Inside Rally

Throughout the course of the year, the FIA has approved a number of regulation changes for the 2014 World Rally Championship season which aim to help reduce costs whilst raising the sporting challenge and increasing media coverage. The major changes to the Championship regulations are listed below:

The following chart summarises the classes and groups of cars, and details the renamed classes of eligible cars. The renaming of car classes harmonises the numbering with the other FIA Championships with the smaller number defining the most powerful cars (RC denoting Rally Car).

CLASSES GROUPS
RC1 World Rally Cars: 1.6 T engine
RC2 S2000-Rally: 1.6T engine with a 30mm restrictor
S2000-Rally: 2.0 Atmospheric
Group R5 (VR5)
Group R4 (VR4)
Group N over 2000cc (current N4)
RGT RGT cars
RC3 Group A over 1600cc and up to 2000cc
Super 1600
R2 (over 1600cc and up to 2000cc – VR2C)
R3 (atmo / over 1600cc and up to 2000cc – VR3C)
R3 (turbo / up to 1620cc / nominal – VR3T)
R3 (diesel / up to 2000cc / nominal – VR3D)
RC4 Group A up to 1600cc
R2 (over 1390cc and up to 1600cc – VR2B)
Kit-car up to 1600cc
Group N over 1600cc and up to 2000cc
RC5 Group N up to 1600cc
R1 (up to 1600cc –VR1A/VR1B)
To bring consistency to events and thereby aid the Promoter, rallies are now requested to follow a fixed format. There will be a ceremonial start on Thursday, with the last stage run on Sunday at approximately 12:00 hrs for European events. The final stage is defined as the Power Stage, the length of which will be set at a minimum of 10 kilometres.

As a general rule, organisers of WRC events must ensure a minimum of 25% competitive special stage distance in relation to the overall distance of the event.

Photo: D.Darrall

The start order for both gravel and tarmac rallies has been amended as follows, in order to increase the show for fans and reduce the use of tactics:

Day 1: Provisional Championship classification order for P1 and P2 drivers
Day 2: Reverse provisional rally classification order for P1 and P2 drivers
Day 3: Reverse provisional rally classification order for P1 and P2 drivers

There is therefore no more Free Practice and Qualifying. Cars having retired and restarting (Rally 2) will be placed the next day after the P1 and P2 drivers group.

In order to allow greater flexibility to contract different drivers, Manufacturers will no longer be required to nominate one permanent driver for the season. Instead, Manufacturers will be obliged to nominate one driver for a minimum of 10 Championship events.

Manufacturer and WRC Team cars from the same entrant will be permitted to enter Flexi-Service at the same time, having their service times counted independently.

Due to calendar updates, the number of links has changed to 2 links of 2 rallies per car and 1 link of 4 rallies per seasonally allocated car number for a Manufacturer or a WRC Team which has nominated all Championship rallies.

In order to give more flexibility, WRC Teams will no longer be obliged to nominate a tyre manufacturer for the season.

WRC Team and WRC 2 entrants using S2000 cars are not obliged to use the latest ‘joker’ parts when competing in WRC events.

All competitors registered in the Championships – WRC, WRC 2, WRC 3 and Junior WRC – will be obliged to use a colour-coded windscreen sticker to promote and identify the category in which they are competing and scoring points. In addition, a similar Championship identification sticker will be applied to the front doors.

Permanent competition numbers will no longer be allocated to P3 drivers competing in the support championships. Drivers wishing to request a permanent number for marketing or promotional purposes will however be able to do so. The restriction on the number of servicing personnel has also been removed and testing during the three weeks preceding an event is now permitted for P3 drivers.

To create a more level playing field for the support championship contenders, a two minute interval has been given between P3 drivers.

In order to promote the entry of R-GT cars in FIA rallies, tuners will be permitted to develop cars, in accordance with the criteria defining eligible cars. The FIA will issue a technical passport, allowing the car to be eligible for events accepting R-GT cars.

The minimum weight of R5 cars has been increased from 1200 to 1230 kg to avoid the use of expensive options and keep the cost of the complete car within the stated limit.

Regulations for R4 cars will not be continued after 2014. From 1 January 2015, R4 cars will be eligible in the events of non-European FIA regional championships only. Cars with National R4 homologation will also be eligible in these events.

