World Rally Car
The World Rally Car, or WRC for short , is the name given to rally vehicles that are built according to regulations published by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The regulations were introduced in 1997 for the World Rally Championship . Since then, World Rally Cars have been the top vehicle class in rallying.
Technical regulations
Two different regulations for World Rally Cars were used in the World Rally Championship. The first version, which allowed more technical freedom, existed until 2010. In 2011, new, more restrictive regulations for World Rally Cars were introduced.
1997 to 2010
The WRC regulations introduced in 1997 were a further development of the old Group A regulations. World Rally Cars had to be based on series vehicles that were manufactured in quantities of at least 2500. In contrast to the Group A regulations, the homologation of the rally vehicles did not require the series production of special models that had the characteristics of the World Rally Cars. As a result, some World Rally Cars were also created based on series vehicles that were not available with turbo engines and all-wheel drive.
Modifications were allowed to be made to the vehicles in order to meet the technical requirements of the WRC regulations. These included a maximum displacement of 2 liters, a turbocharger with anti-lag system , all-wheel drive , a sequential gearbox with paddle shifters, aerodynamic attachments, a minimum weight of 1230 kilograms and a reinforced chassis for greater rigidity .
To limit the engine output, air flow limiters with a diameter of 34 millimeters were placed in front of the turbochargers of the World Rally Cars. This limited the air flow to 10 cubic meters per minute. The engine of a World Rally Car thus only made around 300 hp instead of the otherwise possible 330 to 340 hp. When developing the engines, manufacturers therefore concentrated less on achieving the greatest possible engine output. Instead, an attempt was made to maintain the greatest possible torque over a wide speed range.
Since 2011
The WRC regulations were revised for the 2011 season. The World Rally Cars are now based on the Super 2000 regulations and differ from Super 2000 vehicles mainly in their engine and an aerodynamic package. The World Rally Cars since 2011 are technically closer to the series vehicles than the earlier World Rally Cars. Since the minimum length of 4 meters has been repealed, only small cars are now used as base vehicles . 1.6-liter turbo engines with direct injection are mandatory. The speed of these engines is limited to 8500 rpm. Air flow limiters with a diameter of 33 millimeters must be installed, and the boost pressure is limited to 2.5 bar . The latter should keep the torque below 400 Nm. The gear change is now done mechanically using a gear stick, paddle shifters have been banned. Only mechanical differentials are permitted. The minimum weight is 1200 kilograms or 1350 kilograms with driver and front passenger, in both cases loaded with a spare wheel. The use of exotic materials is severely restricted. Electronic driving aids are prohibited.
Tour around a World Rally Car
Compared to the production vehicle, what is particularly striking about the WRC is the vehicle width. The width of the WRC, which is currently limited to 1820 mm and is fully utilized by the manufacturers, differs from the production model by around 10 cm and requires flared fenders. The next noticeable differences are the spoilers , mainly mounted on the trunk lid. They serve to improve the road holding of the WRC, especially at higher speeds, and bring a difference of over 10 km / h average speed on the fastest special stages of the World Rally Championship. The side glazing, replaced by 4 mm thick Plexiglas , distinguishes the WRC from the series and S2000 vehicles. This change mainly serves to save weight in the upper area of the vehicle. The windows cannot be opened, and there are small sliding windows built into them to compensate for the inability to “wind them down”. There are several barred openings in the front bumper and the bonnet, which allow a larger air passage than in the production vehicle. On the roof, directly behind the windshield, there is a centrally arranged air scoop . This serves to regulate the air supply in the passenger compartment. To the left of the air scoop, above the driver, there is usually a camera housing.
The rules stipulate that World Rally Cars must use MacPherson struts on the front and rear axles. Depending on the surface to be driven on, WRCs are equipped with a very high or low ground clearance in contrast to the production vehicle. This can be influenced by the manually adjustable height and hardness of the chassis. On gravel it is sometimes driven on surprisingly bad roads. Where an experienced off-road vehicle driver would advise walking pace, the World Rally Cars move, sometimes sliding more on the reinforced base plate, at speeds that the layman cannot understand. This requires a very robust construction, especially in the chassis and underbody area.
6.5x15 "and 7x15" rims are permitted in gravel rallies. It is mandatory to use 8x18 ″ rims with a prescribed minimum weight of 8.9 kg on asphalt. The tread of the tires must not exceed 9 ″. From the 2011 season , WRCs will be exclusively equipped with Michelin tires. All types of run-flat systems have been banned since 2008 .
