Tom Fowler, the technical director of Toyota Gazoo Racing, has made it clear that the World Rally Championship is at a critical crossroads that cannot be ignored. He is pushing for fundamental changes to the sporting regulations ahead of next season, as the technical landscape shifts dramatically.
Fowler highlighted the perennial issue of road position in gravel rallies, which often disadvantages the championship leader. However, he stressed that this problem will become even more acute when cars with different specifications begin competing in the top class from 2027.
The 100-Horsepower Gap That Cannot Be Closed
Fowler revealed a striking calculation about the impact of road position on performance. He compared a Rally1 car running first on the road with a Rally2 car starting 12th in a gravel rally.
According to him, the Rally1 car is only just able to beat the Rally2 car in 12th position, despite a power difference of 100 horsepower between the two machines.
"That means the performance difference between road positions one and 12 is currently equivalent to 100 horsepower. If the technical regulations give the cars the same power, that kind of performance gap can never be closed through technical means. It is impossible," Fowler said with evident frustration.
The Growing Risk of Dominance in the New Era
With only Toyota set to run a new WRC27 car in 2027, while M-Sport Ford introduces the Rally2 WRC Kit package, competition is expected to intensify. The number of top-class entries is likely to increase, making road position even more decisive.
Fowler insisted that this issue must be resolved through sporting regulations, not technical ones. "If cars with the same power-to-weight ratio are competing, they must be able to run in conditions that are as similar as possible. This can only be achieved through the sporting regulations," he asserted.
The technical director closed with a statement that serves as an ultimatum for the future of the WRC. "I think the target for the sport is clear: we must ensure that, ultimately, the most competitive driver in the most competitive car can still win. Any falsification of this by strange road order is not really reasonable," he concluded.
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