Rally1 vs WRC - In-Depth Analysis [WRC 2023]

The FIA and WRC have put new regulations in place for the top-level WRC 2022 car. We break down the changes in the aerodynamics of the Rally1 cars vs. the WRC cars.
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#wrc #wrc2022 #rally1 #wrc2023

[@buffallopete]

The rear diffuser made the cars look more aggressive especially on Hyundai. What a loss.

[@rallybeast]

The new cars look very tame compared to the last generation. The Toyota and Hyundai look a little goofy now but M-Sport Ford did a fantastic job with the Puma.

[@virgilthemob1242]

Yeah... "Cost saving" and "hybrid system" don't really go hand in hand tbh. If they'd kept the powertrains simpler and maybe regulated the aero a bit more tightly by introducing homologation standards instead of banning certain parts, I think it would have helped cut costs much more easily. No wonder there aren't any new constructors joining in the forseeable future. This is yet another FIA blunder as far as I'm concerned.

[@rallybeast]

That's a great observation, especially since the F.I.A. didn't put an actual cap on the cost like they have in other motorsports. The investment in development is still extremely high, notably with Toyota and Hyundai who have virtually endless budgets.

[@akfortyfo7024]

Agreed. Whoever asked for a hybrid system in the first place??

[@patricklai2075]

I like the look of the base car of the new hybrids, but the old WRC class looked so much better though their base version were antiquated. The aero pieces really helped the cars to look "techy", like the pre-2022 reg F1 cars.

[@rallybeast]

Couldn’t agree more! At first glance, the Rally1 doesn’t look too different but when you put them side-by-side, you see how fantastic the WRC cars look.

[@krololol]

To me it seems like the ratio of front:rear aero has negatively effected the car’s abilities to take jumps, seems like these cars have a stronger tendency to have the fronts fling up compared to last gen

[@rallybeast]

That's a good observation. They are definitely going nose up over the high speed jumps. The 2017 cars had that same problem when they were first used. It did take them a few years to get it under control, but I think that was caused by the effectiveness of the rear diffuser. I'm sure the teams will be able to fix it on the Rally1 cars, but it will probably just take time.

[@krinos1]

also extra weight in the rear because of the hybrid motors and batts

[@petertromp8786]

Outstanding video. This is the kind of content I've been waiting for for the longest time - the kind that goes deep into the technical details of the cars. The 2017-spec rally cars are perhaps my favorite motorsport cars of all time, closely followed by the F1 V10 screaming monsters from 1998 to 2000 (pre-traction control), and were effectively a hybrid between a rally car and a race car. It made for perhaps the most spectacular era of the sport, and all you have to do to appreciate the speeds with which these aero wonders cut through the stages is to look at any of the thousands of videos posted by fans who attended the events between 2017 and 2021. Thank you for the impeccable research you did (and for acknowledging when there wasn't data available on a particular area - very important) and for really giving us insight into the function of each of the aerodynamic components on the cars. You really filled a lot of the gaps in my own knowledge. The official WRC channel and even their website are not very well run, so these kinds of details have always been difficult to find in one place. As this was a video dedicated squarely to the differences in aero between the two eras of cars, you of course didn't make mention of the other huge difference between the eras - the electronic center differential on the 2017-spec cars, now absent on the Rally1 cars. I'd love it if you made a video going into whatever details you can find on just how huge a role the elec-diff played in the insane speeds of the "flat out" era of 2017-2021. Just from playing DiRT Rally 2.0, I know that any lack of a differential component on a car makes a colossal difference in how the car handles and critically the degree to which you can fine tune a car. To my knowledge they not only removed the elec-diff from the Rally1 cars, they removed the center differential entirely, so these Rally1 cars are effectively Rally2-Plus cars. Of course they also made changes to the suspension of the cars - travel and the amount of components allowed, if I'm correct - all of which contributes to, from onboards that I've seen in 2022, these Rally1 cars moving a lot more underneath the drivers, relative to the 2017-spec cars. The other, less talked about difference between the two eras is the lack of "exotic materials" on the Rally1 cars compared to the previous era - for the sake of saving on costs, of course - so I'd like it if you could maybe shed some light on these "exotic materials" that drove up costs so much on the WRC-era cars (not just the 2017-spec cars). Anyways, thanks again for an excellent video. Looking forward to more from you in the future. Good luck with the channel. You got a new, loyal subscriber in this rally fan.

