As revealed by DirtFish last week, the next generation of World Rally Championship regulations will be based around a spaceframe Rally2-specification car.
Wednesday’s Rwanda meeting of the World Motor Sport Council rubberstamped the FIA Road Sport Department’s WRC Future Technical 2027+ proposal.
That means Rally1 cars will be replaced by spaceframe machinery utilising Rally2 level engines, transmissions and brakes, with a cost cap of €345,000 ($US362,000).
The WMSC communication stated: “After extensive consultation and collaboration between the WRC stakeholders, today’s confirmation of the rules, referred to as WRC27, have been proposed and agreed by the WRC Commission, which comprises voting members from all current manufacturers, the WRC Promoter and a representative of the crews. The rules will come into effect from the 2027 season.”
The next homologation cycle will run for 10 years (twice the usual period), but crucially there is the potential for a change of powertrain within that 10 years.
In 2027, internal combustion and sustainable fuel will be the focus, but as the FIA states: “The World Rally Championship was one of the pioneers of sustainably-fuelled motor sport, mandating its use in 2022, and with the 2027 regulations, there is built-in freedom between sustainably-fuelled internal combustion engines, hybrid powertrains or fully-electric solutions. The initial target is for competitors to utilise sustainably-fuelled ICE in 2027, with diversification including hybrid systems, or fully electric technologies, that could be introduced at a later stage.
“This is a reflection of the current automotive landscape, with a plethora of different configurations catering for different situations in different markets. By remaining open to all of these options while holding environmental sustainability at its core, the WRC will continue to be a trailblazer for technology.”
The 2027 regulations will allow manufacturers total freedom to choose their car's bodyshape
While the WMSC decision doesn’t detail specific 2027 component regulations, the FIA Road Sport Department’s WRC Future Technical 2027+ proposal did precisely that.
Under key technical elements for WRC 2027, the proposal accepted by WMSC read: “Rally2 Engine rules including base engine from any source.
“Rally2 Transmission/Brakes with double wishbone suspension to reduce cost/complexity.
“Bodywork designed to be more cost effective over Rally duration, including steel wheel arch liners for punctures.
“Weight 1230kg as current Rally2.”
The 2027 cars, which have a target weight of 1230kg, will retain the same silhouette philosophy, allowing for scaled SUV models – such as M-Sport’s Ford Puma – as well as B and C segment cars.
On the question of cutting costs, the FIA offered: “Cost control has been identified by WRC stakeholders as one of the key limiting factors on participation in the top level of the category, and therefore the 2027 costs will be capped at €345k. This represents more than a 50 per cent reduction in costs when compared to the outgoing formula.
“These cost savings will be achieved though component cost specifications rather than financial regulations. There will also be savings in the technical designs of certain components that will make them more durable over the course of a rally.
“In addition to reducing the cost of the cars themselves, running costs for teams are set to be reduced by limiting personnel, reducing logistics transport costs, increasing the use of local facilities and increasing data connectivity to aid offsite engineering.”
The FIA is also pushing for potential crossover of these cars as a platform for the World Rallycross Championship.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem felt the new rules would help ringfence the WRC, saying: “The regulations that we have approved today are critical to the long-term growth of the FIA World Rally Championship. They lay the foundations for an exciting future with a focus on cost containment, sustainability and growing participation at the top level of rallying.”
WRC team principals were aligned on the long-term view, with M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson saying: “I think that the regulations approved today are the correct way to go for the WRC. We need to have new entries, more teams and drivers competing at the top level, and these regulations for 2027 will encourage this. It will allow us to give more young drivers a chance, which is essential for the long-term success of the sport, and it’s also really important that we make the WRC more affordable, allowing teams to compete alongside manufacturers.”
With Hyundai’s WRC future still the source of much speculation, Cyril Abiteboul admitted the potential for a radically cheaper car was welcome from 2027.
He said: “It is always positive for manufacturers to have a long-term roadmap for the championships that we can assess and improve altogether. We welcome the important efforts that have been made to reduce costs, as the sport needs to stabilize and develop its manufacturers base. We also look forward to developing the value of the sport by showcasing spectacular cars in exciting rally formats to increase the fanbase.
While he agreed with the principle of the cost cap, Toyota’s Jari-Matti Latvala admitted he thought the €345,000 figure could be too low.
“I think we just need to be really strong with that and we keep the price level low,” said the Finn. “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 ($US525,000). 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.”
Recently crowned world champion Thierry Neuville voiced his concerns for the 2027 regulations, telling DirtFish: “I’m very worried about running Rally2 cars as the new Rally1 cars. How are you going to handle the national championships? You will have [current] Rally2 cars who go faster than the new Rally1 cars.
“When you are starting second or third on the road and the other one is starting 45th, a privateer will go faster than the official driver.”
