Sébastien Ogier has called for virtual chicanes in the World Rally Championship to be changed to a system similar to Finnish national events to improve their accuracy.
The virtual chicane was first used in the WRC at Secto Rally Finland earlier this month on the legendary Ouninpohja stage in a bid to reduce average speeds.
Like a normal chicane, the VC slows the cars down but instead of having to negotiate a physical object, drivers have to slow down to 60kph [37mph] at any point within a designated zone before resuming at full competition pace.
The system was trialed ahead of Finland during the shakedown stage of Rally Latvia, but wasn’t met with universal praise from drivers who mostly felt the need to avert their gaze from the road to check their speed on the dashboard was a safety concern.
FIA rally safety delegate Nicolas Klinger pointed out that the same screen is used for notifying drivers when a stage has been red-flagged, and the co-driver could of course just tell the driver when they are at the required speed.
But after tackling a virtual chicane for the first time in competition, Ogier’s opinion had not changed – the eight-time champion feeling the use of GPS was causing accuracy issues.
“One thing we can confirm is the chicane is not accurate, it’s not accurate at all,” he told DirtFish.
“I think they need to reconsider to go to a speed gun, a real radar, in the stage. Like it’s used in Finland, I heard, and that’s accurate. Like the police is using, you know? Because this GPS signal is not accurate.
“You brake, you brake, and you just wait that this stupid signal is activating the things.”
What is the Finnish solution?
Events like Itäralli (pictured) have used virtual chicanes in Finland before
Virtual chicanes have been used on Finnish national rallies twice before, and as Ogier explained utilize a radar rather than GPS to measure the driver’s speed.
“So far we have used virtual chicanes only on two occasions in Finnish national events, and in both of those there have been radar (operated by official) and screen, which shows the actual speed for competitors,” Henrik Frank, AKK sporting executive for rally, told DirtFish.
“We have the speed shown in our national tracking system as well, but it has been thought to be more competitor friendly to use a visible sign board, where the speed is actually shown.
“In both of the occasions, it has been working pretty well, and not any big problems have appeared. Hopefully we will get more data in the near future.”
Ogier’s view has support
Ogier isn’t alone in feeling virtual chicanes could, and should, be more accurate.
WRC2 contender Lauri Joona is something of a virtual chicane veteran having driven on Finland’s Itäralli last year which featured them, as well as Rally Finland and even Rally Roma di Capitale in the ERC.
Lauri Joona is one of the most experienced drivers at tackling virtual chicanes
Joona told DirtFish the system in the WRC “was more difficult” than the Finnish radar solution as “the GPS has a bit of a delay”, which is understood to have caused some discrepancies between the indicated and actual speed drivers had slowed down to.
“In the places where you don’t have chances to make a proper chicane they [virtual chicanes] are OK, but the system should be a bit more accurate,” he said.
“Of course the speed is not the same for everyone in normal chicanes but that depends on how brave you are and how you manage that.
“In virtual chicanes it should be the same for everyone because it’s only braking on a straight road.”
FIA believes in GPS
Virtual chicanes are unlikely to change any time soon in WRC
DirtFish contacted the FIA asking if it would be possible to use radars instead of GPS, but it remains committed to the current GPS system which, in its view, is “the most comprehensive enforcement” of virtual chicanes.
“Our GPS-based system was chosen for its ability to instantly monitor vehicle speed in real-time, ensuring precise and immediate enforcement,” said Xavier Mestelan-Pinon, FIA chief technical and safety officer.
“While speed guns are accurate, they require human intervention and the result must be in some way notified to the car, which is practically more complex to implement. We also evaluated the happy face/sad face system but found it less accurate, plus it has to be placed at one specific location, unlike the GPS system that covers a zone.
“The current GPS system provides in our view the most comprehensive enforcement. We remain committed to continuous improvement and are open to exploring potential enhancements, together with the manufacturer teams, that could further optimize fairness and accuracy.”