[@rallybeast]

Thank you so much! I happy that you enjoy the video. You bring up a lot of great points. I’ll do some research and work on videos about them.

[@petertromp8786]

​@@rallybeast That's great. Thank you so much, and thank you for the reply. Can't wait to see what you come up with (but take your time 👌).

[@owain7629]

I think they should’ve kept the cost saving related to the mechanical parts of the car (eg space frame chassis, 5 speed gearbox, simpler suspension components etc) although I don’t agree with the banning the old central differential This means that drivers aren’t able to fine tune their differentials depending on their driving style which has impacted some drivers more than others 👀 Also I’d be happy if they reduced the size of the rear wing slightly in place of a diffuser - the rear end of these rally1 cars don’t look right at all

[@rallybeast]

Agreed on all points. The center diff made such a big difference in all of the different conditions and driving styles.

[@imbadkid_daquon2097]

tbh the new Rally 1 cars needs more aero like in 2017 the aero will progress

[@rallybeast]

Agreed! The 2017 cars were fantastic.

[@Werferharfer]

the hyundai wrc is one of my favourites cars ever.

[@rallybeast]

They've done a fantastic job with their last few cars.

[@reiisthebestgirl]

If only I could turn back time to the 80s and 90s when rally cars looked like cars instead of space shuttles.

[@rallybeast]

Both of those eras were fantastic!

[@ronaldodyra5799]

Hi there, I think this rules are killing the sport. The earlier looks spectacular n thrill of going fast makes rally have more fun n exciting to watch.

[@rallybeast]

Agreed! The point of the highest level of Motorsport is to be exciting and a high level of speed and competition.

[@slickback8772]

I also agree with you removing some of the modifications to reduce the speed will kill the sport.What's a rally if the speed is not thrilling?

[@NothingXemnas]

The Rally1 cars looks more like what would come out of the defunct Group A, mainly the single diveplane, like the one found in the Lancer Evo TME. Perhaps this is what the cars would look like if Group A existed to this day, with just a few tweaks. On the other hand, the latest World Rally Car design was very much a full on racing vehicle. It was getting close to what you'd find in Time Attack and Hillclimb cars, and it was amazing! Quite close to what Group B would be in modern times.

[@rallybeast]

One difference that I’ll point out between Group A and Rally1 is that the Group A was truly based on a production car. Rally1 has a standardized crash cell with composite body panels bolted onto it.

[@OceanBlueKeys]

Appreciate this content (especially as someone new to the sport). Subscribed!!

[@rallybeast]

Thank you!🙏 Glad you’re enjoying it. We plan an creating a lot more content for people just like you.

[@Franko384]

So i compared some stage times from the rally portugal and the rally finland from 2021 and 2022. The times are actually almost similar. So there seems to be no performance downgrade in that regard. And you also have to consider, that this is the first year of the hybrid rally 1 cars. They will get more efficient over the years. However, there seem to be lot of crashes and tyre punctures this year. I'm guessing that's the price for reduced aerodynamics and 120 HP boost, that cant be controlled by the driver.

[@rallybeast]

Absolutely! It was amazing that drivers were getting close to setting stage records on Finland. As they fine-tune the cars and the drivers get use to them, they’ll be extremely fast. It seems to be the young drivers (like Solberg), who are struggling the most.

[@rallyfan22b88]

I watched all tests in rally Craotia and 2021 cars were much faster on asphalt because of the insane speed they had in the corners. now these new cars seems too heavy

[@Franko384]

Yeah. The whole Ypres Rally Belgium was a disaster for the Rally1 Cars. Only half the drivers made it through without wrecking. While the cars work well on smooth gravel stages, it seems like the extra power, combined with the reduced aero easily pushes the cars over the limit on these small Tarmac roads.

[@AlexWilliams-gn6ud]

Gonna miss the 2017 spec cars a lot. Its a shame to see the likes of Elfyn Evans struggling with the new car so far, but hopefully he'll adapt

[@rallybeast]

I think we'll all miss it. It seems like a step back for the pinnacle of the sport.

[@indopleaser]

the Fia is starting to upset me with this push to hybrid. we already have formula E and Extreme E for rally. why ruin regular F1 and WRC and endurance? the rules are always contradictory. we want the cars to be safer/ slower and less costly But lets put more horsepower and more technologically advanced hybrid system. on top of all that they impose when you can deploy such system, making the cars heavy and slow almost all the time.