In asphalt rallies, the WRCs are often on the country's typical back roads, with the bumps and pavement damage to be expected. It is not uncommon for people to completely leave the lane inside the curve in order to cut . That is why rally vehicles must still have effective suspension travel, even with low ground clearance. The elastic lower lip on the front bumper is very often in contact with the ground, but prevents too much air from being let under the vehicle. On all surfaces, it is important that the team finds the best balance when setting up the vehicle . The stresses a WRC is exposed to during a rally - even on asphalt - is shown, for example, by the fact that at the 2011 Rallye Germany there were 113 broken rims. In order to be able to delay a WRC on the asphalt special stages accordingly, internally ventilated disc brakes with a diameter of 355 mm are used on the front axle and internally ventilated 300 mm brake discs on the rear axle. The four-piston brake calipers on the front axle are water-cooled .
history
With the aim of encouraging new manufacturers to take part in the World Rally Championship , the FIA introduced the regulations for World Rally Cars in 1997. While Subaru and Ford directly launched a World Rally Car - Toyota did not join in with a WRC until later in the season - Mitsubishi initially continued to rely on a vehicle that complied with Group A regulations. But the WRC regulations had the desired effect. After a fifth manufacturer was acquired in 1998 with Seat , two more manufacturers joined in 1999 with Škoda and Peugeot . In the following years seven plants took part in the world championship. Toyota and Seat withdrew relatively quickly, but Hyundai and Citroën began their commitment. During the 2001 season, Mitsubishi, who was the last manufacturer to successfully compete in the WRC field with a Group A car, also switched to a World Rally Car. By the middle of the decade, the number of participants gradually began to decrease. First Hyundai got out after the 2003 season. After the 2005 season, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Škoda also ended their engagement. From the previous seven manufacturers, only three were factory-represented in the 2006 World Cup. Although Suzuki added its own World Rally Cars to the field in 2008 as the first newcomer in seven years, due to the global economic crisis Suzuki withdrew from the World Championship together with Subaru at the end of the year.
Since the World Rally Championship was only held with two brands from 2009, the FIA was forced to act. In 2011 it introduced new regulations, according to which only cheaper, more serial vehicles were allowed. The World Rally Cars were now based on the Super 2000 regulations and were equipped with smaller 1.6-liter turbo engines. The FIA was successful with this decision, because in 2011 a new brand enriched the vehicle field with Mini , and Volkswagen announced that it would enter the World Rally Championship with its own World Rally Car for the 2013 season. In October 2011, the press pointed to evidence that Hyundai and Toyota were also developing their own World Rally Cars.
World rally cars retired by the works teams often ended up in the hands of private drivers, some of whom drove with them in the world championships, but also in the national rally championships. The FIA wanted to see World Rally Cars as the highest class of vehicles in rallying only in the World Rally Championship. Therefore, it put pressure on the national motorsport federations to ban these vehicles in their competitions. In 2009, World Rally Cars were banned from the German Rally Championship , but not in some championships in other countries. From 2011, the old World Rally Cars of the generation up to 2010 will still be allowed in some national championships and will continue to be used by private drivers.
List of World Rally Cars
1997 to 2010
| Factory use | vehicle | Remarks | image |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| 2001-2005 | Citroën Xsara WRC | In 2001 I was still on the way to a few tests in the World Cup. Then it became one of the most successful World Rally Cars. Achieved 32 victories in the World Rally Championship and won three manufacturers' titles for Citroën (2003, 2004 and 2005). Sébastien Loeb was world champion with the Xsara WRC in 2004, 2005 and 2006. After his time in the Citroën World Rally Team , the vehicle was successfully used in 2006 and 2007 by Kronos Racing and in 2009 by private driver Petter Solberg in the World Rally Championship. |
|
| 2007-2010 | Citroën C4 WRC | With the C4 WRC, Citroën made a factory return to the World Rally Championship in 2007. Continued the success story of its predecessor and won its first rally in Monte Carlo . Achieved 36 victories in the World Rally Championship and won three manufacturers' titles for Citroën (2008, 2009 and 2010). Sébastien Loeb was world champion with the C4 WRC in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. |
|
|
|||
