The FIA is taking a bold step to breathe new life into the world rally championship. Starting next year, cars built to the new WRC27 regulations can be challenged in the top category by current WRC2 cars fitted with an upgrade package. But manufacturers have so far been lukewarm, and now the FIA is trying a different approach by offering a significant financial sweetener.
Among current WRC manufacturers, Hyundai has shown little interest in the upgrade package so far. Ford is the only manufacturer to have confirmed it will produce a Rally2 WRC Kit. Meanwhile, Skoda and Lancia from the WRC2 camp have also shown little enthusiasm for the solution.
The FIA is not sitting still. FIA Deputy President for Sport, Malcolm Wilson, stressed that his target is to see at least five manufacturers involved. “They can stay with their Rally2 cars if they want. But don’t get me wrong, we are still trying to encourage them. My target is to see at least five manufacturers involved,” he said.
The manufacturers' reluctance is clearly budget-related. To compete in the World Rally Championship with a car fitted with the Rally2 WRC Kit, a manufacturer must enter at least two cars in every WRC round of the season. This would require a significant increase in budget, particularly for teams currently competing in WRC2.
FIA Road Sport Director, Emilia Abel, acknowledged the budget consideration. “There is certainly a budget consideration involved. To commit to 14 or 15 WRC rallies with two cars requires a budget, and only then can you homologate the kit,” she explained.
Wilson stressed that a manufacturer can develop the upgrade kit and sell it to private customers even if it does not use the kit itself. “Yes, it is possible,” Wilson confirmed. “As long as they sign up for the Constructors’ Championship. The only way they can use it is if they register as a constructor, so they have to do that.”
To ease the burden, the FIA has slashed the registration fee by 50 percent. “We have reduced the registration fee by 50 per cent to encourage manufacturers to develop the kit. That 50 per cent reduction more than covers the cost of developing and designing the kit,” Wilson explained. Next year’s Constructors’ Championship registration fee will be around a quarter of a million euros after the reduction.
This move is a real test for the FIA in convincing manufacturers that the future of WRC is worth fighting for. Will this incentive be enough to change the manufacturers' minds? We'll see what happens next.
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