To help attract more manufacturers into the sport, the series engine of R1, R2 and R3 cars may be replaced with another series engine.

The FIA is pleased to announce that Citroën Racing will become the exclusive supplier of cars for competitors in the 2014 and 2015 FIA Junior WRC Championship. The identically-prepared Citroën DS3 R3Ts will all run on Michelin tyres and fuel from the FIA’s designated supplier.

Photo: D.Darrall

The Junior WRC Championship is designed to be an accessible and cost-effective first step on the ladder for aspiring youngsters under the age of 26, its single-make formula providing an equal opportunity for all the contenders.

The 2014 FIA Junior WRC Championship will be contested over six European rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship, with drivers counting all scores towards the Championship title. The Champion will be given the opportunity to contest six events in the 2015 FIA WRC 2 Championship driving an R5 car.

Competitors wishing to register for the 2014 FIA Junior WRC Championship or receive further information should contact jeanfrancois.lienere@citroen.com.

Source: FIA Press Release

Robert Kubica and his long-term partner, Lotos, are delighted to announce their plans for the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The Pole will contest all 13 rounds of next season’s championship with a Lotos-supported Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Following some inspiring performances in 2013, M-Sport were eager to see Kubica progress his career within the team. The Pole’s dominant display in this year’s WRC 2 series saw him burst onto the world stage in style, and M-Sport will provide him with a great platform from which to advance his career at the sport’s highest level.
Having won five of his seven WRC 2 events this year, there is no doubting Kubica’s speed and skill behind the wheel of a rally car, but it is the WRC 2 Champion’s ambition and determination which makes him an ideal candidate for the M-Sport squad.

Having made his WRC world rally car debut at the season-closing round in Wales last month, Kubica is keen to develop and build on his experience at rallying’s highest league.

Contesting all 13 rounds of next season’s championship, there will be a number of new experiences for the 29-year-old including the specialist stages of Sweden’s snow-covered countryside and the high-altitudes and soaring temperatures of the Americas.

Of course, there are few drivers who possess the former Formula One driver’s desire to succeed, and armed with the Fiesta RS WRC, the WRC community should prepare for the coming of Kubica.

Robert Kubica said:

“I am really glad that I will participate in all 13 rounds of the [FIA] World Rally Championship [WRC] with the [Ford] Fiesta RS WRC. The support of my partner, LOTOS Group, combined with the knowledge and experience of M-Sport will create a solid foundation for my further development and I am looking forward to gathering valuable experience on the WRC stages.”

CEO of Grupa LOTOS, Pawel Olechnowicz, said:

“A decisive victory for Robert [Kubica] in the WRC 2 class in 2013 confirmed his extraordinary talent and determination. We are very pleased that we can support such an excellent driver. Robert has consistently pursued further goals and does so with a passion that characterises only the greatest athletes. We believe that next year he will confirm his position amongst the top rally drivers in the world.”

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“I am thrilled that Robert [Kubica] will be contesting next season in a [Ford] Fiesta [RS WRC]. Since he burst onto the WRC [FIA World Rally Championship] scene earlier this year, we have been very keen to have him on-board and I think that we can expect some great things from him in 2014.

“You only have to look at the way Robert prepared for the 2013 season to see what it all means to him. He has a desire and a hunger which you don’t see in many drivers and I truly believe that M-Sport can offer him all the right tools to move forward in rallying.”

Its just been confirmed this morning that M-Sport will field a mix of youth and experience in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) as the winning potential of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are combined with the raw talent and ambition of Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt. Both crews will take to the Cumbrian firm’s Ford Fiesta RS WRC for all 13 rounds of next season’s championship.

Full press release below reads:

The news that Hirvonen is coming home will bring a smile to the face of many a rally fan. Having started his WRC career with the Ford / M-Sport operation in 2003, the Finn enjoyed eight years behind the wheel of M-Sport machinery and was instrumental in securing Ford’s back-to-back manufacturers’ titles in 2006 and 2007. With fourteen of his fifteen victories claimed with M-Sport’s range of award-winning rally cars, Hirvonen’s return also provides the team with a real contender for rally wins.

The Finn is hungry for success. Having finished as vice champion on four separate occasions, he was one of nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb’s main rivals and missed out on the 2009 championship laurels by a single point.

