on the door with new regs..