The World Motorsport Council held in Baku at the beginning of December made important decisions regarding the WRC. One of these concerns the possibility of racing Rally1 cars without the electric package that makes the propulsion hybrid.
This is not a performance advantage, because the dimensions and weight of the electrical package will be replaced by a ballast with a weight equivalent to that of the system supplied by Compact Dynamics.
The choice was made for savings reasons. A sort of cost reduction for those who want to get involved with Rally1 cars at lower costs. A sort of intermediate step between the Rally2 – less powerful cars without a hybrid – and the Rally1, cars with a total of 500 horsepower (supported by the 100 horsepower of the electric) and hybrid.
Andrew Wheatley, FIA director of road racing categories, explained the choice made in Baku at the beginning of the last month of 2023 by the World Council.
“There is now the possibility for drivers to race Rally1 cars without the hybrid unit. In essence, it creates a transition between Rally2 and Rally1, and it is an option that the manufacturers have supported.”
Speaking of cost reduction, each car will soon be able to count on just 3 hybrid units to use for the entire season, while until this year those available for each car were triple, i.e. 9.
The decision is part of a series of changes ratified for the WRC season, including the decision to limit teams to using a maximum of three new hybrid units in 2024 – up from the previous nine – to reduce racing costs.
“Cost savings are an ongoing process, and thanks to the performance and reliability of hybrid drives, we can pass on substantial cost savings to teams by reducing the number of hybrid drives from nine to three,” Wheatley added.
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