[@rallybeast]

Totally agree! It's looking more and more like the future of the automotive and motorsports industry is in synthetic and alternative fuels, so they really should be pushing that direction.

[@afonsomatias7734]

@@rallybeastI agree

[@toweleeielite]

so which is quicker? perhaps some comparison video of last years stages vs this years stages, it will be interesting to see how the rally1 cars evolve, as iv read that the rally1 cars have already managed to get pretty much the same downforce as last years WRC cars already. great channel BTW, excellent work :)

[@rallybeast]

That's a great idea! We'll see what we can put together. Finland would be a greta comparison since there are stages that were identical and there was word going around that the Rally1 cars had the potential to set some stage records. Thank you so much!

[@toweleeielite]

@@rallybeast yes mate for sure finland, but it will be interesting to see how the teams/drivers have evolved the car and driving style from monte to finland this season. ;) IF the rally 1 cars are waaaaay quicker, id fudge the video, last thing we want here is the FIA to start limiting power on the cars again hahahaha..... just a thought haahaha

[@nmelol]

Good content, hope you continue with it. Cheers!

[@rallybeast]

Thank you! We're working on the next one right now!

[@nmelol]

@@rallybeast More videos about cars itself would be awesome. How the different parts work and how they diffrentiate from stock cars.

[@DaewooAirfryer]

By far the best text to speech video I've ever seen

[@RallycrossGT]

great video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to see how pace and power compare between new and old cars too :)

[@rallybeast]

Thank you! That video will be coming soon. Finland had a great representation of this.

[@iyadkamhiyeh527]

Great video! I wished to see a YT channel which dives deep into WRC

[@rallybeast]

Thank you! I’ll be doing many more.

[@satolatifi24]

If it atracts new brands into the competition its worth it, also the cars still loking amazing on the stages

[@rallybeast]

Agreed! M-Sport did a fantastic job with the Puma.

[@vjollila96]

reducing cost didnt go that well the hybrid systems made cars even more expensive

[@rallybeast]

And building around the new standardized safety cell probably cost them quite a bit too.

[@DropkickNation]

The trend through motorsports to castrate all racing classes is ridiculous. F1, WEC, WRC...all were in the fastest eras in history. And ALL of them got put back massively.

[@rallybeast]

Totally agree!

[@XMotionn]

Please bring back Citroën, polo and Peugeot in wrc more cars more fun to watch 😮

[@rallybeast]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@alexsmith516]

Great video, but MAN I really hate the robot voice. Definitely goes against credibility due to the rest of the videos on youtube that use them. Overall, great video though.

[@rallybeast]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@ryanchock3777]

Question: Are the Body Kits made in house by the manufacturer of the cars? or by company's in the aftermarket? Thanks

[@rallybeast]

Good question. They’re made by the teams and they aren’t something that could be simply bolted onto a stock car.

[@ryanchock3777]

@@rallybeast thank you that's very interesting

[@jesterj415]

honestly the new aero is definitely a let down, I would've rather they just reduce the power the cars are making to make them slower, then to make the aero worse in just about every way. The WRC Toyota Yaris with the extreme aero will forever be my favorite looking WRC car.

[@rallybeast]

I couldn't agree more! The last generation was so good, and watching those cars go through high-speed corners was so awesome to watch.

[@piggypiggy855]

Amazing observation,it looked all same to me.clearly there is difference

[@rallybeast]

That was the hope of the F.I.A.. They still wanted the cars to look spectacular to keep it exciting for the fans.

[@Caiss]

very well done and interesting video

[@rallybeast]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Working on more as we speak.

[@francescoruggeri518]

Great video

[@rallybeast]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Ippe111]

Previous gen was like driving in tarmac race circuit without going sideways that was no rally. More appealing to the viewers now imo

[@rallybeast]

It was pretty impressive how quickly they could go through the corners though.

