Things are heating up in the WRC

Well, Loeb is still winning – but is if we take the rallies in Italy and Argentina into account, the atmosphere in WRC seems different that during the last couple of years. Cars look and sound great, Rally Monte Carlo is announced to be back in WRC in 2012, and above all the rallies are closer than ever with fierce battles and action-packed stages. Experienced WRC reporter Julian Porter wrote recently that his current «fever rating» was a 10/10: «The 2011 season just gets better and better. Argentina is a special place: passionate fans like nowhere else in the world, a landscape to die for and stages that just bring out the best in our drivers. And to top that, what a battle we had with five drivers at it hammer and tongs, three different leaders and the eventual winner only stealing it in the final 3.9 kilometres!»

I think Porter summarizes it quite well, not least if you view the YouTube-video above, showing the fun of both WRC 2011 and Argentinean roads. Add the fact that Volkswagen made a very impressive show on Sardinia, introducing their new Polo R WRC and commiting to WRC for five years with initial testing planned during 2011. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the management board of the Volkswagen brand, development division, said the WRC’s new technical regulations had proved a decisive factor in the firm’s decision to contest the WRC. He also added: «The big task of engineering a vehicle that is competitive and capable of winning at a large number of challenges holds great appeal for us».


Dr Hackenberg’s enthusiasm brings forward thoughts about the second golden age of rallying (the first one was Group B), that is when World Rally Cars were introduced in 1997. Prior to this, 5000 turbocharged 4WD cars (reduced to 2500 in 1993), the basic requirement for Group A, was a hefty demand for most manufacturers in the 1990s. Therefore, European manufacturers in particular urged the FIA to introduce another change in technological regulations. The idea was to take the creative freedom from the Group B regulations and pair it with vigorous safety requirements. That way it would provide technical opportunities to produce spectatular cars, while keeping the door to WRC open for all kinds of manufacturers. And it did. In 1999, there were seven manufacturers in the WRC.


Can we anticipate a similar development in, say, 2014? Rumor has it that it’s not just Volkswagen that has considered entering the WRC in near future. Saab is mentioned here and there (that would be a fun return from one of the classics), but even more so discussed is Toyota, which according to a well informed source has indicated that they plan to contest five or six rallies in 2012, prior to a full WRC programme in 2013. If this is for real, it would bring the WRC to another level, enabling new drivers and new talent of all sorts to enter the most fascinating motorsport championship in the world.