The hybrid WRC era is officially OVER, but will it save Rally1?

[@MrHordeman]

American rally fan here and I just wanna say I wish they would do more to make rallying bigger it’s honestly the best version of Motorsport

[@maximumattackrallying]

@@MrHordeman agreed! It's a shame the ARA hasn't been super competitive this year. Hopefully having a WRC round in the US will help to grow the sport

[@MUCKLEECH]

Another American rally fan here, and I wish it was more popular over here with a round on US soil too. But I don't agree its the best version of motorsport, that's pretty subjective...

[@Flat4fun]

A Rally SUPER FAN HERE! I think the biggest problem is Lawyers… This is a very litigious society and people sue for too hot coffee, and kids sweating in gym class!!! Would also love to see it become bigger in the USA but look at how the attempts went. Basically they have done ROC and RallyCross type events. Without educating the public by local events, participation, and MEDIA coverage nothing changes…. IMHO

[@henry247]

​@@maximumattackrallyingWish they made a round in Brazil...

[@KitKitChanIsaac]

If WRC has its own Netflix series like F1, then it'll grow.

[@Franko384]

This does make a difference! It ensures that M Sport can still run their Rally1 program. Malcolm wilson said in a Dirtfish interview that he wasn't sure his team will still be there next year. The increase in cost for the Hybrid maintenance would have probably given them the death blow.

[@maximumattackrallying]

Yes I think it will help M-Sport in some respects. I wonder if Ford will keep providing as much support if there's no hybrid though?

[@Franko384]

@maximumattackrallying Thats a good point sadly. They are pushing the Hybrid a lot in their marketing for the ford Puma.

[@maximumattackrallying]

@@Franko384 They are, so I think hybrid matters a lot to Ford. I hope that doesn't hurt M-Sport in the long run. That said, I don't think the Ford Dakar car is hybrid...

[@Jaydenmillerjm]

remember the non hybrid car was still very compeitive in latvia, the hybrid boost of 100+ hp is merely for a few seconds at a time. the cars 380hp is what we see for 90% of the race. with or without hybrid the cars are very fast, plus areo package and 80 kg lighter? should be interesting.

[@donyiiovanni]

Teams: "we're having problems with the hybrid units you have supplied because they're faulty, so we're having to reset them to make them work" CD: "only we can reset the hybrid units now, it's going to cost you £50k every time our faulty product breaks" Great business model👌🏼 You don't get innovation if you monopolise, and innovation to get the competitive edge is what Motorsport has always been about. The WRC is far away from the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" model it once was...the cars are so far removed from what average Joe drives on the road that it has lost its appeal to the everyman.

[@maximumattackrallying]

Yeah that strategy has really backfired 🤣 Absolutely. I really hope 2027 brings more freedom for teams to innovate, and I'd love if we went back towards production-based cars, but I think we're stuck with the spaceframe now

[@jonredcorn862]

Definitely lost interest when the cars turned into F1 cars for the dirt.

[@S1E2SportQuattro]

⁠@@jonredcorn862they have been known as f1 cars for the dirt since the 80s bro

[@johnnorris1024]

I believe this is good news. Subaru has been interested in re-entering WRC but developing a hybrid Impreza racer was more money than they wanted to invest. Now, they may consider rejoining. That would be glorious!

[@chrisvalleqatsi]

I won't miss Hybrid - but more importantly, I hope it means (ultimately) constructors return to WRC at the top level.

[@WaechterDerNacht]

I see this as a regulation to bridge some time. The right move would be to give maximum power numbers (short term and long term), weight, dimensions etc. But give them the freedom in regards to the tech they want. If they want to go full electric - they can. If they want to go hybrid - do it. Want a combustion engine - sure...

[@maximumattackrallying]

That would definitely be a sensible solution. For 2027, we need to allow teams to innovate. It's become too formulaic, with too many restrictions on what the teams can do.

[@michaelcurtis7156]

Completely agree. This is the formula that has led to WEC and IMSAs resurgence. They standardized it between the two championships and told the teams to do whatever they want. As long as they met certain guidelines like you mentioned such as minimum weight, dimensions, points of downforce, etc. the rest was up to them. It would be really cool to see fully electric rally cars going against turbo charged rally cars or 4WD vs RWD. Like the old Lancia vs Audi days. Let's hope WRC listen. I genuinely fear for the future of the sport and declining fanbase.

