Approval of the Rally5-Kit regulations is hugely important as a means of providing accessible rallying globally and, as a result, driving motor sport participation. Can you explain the thinking behind this new and exciting category?
“We have an incredibly successful Renault Clio Rally5, for example, but it’s not sold throughout the world and there are not so many other options on the marketplace. We sat down with the FIA Technical Department to see how we could open up the Rally5 entry-level concept to make it more accessible internationally. The result is the Rally5-Kit regulations.”
What are the differences between Rally5 and Rally5-Kit?
“The Rally5-Kit regulations follow a very similar principle to Rally5, namely a two-wheel-drive car up to 1.6 turbocharged or up to 2-litre normally aspirated which is then given a limited number of modifications to change it from being a standard production vehicle to a car that has the feel and driving dynamics of a proper competition car. The changes are in the gearbox, with the five-speed sequential gearbox an option rather than being compulsory. The FT3 fuel tank is not required and there is also an option for one-way adjustable dampers to enable the car to be competitive against the Rally5 cars that exist. But instead of being homologated by the FIA in Europe, the cars can be homologated through a collaboration between the local ASN and the FIA in Geneva.”
How will that work?
“If you are in South America, Australasia, in Europe or wherever, you can locally homologate a car in the Rally5-Kit class which will then be available to compete all over the world under international homologation. It’s a way of being able to use local parts and local experience to be able to introduce vehicles that could work cost effectively in the local market. The primary goal for Rally5-Kit is to provide competitors with a route into homologated cars that will ultimately create a series of one-make championships around the world.”
What’s the cost?
“The intention is that the conversion kit will cost between 15,000-18,000 euros, meaning you can take a base car and between 15,000-18,000 euros later you will have a competition car that can compete anywhere in the world. The target performance of the Rally5-Kit car is similar to Rally5. A system of balancing the air restrictor against the weight of the car will be used so if the car is heavier, it will have a bigger air restrictor, it it’s lighter it will have a smaller air restrictor. The intention is to be able to balance the car performance against the benchmark of the existing Rally5 cars that are available. It will create more opportunities at national level with the opportunity to develop international regional series.”
When will the first Rally5-Kit car break cover?
“The first car that will use the Rally5-Kit regulations will be the Suzuki that’s been homologated in conjunction with RFEdA in Spain. It will be competing from the start of 2024 and we are working with a number of ASNs around the world to develop similar one-make championships, which have always had a good response and have always helped to develop drivers in a very positive way. The ASNs will perform a major role in making Rally5-Kit a success with the aim of doubling motor sport participation globally.”
The WRC calendar for 2024 has been revealed. What will it bring?
“It brings true classic events, including Monte-Carlo, Sweden, Safari, Portugal, Finland or the Acropolis, emerging rallies like Croatia, Chile and Japan and new innovative events such as Latvia and the Central European Rally. And it means we can look forward to another successful FIA World Rally Championship season in 2024. We’re assured of a good variety of strong rallies over four continents and welcome a return of the sport to the enthusiastic fans in Central and Eastern Europe.”
FIA Rally Newsletter #16 provided an update on steps being taken to deliver an even better WRC by consulting with the drivers. Will any of their proposals be taken onboard?
“We received 82 ideas through Petter Solberg, the Vice President of the FIA Drivers’ Commission and we’re very grateful for all Petter’s help and hard work. We’re already seeing the first steps just a few weeks later. Small things for now, such as bigger service areas for WRC2 teams and requested items signposted on road sections, but there’s much, much more to come. The good thing is we have had very positive discussions and we have identified a roadmap which we can now propose to the WMSC. It will take time and there are many challenges to overcome but there’s momentum now and clear examples that progress is being made, although there’s no such thing as an overnight fix. But we must not lose sight of the fact that we’ve had some very good levels of competition in all classes in the WRC this year. We’ve had five different winners in Rally1, all manufacturers have finished on the top step of the podium, and you genuinely don’t know who is going to win the next round, which is fantastic.”
The Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations have been modified following a major renaming exercise. What benefits will this bring?
“With the changes, which were made in conjunction with W2RC promoter A.S.O. and the Cross-Country Rally Commission, we simply wanted to make some of the terminology used in the sport, such as the category and event types, easier to understand. We believe we’ve achieved that objective.”