As he and Lehtinen return to the team which delivered the bulk of their success, the squad will be keen to see the Fiesta RS WRC piloted to the best of its potential. Since parting ways with M-Sport in 2012, the two Finns remained a popular crew in the eyes of the M-Sport family, and their homecoming brings a real enthusiasm for the season ahead.

Occupying the seat of the sister M-Sport Fiesta RS WRC, is one of rallying’s most promising up-and-coming young talents. Evans’ breakthrough performance in 2013 saw him elevated to the top of WRC competition. The Welshman showcased some impressive pace in the WRC 2 category, but it was arguably his performance at Rally Italia Sardegna which saw him stamp his authority on the world stage.

A world rally car debut is no mean feat, but when combined with unknown stages, an unfamiliar co-driver and a mere two days of preparation, the youngster’s sixth place finish was a revelation which saw him join an elite group of ‘rookies’ to have impressed to such an extent on their world rally car debut.
Working closely with the team, Evans and Barritt will be given the opportunity to learn from their team-mates’ expertise whilst refining their own pace and experience ahead of a prospective long-term campaign with the Cumbrian firm.

In 2005, Ford and M-Sport set out to create an effective ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ through which rallying’s brightest talents might progress to the pinnacle of the sport. Evans provides a near-perfect example of that system in operation.

The youngster started his career with the Ford / M-Sport partnership in 2007, winning the Ford Fiesta SportTrophy series in both the UK and Ireland. Progressing from the Ford Fiesta ST to the globally successful Ford Fiesta R2, it was not long before he was a regular on the WRC stage – winning the 2012 FIA WRC Academy Cup with a dominant display on both gravel and asphalt. The WRC 2 category swiftly followed with some inspired performances behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta R5, and in 2014, the Welshman will complete his ladder of success by lining-up for a full season in M-Sport’s top-specification Fiesta.

Mikko Hirvonen said:

“To be back in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, it really feels as though I am coming home. The last two years were really good for myself and Jarmo [Lehtinen, co-driver], but although we will take a lot of good memories with us, we didn’t necessarily achieve what we set out to do. Joining M-Sport will give us a good chance to try again – a fresh start in a car we know we can be competitive in. We are motivated to win, and we are in the best possible place to do that.

“There are definitely some rallies that we will be targeting. We know that the Fiesta is competitive on every surface, but Sweden and Finland are two rallies that I particularly enjoy. Ultimately however, I want to be in a position to fight throughout the entire season. I want to be a contender for the championship, and at M-Sport, we can achieve that.”

Elfyn Evans said:

“It is an absolutely fantastic feeling to know that I will be driving a world rally car for a full season next year! Last year was a real development year for us, so it is great to be able to take the next step in my career and for myself and Dan [Barritt, co-driver] to really progress within the team. The great thing about this programme is that it gives us time. The whole team is behind us and we have a long-term plan to get to where we all, ultimately, want to be. This is just the first step and I am extremely grateful to Malcolm [Wilson] and M-Sport for this opportunity and their belief in my future.

“Of course we are under no illusion that it is going to be an easy year. We need to view it as a learning curve. There are a lot of specialist events that I have never previously contested, and the first half of the season will be about getting to the end of each rally with as much knowledge and experience as possible. Having Mikko [Hirvonen] and Jarmo [Lehtinen, co-driver] in the team is certainly a big positive for us. They know what it takes to win at this level and we can learn a lot from them.”

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“We have pitched a combination of youth and experience for our assault on the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship. Mikko [Hirvonen] has always been a very popular member of the team. He has done well here [at M-Sport] in the past, and he provides us with the potential to battle for victories at a number of events throughout the year. We all know what he is capable of behind the wheel of a Fiesta, and he has lost none of his ambition and determination to win.

“I am also delighted to announce that Elfyn [Evans] will partner Mikko in the sister M-Sport Fiesta [RS WRC]. I have no doubt that he is ready for this opportunity. Over the course of the season, he proved that he has both the mental strength and speed to learn whilst securing some very strong results. I am looking forward to seeing how he develops, and although we are not expecting him to challenge for any wins this season, his talent could certainly spring a few surprises. We have a long-term plan for Elfyn and Dan [Barritt, co-driver] and this is just the first step along the path to championship success.”