| 1997-1998 | Ford Escort WRC | One of the first two World Rally Cars. Was developed by M-Sport from the old Escort RS Cosworth of Group A to a WRC, although the series production of the base vehicle had already ended. M-Sport used the Escort WRC for another two years in the World Rally Championship. Carlos Sainz achieved two victories with it in 1997. |
|
| 1999-2003 | Ford Focus RS WRC | Debuted in 1999 as Focus WRC in the Monte Carlo Rally and won the Safari Rally for the first time . Achieved a total of eleven victories in the World Rally Championship. Colin McRae only narrowly failed with the vehicle in 2001 in the battle for the world championship. In 2001 the vehicle was given the name Focus RS WRC after a new homologation . |
|
| 2003-2005 | Ford Focus RS WRC | Still carried the body of the first Focus generation, but was basically a completely new design. Debuted at the New Zealand Rally in 2003. Markko Märtin drove this model to five victories in the World Rally Championship. However, was never able to achieve world titles. |
|
| 2005-2010 | Ford Focus RS WRC | Premiered in the World Rally Championship at the 2005 Rally Australia . Developed into Ford's most successful World Rally Car and caught up with the Citroëns. Achieved 28 victories in the World Rally Championship within five years and won the manufacturers' title for Ford in 2006 and 2007. A driver's title was narrowly missed several times when Marcus Grönholm in 2006 and 2007 and Mikko Hirvonen in 2009 finally lost out to Sébastien Loeb . |
|
|
|||
| 2000-2003 | Hyundai Accent WRC | Hyundai's attempt to gain a foothold in the World Rally Championship. For the first time at the Rally Sweden 2000 in World Championship use. Despite constant further development, the connection to the established teams never succeeded. Points remained a rarity, fourth place was the best rally result. During the current 2003 season, Hyundai withdrew from the World Rally Championship. |
|
|
|||
| 2001-2002 | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC | In the last third of the 2001 season, it replaced the Lancer Evo VI as the last remaining Group A car. However, it turned out to be not fully developed and possibly cost Tommi Mäkinen the world title in 2001. Mitsubishi finished last in the manufacturers' championship with the Lancer Evolution WRC in 2002 and then took a year off to develop a new World Rally Car. |
|
| 2004-2005 | Mitsubishi Lancer WRC | With this new development, Mitsubishi returned to the World Rally Championship in 2004. After further improvements, the Lancer WRC made two podiums in 2005. Nevertheless, Mitsubishi got out of the World Rally Championship again after the 2005 season. The MMSP team used a few Lancer WRCs for private drivers in isolated World Championship races until 2007. |
|
Peugeot |
|||
| 1999-2003 | Peugeot 206 WRC | With the 206 WRC, Peugeot returned to the World Rally Championship in 1999. Debuted at the Corsica Rally in 1999. The relatively small car was a great success. Achieved 24 rally victories in the World Championship and won three manufacturers' titles (2000, 2001 and 2002). Marcus Grönholm became world champion in 2000 and 2002, and in 2002 with more than twice as many points as the runner-up. |
|
| 2004-2005 | Peugeot 307 WRC | Marcus Grönholm achieved three victories in the World Rally Championship with the 307 WRC. However, the World Rally Car with its unusual appearance only had a very short career in the World Rally Championship. After the 2005 season, Peugeot ended its factory involvement again. Bozian Racing successfully fielded the 307 WRC 2006 for another year in the World Championship. |
|
|
|||
| 1998-2000 | Seat Cordoba WRC | With the Cordoba WRC, Seat competed in the World Rally Championship in the early days of the WRC era. After testing at the end of the 1998 season, he then completed two complete World Cup seasons. Although they made it onto the podium three times, Seat played no bigger role than a midfield team and left the World Rally Championship after the 2000 season. |
|
Škoda |
|||
| 1999-2003 | Škoda Octavia WRC | Škoda was involved in the World Rally Championship with the Octavia WRC from 1999. However, only occasionally reached the points and did not make the connection to the established teams. The best result was third place for Armin Schwarz in the 2001 Safari Rally . Was replaced by the smaller Fabia WRC in mid-2003. |
.JPG)
|
| 2003-2005 | Škoda Fabia WRC | Had its premiere in the World Rally Championship at the Rally Germany 2003. However, it did not bring any noticeable improvement in results for Škoda and continued to drive beyond the reach of the podium. Was used by the private Red Bull Škoda team for one year after Škoda's withdrawal from the 2006 World Rally Championship. |
|
|
|||
| 1997-2000 | Subaru Impreza WRC | Was developed by Prodrive and was one of the first two World Rally Cars to be launched at the start of the 1997 season. Piero Liatti thus clinched the first victory of a World Rally Car at the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally. This Subaru Impreza WRC won a total of 20 world championship rallies and in 1997 took Subaru's manufacturers' title. A heavily revised version appeared in 2000, which also formed the basis for the successor model. |
