WRC to use production-based rally cars in 2012

Production based ?
This could be devastating for KIA

 

NASCAR should look into this.

 

Your telling me....

 

The Speed TV blog isn't correct.

"Today’s cars are entirely purpose-built, sharing no parts with their production counterparts."

WRC cars are built from shells of the production car. Its not like they are building GrB cars again.

Pro is that more manufacturer teams may enter. For this to happen more manufacturers would need worthy turbo AWD platforms and there really aren't too many.

Con is we lose the advances in automotive technology that WRC develops by being able to develop handfuls of non-homolagated parts and test the in the extreme rigors of rallyracing.

The US and Canada have hardly recognized FIA car classes (2 GrN cars in RallyAmerica series and 1 in Canada). For years N. American rallycars inthe hands of novice drivers were more powerful than the WRC cars driven by factory drivers because we had no rules requiring turbo restrictors. Looks like US and Canadian Open class cars will once again be the most extreme as most everywhere else follows in line of FIA.

 

WRC cars have always been "production based" -- but there have been huge variations in the definition of "based", among different ruling bodies.

Some cars were 90% identical to their "production" versions -- but "production" only required 3000 cars.

Later, the WRC rules defined "production" as over 20K units (and disqualified the EVO as being separate from a Lancer, once the EVO went on sale in the US) --- but you could replace everything except the stripped down frame: suitably reinforced afterwards for rallying.

Of the two, I preferred the earlier rules, as it caused cars like the Stratos, the 288GTO, the Celica GT-Four, the Lancia Delta Integrale, the F-40, and the EVO to become available to the driving public. Even the F-50 was the homologation of the engine Ferrari used on one of its racing machines.

I think the Enzo is the first Ferrari "supercar" that wasn't used to homologate a racing machine, somewhere. (Although there were rumors of an Enzo based LeMans racer to be built under the Maserati marque.)

With government rules makers building loopholes for "cross-over vehicles" and emphasizing emissions gizmos and idjit proofing, any racing rules that encourages manufacturers to not abandon the high performance market is something I have to favor.

I don't think Mitsu realized how popular the EVO would be in showrooms, even after it stopped being useful to WRC homologation. The "gray suits" rarely understand that there's money in the "niche markets" too.