[@boostracingwrc]

It took me a while to get used to the driving limits of the Rally1 cars in WRC Gen, the power to down force ratio is on the limits, you really have to be cautious. I don't get why they couldn't have kept a bit more front end aero at least. The hybrid is impressive and makes for exciting racing, but you're always having to judge more critically your entry speed, it's like it shifted an aspect of the racing mindset even more towards slowing down rather keeping the speed, because sometimes the performance is just not there like it used to be to keep the chassis planted on the line. I think it's made the cars more difficult to drive at their respective limits therefore more of a challenge when going for top times. The reduction in down force, weight increase, and top speed governors @ 200km/h results in having to attack much harder during acceleration and take big risks with braking points to try and stay anywhere close to the stage times you can set with the WRC cars, which honestly are a dream to drive and I would vote as the best performing rally cars we'll probably ever see... so much more control, predictably, and stability therefore confidence to carry the speed. With the old cars you had much more room for risk in a sense because the aero down force was so extreme and reliable, Rally1 cars demand perfect use of power, braking, and turn in or you're off the road from under-steering. At least that's what I've noticed in the sim...

[@aguyfromparalleluniverse]

this is the best rally centric video I have ever seen

[@rallybeast]

Thank you! More on the way😉

[@TheCronan]

Havent they transitioned to a complete tubular frame/chassis for rally1 aswell?

[@rallybeast]

Yes, they have! I’ll add that to the list of videos to make

[@slickback8772]

Reducing speed in rally cars? what's the essence of a rally if the speed is reduced?

[@kozu7213]

So Rally1 is ex R5 (wrc 2) category??

[@rallybeast]

Very close to it. It has a bit more aero and quite a bit more power thanks to the hybrid unit.

[@kozu7213]

@@rallybeast Thanks

[@asjaosaline5987]

Central Idea of WRC is to be testingground of cars that will be released to general public , so they want cars to be stron and work in everyday life, same time they do not wish that carowners will challence the law with highspeeds or influce aeral wave of city and roads with aerodynamics. So they balance it out here.

[@rallybeast]

That’s a good point, but when you look at the rest of the F.I.A. world championship series, they are all pushing the limits of performance and technology. Why should WRC be any different? Don’t you think it needs to be a spectacle?

[@asjaosaline5987]

@@rallybeast Overally ithink sport needs to be sport it must be fun to do and entertaining to watch, keep politics and other bs out of it but there are always forces that think otherwise. I liked 2017 Cars much more.

[@yannnique17]

Do we plan on going back to R5? I like those cars, but after a decade you should be allowed to show improvement.

[@rallybeast]

I doubt it, but these car are supposed to be similar to and R5 (Rally2) but with a hybrid system and more aero.

[@krinos1]

why are they putting hybrid motors in race cars these days?

[@rallybeast]

It’s mostly for public perception. The cars aren’t any more efficient than the old ones. One positive is that these types of hybrid systems increase power and torque.

[@ry7hym]

wait so they thought WRC had gotten out of hand? then that might've been the closest thing to Group B again that we had

[@iajafar]

What about group b? Wasn't that faster?

[@rallybeast]

Group B cars were more powerful (upwards of 650hp), but not very technologically advanced compared to newer cars. Group A quickly became just as fast because of things like tire and suspension getting a lot better.

[@lolschrauber]

I really like the new cars, but bring back diffusers and center differentials. That'd make the ultimate car.

[@rallybeast]

100% agree! The high downforce cars of the previous generation were spectacular and so much fun to watch.

[@somguy7655]

i would like grup b rally back no rules

[@rallybeast]

Wouldn’t that be amazing?

rally1 cars has tubular chasis and hybrid system can produce up to 500bhp. they are group B cars basicly.

[@rallybeast]

They are far more advanced than Group B cars.

[@adamsitarz3919]

Super kanał!

[@rallybeast]

Glad you like it!

[@adamsitarz3919]

@@rallybeast Wnen I have time,I will read all the material on the chanel.

[@JoelTehMole]

The year is 2034. Rally cars can only have a 50cc engine. The FIA has announced reducing this to 25cc for 2035 because traveling at 30mph is simply too dangerous. The FIA is happy.

[@rallybeast]

😂😂😂👌🏻 spot on!

[@virgilthemob1242]

Don't forget that it needs to be powered by 60 octane synthetic fuels made out of Taco Bell diarrhea.

[@Dinoface96]

Also you forget to add Im addition to that, four wheel cars are now deem too dangerous to rally and thus banned from WRC. Only 6-8 wheel cars are allowed to compete with a two strokes engine

[@jony1710]

I think they should've them loose in the 600bhp WRX cars ;)

[@rallybeast]

That would be amazing!

