Hyundai’s World Rally Championship program manager Christian Loriaux has warned that the proposed timeline for a new set of technical regulations is unrealistic.
A new set of regulations is currently mooted for implementation in 24 months’ time, which retains space frame chassis but also utilizes Rally2-specification engines, transmission, brakes, and switches from MacPherson struts to double wishbone suspension.
While an outline of the proposed regulations has been developed, a full set of technical regulations is yet to be drafted and approved, meaning teams still cannot begin work on developing cars for the next regulation cycle. In the current regulations cycle, M-Sport had already begun work on the Ford Puma Rally1 in January 2020, two years ahead of its debut.
“It’s one of the things we debate,” Loriaux told DirtFish. “For me personally, to be ready for 2027 is not possible. It’s too late. For me, this cannot be ready before 2028. And I think many other manufacturers out there have the same feeling.
“Being pig-headed and giving yourself targets that are impossible to meet is silly. I feel to be ready for 2027 is impossible. For me it’s more clever to realize that earlier than later, because then you can plan better.
“If you wait until the end of 2026 to say, ‘Oh no, it’s not possible for 2027’, then what do you do? You end up again rushing everything. So for me, you have to have realistic targets.
“The problem is just time. You need a final regulation before you can start working on the car. We don’t have a final regulation, we have a concept.”
All three Rally1 teams currently make Rally2 vehicles but Loriaux pointed out that simply carrying over components from the current Rally2 ruleset will not work across the board, highlighting that making current Rally2 engines the basis of 2027 regulations was not an option long-term.
The 2027 regulations concept leans on road-going production engines, instead of the purpose-built race engines that have featured since the start of the last World Rally Car regulation cycle in 2017. That will make such engines beholden to Euro 7 emissions regulations once they are rolled out. All new consumer vehicles with fewer than eight seats built after November 29, 2027 must be Euro 7 compliant.
“For me the engine regulation is not good enough because we’re talking ’27 and they try to base it on saying, ‘Oh but we can stick to Rally2 regs’,” Loriaux said.
“We can’t, because by 2027 the emission laws, the engine we have, changes. The engine regulation is not good enough for everyone to have an engine. By 2028 the engines are not available anymore. You need engines that are good up to 2032 – or at least 2030. You’re not creating regulations to last two years.
“In any case, 2027, forget it. That’s not happening. It’s 2028. You need engines that are good from 2028 to 2032. That’s not there.”
Though he’d raised concerns about the timescales involved in designing new cars to the current 2027 regularisations concept and the engines, Loriaux had also told DirtFish he felt the regulations were going in “the right direction.”
His only other gripe was the proposed cost cap of €345,000 per new car.
“They need to fix the engine thing, then review the cost,” he said. “The cost is ridiculous; it’s impossible to do it with the cost they’re talking about.
“So, cost of the car, sorting the engine and then going to a realistic timescale. That’s it.”
