Team-BHP - Rule Changes in WRC

While the officials at F1 are trying to make F1 more competitive, it's altogether a different objective for the organisers of WRC rallies.

The folks at WRC are trying to make the sport cheaper *

This will eventually mean more privateer teams and new manufacturers entering the championship.

Some of he rule Changes that I know of are:

1. Limited number of tyres:
Each car is restricted to using a limited number of tyres for every rally. This also means that they have to choose what kind of tyres they are going to use even before the rally starts. This actually makes things more difficult for the team cos if the weather changes during the rally they are screwed.

2. No more reccee teams:
Im not sure how this works but i think they are trying to do away with teams having separate reccee teams.

3. Limited number of spares:
Each team will be restricteded to a limited number of spares. So it's important for drivers to nurse their car to a certain extent during each rally.

4. Service:
Each service team can service only one of their cars at a time.
This means using less number of mechanics/engineers.

Cant think of anything else right now. If you of any other rules changes pls contribute.

cheers!
Tom

Well Tom, FIA has opened a Pandora's box and literally...

One thing, with just one car being serviced at a time while the other waits, the second car's driver gets crucial time to decide what he wants his setup to be during the service and more so, what tyres he can select. And that can work to the disadvantage of the first driver who pits in.

Also what you mentioned about the tyre rule changes, i also remember reading the possibility of having just one tyre manufacturer (which pretty much is since Subaru has Pirelli, the rest Michelin).

Also the recee teams is an unnecessary pain on the drivers. During rallye mexico ( if i remember correct), Markko had to run into the reccee car, complete it and then run back into his own car. My points of contention are:

1. The driver has to be up really early in the morning for the reccee runs which means he loses out on crucial time spent resting or working out or with the team on setup. Especially sleep since no driver can get his best out if he loses out on crucial hours of sleep.
2. The driver is stressed out physically and could lose concentration during the rally and make a mistake due to too many things being on his head, reccee, being on time, getiting into his own car etc. Very stupid.
3. Ok, doing a reccee in another car saves your car from getting damaged, but then again, the difference between a rally and stock car is too glaring. While you are limited to taking a particular corner at 80 in a stock car, the rally car can easily cut it at 140. So the driver never really gets an actual sense of the speed he can carry into the corner. Rather impractical.

In all totallity, WRC is goin from bad to worse. Looks like Max Mosley and his mad ideas have hit WRC too. For those who really havent followed WRC and have just started recently, you are watching the destruction of a truly great sport. R.I.P.

Revv

How does the reccee system actually work at WRC?

Im really not sure on this but i think it's something like:
1. A separate driver n co-driver (reccee team)driving a replicate of the competition car do a round thru the stages and then give feedback to the actual driver n co-driver.

2. The teams driver n co-driver then actually do a round in any stock car, where even sometimes driver sits and writes the pace notes while co-driver drives.

3. They do practice run day before the actual event in the competition car.
Co-driver makes necessary changes in pace notes.

End of Reccee.

Not sure abt this some clarity on this would be nice

Ok Tom to get more onto this recee system saga...

One thing is that its got scrapped. My mistake that i mentioned mexico, but it was NZ where they first tried out this system. Its called the "Mille Pistes" system. The logic behind this system is simple. It involves a single pre-event reconnaissance, with the second pass through the stage on the morning before the timed run. This can be carried out with the rally car, rather than separate reconnaissance vehicle.

Now the problem with this system was as Markko Martin very well put it was this. He drove the car early in the morning and it was wet during the recee. So the surface was wet as well. When he went in 2 hours later during the timed run (which means the actual competitive stage run), all he found on that stage was nothing but gravel, cuz the sun was up. Point being, the nature of the stage can change within such a short period of time that it just doesnt make sense. And the old recce system was being followed for 55 years. Does it make sense to change now? Not really.

With loads of drivers complaining about the additional stress, the system has been scrapped. But i dont think this is the end of weirditees coming to an end in WRC. As i mentioned before. Watch whatever you can of F-1 and WRC now, cuz 2-3 years down the line, you wont even be able to recognize it as a sport, the way we do now.

Revv

hmm....dont know abt that....but what i do know is that F1 is already out of the window...LOL

was the old reccee system like i mentioned?

Forgot to mention the new 2 driver rule. Only 2 topdrivers are allowed in each team. 3rd driver has to be someone who hasnt had a podium in the past 3yrs.
This rule led to our poor Colin Mcrae to lose a drive this year.
I fail to understand why Subaru didnt sign him.