[@borne777]

weird changes, most dont make sense, manufacturers dont build using same engine layout yet fia insist on using the same, maybe a performance ratio can be used to control hp and downforce, more downforce = less hp and vice versa

[@rallybeast]

We’ve also seen this season that the changes really haven’t slowed down the cars. Some stage times have actually gotten faster.

[@jacquesjtheripper5922]

why name change to rally1 etc

[@rallybeast]

Not 100% sure but I believe it was to have a hierarchy that makes more sense. Rally1, Rally2, Rally3, Rally4 instead or WRC car, R5, R2, etc.

[@jacquesjtheripper5922]

​@@rallybeast tks for info. what about rally2 cars,R5, are they changed too or same as years b4?

[@rallybeast]

They’re pretty much the same as previous years. The only new one is Rally3 which is basically the bridge between the old R2 and R5 (R2 with AWD)

[@bintangrezki6293]

I thought rally 1 & wrc class are same before

[@rallybeast]

They’re both there top class but the cars have changed quite a bit.

[@rykerhasyounow]

I just can't subscribe to the attitudes of the one eyed motor heads. You're literally looking at the next level of power, torque and handling. The hybrid system was a compromise. When full electric comes and it will, these cars will be the most powerful, quickest and most agile cars we've ever seen. What is racing to me? Fastest times. Skillful drivers. Breakneck reflexes, close calls and perfect lines. Certainly not loud noises and cool looking spoilers which seems to be the focus of the vast majority of negativity.

[@rallybeast]

People inherently don't like change, they tend to always look at the negatives rather than the positives. For example, many fans were so against hybrid because they thought the cars would be silent (confusing with electric), but if they didn't know about the hybrid system, they would think the cars were about the same. The current cars sound fantastic!

[@eddiedevereoxford4995]

So they spoilt the whole thing by handicapping and downgrading the cars. Total BS, just like F1.

[@rallybeast]

Basically, yes. They wanted to reduce the cost so much that they made the pinnacle of the sport less exciting.

[@alexanderl.6207]

Lmao all these normies in the comments saying that rally is ruined 😂😂😂

[@rallybeast]

This season has been really exciting even with the new regs!

[@abenas40]

Watching them cry is satisfying

[@Azu512]

so they made them less interesting and added hybrid that forced car manufacturers to add ugly pieces to cool them down which also makes the aero worse.... welp good job to them, I will be going to stop watching them and got for other smaller more interesting events.

[@rallybeast]

The American championship has been very exciting to watch this year. Ken Block in driving one of the Hyundai WRC cars, Barry McKenna is in a Fiesta WRC and the Subarus have added a lot of aero to keep up with them. The battle for championship has been very close.

[@Soupraa_UK]

why tho

[@rallybeast]

“Safety”

[@gp8666]

As an 80s prototype fan boy this makes me want to vomit... why does everything have to be so complicated?!

[@rallybeast]

This is only scratching the surface! Wait until we dig into banned materials and the center diff

[@howardalteisen2281]

thats why rally 1 not looks cool. and no manufacturer has added. still ford/ hyundai/ toyota..

[@rallybeast]

Yep, I wish more manufacturers would join like the 90s and 2000s.

[@derpedfox]

WRC looks much cooler, shame

[@rallybeast]

Completely agree! Those cars looked fantastic.

[@camilo3626]

cool intro, cool edit, everything was nice until the tts, dislike and report

[@aryawyk.7874]

Fia ruined rally. Forever.

[@ciscosebanes]

reduced purpose built.

[@rallybeast]

Not really when you consider that they’re all space frame chassis and not based on the road car at all.

[@kayzenl7911]

Reducing speed in a car racing championship yikes

[@rallybeast]

A top-level world championship. Crazy right? It’s supposed to be the absolute pinnacle.

[@Barry.ONeill]

Ai voice is annoying. Bring back the areo cars 😔

[@headhunter531]

In other words, they ruined rallying. again.

[@rallybeast]

It feels less spectacular now that’s for sure. It was so exciting to watch the last generation.

[@headhunter531]

@@rallybeast group B was so good because of how much power you can squeeze out of the engines. And they sounded other-worldly. Then they added power regulations and torque regulations.(1st time they ruined rallying.) But it was OK cuz the cars could still go ham on the track. Now they ruined it again and added speed regualtions. WHAT.A.SICK.JOKE.

[@abenas40]

@@headhunter531 just like you are