|
| 2001-2008 | Subaru Impreza WRC | The second generation had a very long career in the World Rally Championship and was in the works for over seven years. He won 15 World Championship rallies and promoted Richard Burns in 2001 and Petter Solberg to world championship titles in 2003. Despite constant further development from 2006 onwards he was no longer victorious. |
|
| 2008 | Subaru Impreza WRC | Subaru's most radical new development since the Group A Impreza in 1993. Debuted at the Rally Greece in 2008. There, Petter Solberg drove the new Subaru Impreza WRC in second place in its first outing. However, the upward trend was slowed by the global economic crisis, because of which Subaru withdrew from the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2008 season. |
|
|
|||
| 2008 | Suzuki SX4 WRC | Suzuki was the last manufacturer to enter the World Rally Championship under the old WRC regulations. After a few test runs with the SX4 WRC at the end of 2007, Suzuki completed a full World Championship season in 2008. Gradually got more competitive after a difficult start and finished fifth as the best result at the end of the season. After only one year, Suzuki ended its involvement in the World Rally Championship again due to the global economic crisis. |
|
|
|||
| 1997-1999 | Toyota Corolla WRC | Started as the third World Rally Car in the World Rally Championship after the 1997 Rally Finland . He scored four rally victories and took the manufacturers' title for Toyota in 1999. Toyota then left the World Rally Championship in favor of the Formula 1 project as the first manufacturer of the WRC era. |
|
Since 2011
| Factory use | vehicle | Remarks | image |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| 2011-2016 | Citroën DS3 WRC | Citroën's first World Rally Car according to the new regulations. Took twenty-six victories in the World Rally Championship by the end of the 2016 season. The Citroën Total World Rally Team won the manufacturers ' championship title in the 2011 and 2012 World Rally Championship . Sébastien Loeb won his eighth and ninth driver's world title with the DS3 WRC. After Sebastien Loeb's exit from the World Rally Championship and Volkswagen Motorsport's entry, as well as Citroën Racing's focus on the WTCC , the winning streak of the DS3 WRC ended. In 2016, Citroën dropped out of the World Rally Championship and only started on selected races, as development focused entirely on the 2017 C3 WRC. Kris Meeke was able to achieve some respectable successes without the stress of a championship, such as the overall victories at the Rally Wales and Rally Finland. |
|
|
|||
| 2011-2016 | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | Ford's World Rally Car according to the 2011 regulations. Achieved six overall victories and 57 podium places in the World Rally Championship by the end of the 2016 season. At the end of 2012, Ford exited rallying at the factory. However, Malcom Wilson's M-Sport team continued the WRC program with the Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Since M-Sport is not financially independent, the team relies heavily on customer racing, which also explains why the Fiesta WRC is the car that has appeared most in the World Rally Championship in recent years. The M-Sport drivers over the years have included Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala, Petter Solberg, Ott Tänak, Mads Ostberg, Evgeniy Novikov and Thierry Neuville. Well-known private drivers such as Robert Kubica and Ken Block also relied on the Fiesta RS WRC for their WRC outings. |
|
|
|||
| 2011–2012 | Mini John Cooper Works WRC | With the Mini WRC based on Countryman , the Mini brand was represented in the World Rally Championship for the first time since its takeover by BMW . The engines came from BMW, the vehicle was developed and assembled by Prodrive . Debuted at the 2011 Rally Sardinia and presented itself particularly well in asphalt rallies, although it was only a few notable successes. Dani Sordo finished 2nd in the 2011 Rally Catalunya and the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally. After only 2 moderately successful seasons with many driver changes, Mini pulled the plug and Prodrive's operations were ended. |
|
Volkswagen |
|||
| 2013-2016 | VW Polo R WRC | A first drivable prototype was presented at the IAA 2011. Two-time rally world champion Carlos Sainz and VW test driver Dieter Depping completed their first test drives in the vineyards around Trier in early November 2011 in preparation for entering the WRC. From 2013 Volkswagen participated in the World Rally Championship with the Polo R WRC. In the years 2013–2016, Volkswagen and its driver duo Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassa were world champions as well as world constructors. Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen Motorsport II) continued to be in the driver line-up for the 4 seasons .
