Senior figures at both Hyundai and Toyota’s World Rally Championship teams have warned that the mooted cost cap figure contained in the 2027 WRC technical regulations proposal is not realistic, though remain keen to clamp down on the spiralling costs incurred by the current Rally1 generation car.
In an outline of the 2027 WRC technical regulations, the FIA suggested a target cost cap figure for new cars of €345,000, achieved through simplification of several parts including engines, transmission and brakes recycled from Rally2 regulations, while ditching MacPherson struts for double wishbone suspension. Spaceframes will be retained as the basis of chassis design.
Despite downgrading certain elements of the proposed new cars to Rally2 specification, Hyundai’s WRC program manager Christian Loriaux has warned that the proposed cost cap on 2027 cars still isn’t a realistic target.
“At the moment they’re talking about €350,000 – I don’t think, and most manufacturers don’t think, it’s possible to do that,” Loriaux told DirtFish. “I think the absolute minimum is going to be €400,000.
“But, you know, I hear that a Yaris Rally2 costs about €320,000 at the moment. If people have the money for a €320,000 car that can only run at Rally2 level, then they would put €400,000 for a car that can do Rally1, I’m sure.
“I think it [the regulation proposal] is going in the right direction. The concept is right but there’s still a lot of details that need to be sorted.”
Though Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala also agreed a cost cap was needed for top-level WRC cars, he also stressed the proposed number was too low to be realistic.
“I think we just need to be really strong with that and we keep the price level low,” he said. “The target really is that the price of the car doesn’t go too high. That is for me the essential point.
“Rally2 is about €300,000; Rally1 shouldn’t exceed €500,000. For me, that is the limit. You can’t go more than half a million. That is absolute limit. But the thing is that also Rally2, the prices need to stay. Because we’re starting to be on the limit with the Rally2 prices already.”
The current plan is for homologation of Rally2 cars to stop at the end of 2026, with the final year of Rally2 homologation validity ending in 2030, car dependent.
