New R4 Car - Think Tank

[Rally Power]

Sorry but there is no sense in looking 30 years or more back. Everything is completely different now starting from the very simple fact that in those days there were plenty of independent relatively small manufacturers whereas today they are nearly all joined in several gigantic corporations.
In that regard 9 S2000 manufacturers and 7 R5 manufacturers is huge success and it helps nothing to claim the opposite. To make things better You have to see what is good and what works not dreaming about something which was thirty years a go.

We can always learn from the past, mate. R5 is a success and that’s great for the sport but N4 wasn’t properly replaced, R1 and R3 have failed and R2 is stagnated. Currently there are fewer models available in the combined R1/R2/R3 range than in R5; that’s a clear sign of how a manu centered regulation isn’t adjusted to the sport reality.

Besides, despite all the global changes in the car market, current rally manus (with Hyundai’s exception) were already involved in the sport from a long time, meaning rally hasn’t been able to attract new brands.

With R5 prices inevitably going through the roof (how much will a full spec Polo cost?), there’s room for a lower budget 4wd category like R4, provided by private tuners with privateers costumers in mind. A light R2 class is also needed, probably using R4 concept: private tuners developed silhouette cars, using mandatory kits.

As top teams and drivers will always use top rally cars, having lower budget classes available won’t hurt the sport, on the contrary, it’ll allow more privateers to get in and run alongside top competitors; clearly, a win-win situation.