After the diesel scandal in America, Volkswagen announced its withdrawal from the World Rally Championship for financial reasons. This came as a very surprise, as the 2017 car was already fully developed according to the new regulations. |
|
|
|||
| 2014-2015 | Hyundai i20 WRC | Hyundai started in the 2014 World Rally Championship with the i20 WRC. Hyundai has signed Bryan Bouffier , Juho Hänninen and Chris Atkinson as test drivers . In 2014, Thierry Neuville , Hayden Paddon , Dani Sordo , Juho Hänninen, Chris Atkinson and Bryan Bouffier started for Hyundai Motorsport . In the very first season, Hyundai Motorsport achieved a huge success with the overall victory of Thierry Neuville at the Rally Germany, after a rollover at the shakedown. His teammate Dani Sordo achieved 2nd place. Hyundai reached 4th place in the team classification and Thierry Neuville was the best Hyundai driver with his 6th place in the driver classification. In the 2015 season, the Dutchman Kevin Abbring joined Hyundai Motorsport as a test driver and also drove several races in the World Championship. This time it was enough for Hyundai to finish 4th overall in the team ranking of the World Rally Championship, Thierry Neuville was again the most successful driver with a 6th place overall in the driving ranking. Hyundai established itself more and more as a competitive team. The old generation i20 WRC was only used by Kevin Abbring in the World Championship in 2016. |
|
| 2016 | Hyundai i20 WRC (NG) | In the 2016 season, the Hyundai team started with the newly developed i20 WRC of the new generation. This car is a five-door, unlike most other WRCs. As in 2015, the drivers were Thierry Neuville , Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo . The new development of the Hyundai was a real success and regularly brought the three pilots to the top ranks. Paddon won the Rally Argentina 2016, Neuville won the Rally Sardinia . At the end of the season, the team was in second place in the manufacturers' championship, behind Volkswagen. Thierry Neuville also finished his season in 2nd place in the drivers' standings, Paddon and Sordo finished 4th and 5th. |
 |
Since 2017
The 1.6-liter turbo engine was retained in accordance with the 2017 World Rally Car regulations, but the diameter of the air restrictor has been increased from 33 mm to 36 mm. The engine output rose from 330 hp (242.7 kW) to 380 hp (283.4 kW). The torque is 450 Nm. The permissible minimum vehicle weight has been reduced by 25 kg to 1175 kg. The maximum speed is still around 200 km / h.
Manufacturers are also given more freedom to maximize aerodynamic performance, large brake cooling ducts in the fairings enlarge the wheel arches, and diffusers are now also used. The width of the chassis and thus that of the wheel arches grew by 5.5 cm to a maximum of 1,875 mm. Electronically controlled active center differentials may also be used, while the front and rear differentials remain mechanical.
VW left the WRC operation; for this Toyota got back in.
Since 2017
| Factory use | vehicle | Remarks | image |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| since 2017 | Citroën C3 WRC | The Citroën C3 WRC is a rally car developed by the Citroën World Rally Team . The car that replaces the successful Citroën DS3 WRC is based on the Citroën C3. The Citroën World Rally Team won the Mexico and Catalonia rallies with this car , as well as 6 podium places. Both victories were taken by Kris Meeke . |
|
|
|||
| since 2017 | Ford Fiesta WRC | The Ford Fiesta WRC is a World Rally Car that will be built by the M-Sport World Rally Team for use in the World Rally Championship from 2017. It is based on the 2017 Ford Fiesta street car and replaced the Ford Fiesta RS WRC that competed between 2011 and 2016.
Sébastien Ogier , Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans drive this car . Sébastien Ogier secured the drivers' title in 2017 and won the Monte Carlo Rally twice |
|
|
|||
| since 2017 | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC is a World Rally Car built by Hyundai for use in the 2017 World Rally Championship. It is based on the small Hyundai i20 and is the successor to the Hyundai i20 WRC that was used between 2014 and 2015.
The car is successfully driven by Thierry Neuville , Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon . Thierry Neuville took four wins in 2017 and finished second in the drivers' championship |
|
|
|||
| since 2017 | Toyota Yaris WRC | The Toyota Yaris WRC is a World Rally Car produced by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT . The car is based on the Toyota Yaris and is the first car that Toyota has competed with in the WRC since retiring from the championship at the end of the 1999 season. It is driven by Jari-Matti Latvala , Juho Hänninen and Esapekka Lappi . They could only claim two wins in the 2017 season with the Toyota Yaris WRC, but the 2018 season went a little better for the Japanese. |
|
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ France: Loeb has concerns about the tires (Motorsport-Total.com on September 29, 2011)
- ↑ DS3 WRC Technical data sheet ( Memento from February 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) citroen-wrc.com, accessed on October 20, 2011
- ^ Nissen on the VW timetable until 2013 (Motorsport-Total.com on May 12, 2011)
- ↑ Michael Heimrich: World Cup entry: Hyundai and Toyota are coming. In: Rallye-Magazin.de. October 18, 2011, accessed October 10, 2019 .
- ↑ Official magazine of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland from July 1st, 2017