New World Rally Championship constructor WRT Rally1 Spain is developing its own engine, based on an already homologated Group A unit, for its first ever WRC car.
The project, a collaboration between RMC Motorsport and the Spanish motorsport federation (RFEDA), is one of two new constructors confirmed for next year’s WRC, along with RallyOne Project.
The new regulations enable constructors to purchase existing engines from Rally2 manufacturers, but WRT Rally1 Spain has opted away from this for a very good reason.
“In principle, using an existing Rally2 engine is an obvious route, but the reality is that the manufacturers producing these engines are not currently set up to supply independent constructors with the number of units that a program like this requires,” the team explained.
“That situation may change in the near future, but it is not the reality today. For that reason, we have taken the decision to develop our own engine, based on a production engine already homologated in Group A, as required by the regulations.
“This gives us greater control over the project and its future supply. We will announce the identity and further details of the engine when the time is right.
“At this stage, we prefer not to go into further technical detail,” the team added, “but having our own development also gives us greater control over the engine program, its evolution and, importantly, the supply of units in the future.”
Is Toyota a realistic target?
Reigning world champion Toyota is the only OEM building a new car for next year’s regulatory change.
WRT Rally1 Spain will be a direct competitor, along with any Rally2 cars with or without Kits.
“We are realistic,” the team said. “Competing against a major OEM and beating them is extremely difficult. The difference in financial, technical and human resources available to a manufacturer compared with an independent constructor is obvious.
“However, this is precisely where we believe the philosophy of the WRC27 regulations can make a difference. The regulations simplify and restrict development in a number of critical technical areas, while at the same time introducing strong cost-control measures.
“That does not eliminate the advantage of a major manufacturer, but it reduces the number of areas where an unlimited development budget can translate directly into performance. For an independent constructor like us, that gives us an opportunity to get closer.
“In that sense, there are parallels with competitions such as Formula 1, where major manufacturers coexist with private teams that have repeatedly shown they can challenge manufacturer-backed operations in terms of performance, efficiency and innovation.
“An OEM will always have greater technical, human and financial resources, but the aim of regulations such as WRC27 is to reduce barriers to entry, control costs and create a sufficiently balanced framework for a strong independent project to compete for results.
“Toyota has been the first OEM to clearly commit to developing a car under these new regulations, and that’s fantastic news. But the success of WRC27 should also be measured by its ability to attract new projects, teams and independent constructors and allow them to be truly competitive. The more paths there are to victory in the WRC, the stronger the championship will be.
“There is also another important factor: drivers. We have to be realistic that we cannot compete with the budgets an OEM can allocate to securing the very best drivers in the world. Particularly during the first seasons, experience and driver quality could therefore make a significant difference.
“Over time, however, we expect more WRC27 cars to be built, more constructors and drivers to become involved and the cars themselves to mature. We believe that this should progressively bring the overall level of performance closer together.
“In any case, motorsport has shown many times that resources alone do not guarantee results. I still remember when a Spanish engineering company called Piedrafita – which, incidentally, is collaborating with us on this project – was capable of giving factory teams more than a few headaches.
“So we know how difficult the challenge is, but that is also part of what makes this project so exciting. We are here to compete.”
WRT Rally1 Spain is targeting Croatia Rally in April as its first WRC event, with Spain, Portugal and the two South American rallies also in its plans.
