According to the FIA and the organisers, drivers must drive parts of road sections and near event service parks in an all-electric manner. The latest generation of WRC cars may be based on road models, but the underbody are highly tuned machines that can withstand the harshest conditions. Not only do the cars weigh much less, but they also have additional components to maximize safety and performance. Full seat belts, increased energy-absorbing foam padding around the seats and doors, and a very strong roll bar help protect the crew. Current vehicles now also have a hybrid engine, which gives the engine an extra boost when turned on. The end of one stage does not mark the beginning of the next. After each stage, the drivers must go to the next part of the rally. Unlike special tests, road sections are driven on public roads that are also open to normal traffic, so drivers must follow the normal road rules in this country. For this reason, WRC vehicles must be fully homologated for the road and carry mandatory license plates and safety equipment. With the current generation of vehicles, the teams also have an all-electric mode, which can be used on road sections. Despite state-of-the-art technology, the driver and front passenger still rely on conventional pen and paper to create speed notes.
These instructions, which are read by the passenger during the stage, are like a second pair of eyes for the rider. They provide all the exact details of the road ahead, such as the severity of an upcoming turn, jump or dive on the road. Speed ratings let the driver know exactly what`s coming. In the WRC, the action doesn`t just take place over a few hours – rallies traditionally take place over several days over hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres. Usually, a day is called a stage and consists of many timed special stages and untimed road sections. After each stage, the cars and drivers then return to their team base in the service park. The rally will take place over 17 special stages with crews covering 296 km. For this event, 3.65 km of road section will be covered in EV mode. Gear changes had to be carried out with a mechanical linkage system, so paddle shifters were prohibited.
[5] However, the system was re-approved in 2015. [ref. needed] There was no center differential (previously there were 3 differentials, with a center/3. differential), but the new regulations allow the only front and rear axle differential and a mechanical clutch to separate the rear axle during the handbrake (to reduce costs and make the driving style of the cars even more exciting for spectators and TV broadcasts). These two differentials must be mechanical, without electronic control or hydraulic or viscous systems (from 2006 to 2010, the center differential and previously all three could be active[8] Unlike the predecessors in Group A, manufacturers no longer needed to build “approval specials” to obtain approval. [ref. The base model did not need to have all the characteristics of the WRC car, as evidenced by cars such as the Peugeot 206, 307, Citroën Xsara and Škoda Fabia, which at the time did not have a road car variant with turbo petrol or all-wheel drive. From the 2022 WRC season, all Rally1 cars will be equipped with 100kW plug-in hybrid units which, combined with the 1.6-litre combustion engine, deliver more than 500 hp. The crews use the additional electrical power via an automatic system dictated by pre-programmed engine boards. These maps are based on the application of the accelerator and brake pedal by the driver, so that the extra energy can be released and regenerated individually depending on the driving style, road conditions and characteristics of the stage. Short for Recognition, a reconnaissance takes place on the rally site the week before the WRC event.
Crews drive at low speed through the stages to take speed notes that describe the route in great detail. The cars are standard road models, although they are equipped with a roll bar for safety, as well as swamp protection and off-road tires to deal with rough terrain. This is a crucial part of the preparation for the rally. Rallies are divided into special stages, timed races on closed road sections that drivers want to finish as quickly as possible. Their format can be very different and ranges from sprint-type stages of a few kilometers to longer stages of up to 80 km. The number of steps also differs from event to event. Each day of the competition, several stages are organized, with the cars on regular roads between the individual stages. ITV4 will air highlights on Wednesday 26 January at 8pm. The chassis is no longer built around the production car, with teams redesigning their machines from scratch.
New, stronger and safer steel space chassis, regulated by the FIA, form the basis of the car, which for the first time will be built with minimal wheelbase. The driver may be the one fighting the rally cars at 200 km/h on the dangerous roads of a rally stage, but the co-driver plays an equally important role. They are responsible for preparing and reading speed notes, assisting with repairs and always making sure the car arrives on time at key checkpoints. An on-board radio connection ensures that the driver and front passenger can always stay in constant contact. New Zealand`s famous gravel roads and the season finale in Japan – both COVID victims – are back alongside the Safari (Kenya) and Acropolis (Greece) classics, which returned triumphantly and long awaited last year.