[@wiegraf9009]

@@michaelcurtis7156 My only concern about that is that WEC and IMSA make use of torque sensors to make sure the teams are not cheating and these sensors are quite complex and the cars cannot run if they break. I wouldn't want to see anyone knocked out of a rally because their torque sensor stopped working, but I otherwise think it's a good idea.

[@DuvJones]

@@wiegraf9009 At that point, it's the rules of the game and there is nothing that the teams can do about because they agreed to it before hand. Ask GR Toyota, whom had an issue like that in the 6 hrs of Portimão, 2023. Where they pissed? Sure, but they still have to drag the #7 fix the issue. Which was a rear replacement.

[@ferranis104]

Still can't fanthom how of a marketing fail Hybrid was. We only ever heard about the negatives ("my Hybrid stopped working!"), but never the positives ("which car is the most efficient?", "which driver get's the most boosts?", "How to the mappings compare?", "which mapping was used?"). Even the RallyTV integration is still lackluster after YEARS (no Hybrid infos in the Onboards you can watch on the site)!

[@maximumattackrallying]

Agreed. It was implemented so badly and, as you say, we only ever hear the negatives. Nothing was done to sell the technology or create any spectacle with it

[@edugj23]

​@@maximumattackrallying Although the WRC is on a low in terms of media coverage, I wonder if the poor reliability from the spec system was impactful enough across the motorsport world for fans to push for a total elimination of electrification...

[@n1ghtdragon]

wish we could go back to using cars that were based off a car u could buy at a dealership

[@bernardoberner4]

What the WRC should do for the 27 regs in my opinion: - Put a cost-cap in place - Give freedom chassis and engine wise to manufacturers, want to use a 3L V6? Let them. Want to do a spaceframe or roadcar based rally car? Let them. - Have a power limit of at least 400hp - Keep the same amount of aero we currently have - And of course do a better job marketing-wise

[@maximumattackrallying]

@@bernardoberner4 some good ideas in there! We definitely need to allow the manufacturers to innovate and create unique cars

[@DuvJones]

@@maximumattackrallying Agreed but their is a limit to that. You don't want to be pulling a LMP1-like thing where the competition is so fierce that only those that can spend bags the money can play... because then you don't have manufacturers jumping in sport too.

[@davidshurterfoundermembero2885]

Going back to production based cars would be a good idea too. Rallying has always been about thinking that the car you see tearing through the stage is (kinda) the same as the one you can buy. It elevates these boring shopping cars to fire breathing super cars. Obviously the cars aren't nothing like the ones we drive but they at least used some of the shell and parts. We finally had a new homologation car in the Yaris and it never got to compete in the top class. Rally homologation cars have always been to me the ultimate road car and can outperform proper supercars on normal roads that aren't motorways.

[@Youghalautomoto]

Great video man I think they should just compete in rally 2 cars. More drivers more affordable more teams and private drivers that can afford it:) Which is mean more competition and more fun Just my POV 😋😋😁😁🚗🚗

[@maximumattackrallying]

Thank you, really glad you enjoyed it. I'm totally with you, Rally2 makes so much sense as the top category. Its such a good format.

[@Barry.ONeill]

Fuck that making the restrictor smaller 🤦‍♂️😑 we want MORE POWER and MORE AERO again

[@scillyscore]

RE: new manufacturers, the only possible scenario I see for a new manufacturer entering during this regs cycle is Subaru entering a rebodied Yaris. The Toyota/Subaru link is clear and has been discussed previously and the space frame design of the Rally1 cars would make this reasonably implementable, not likely, but not impossible.

[@firstnamesecondname8280]

I love the idea of a turbo hybrid rally car but it just hasn't worked with this set if regs. I think I've said this before but there needs to be more communication with manufacturers about the regulations because even when they like the regs, sometimes they wont commit so if they don't, no wonder we haven't had any new ones want to join could you lower the volume of the outro song a couple of db for the next episode please?

[@hitempguy]

Almost all the manufacturers make small CUVs. All the japanese, euro, and NA companies do. Sure, they may be a bit bigger, but an audi q3 and a honda crv with big wings and flares would be pretty cool

[@maximumattackrallying]

Absolutely. The MINI was based on a small crossover/SUV more than 10 years ago, so it can clearly work.

[@GuntanksInSpace]

You mentioning the CR-V with big wings makes me think of that funky Honda experiment, the beast lol. CR-V, but with an Indycar engine, Hybrid, and crazy aero lol

[@Duncan23]

🤢🤢🤢

[@meverkko]

"We've got no hybrid." How many times have we heard that? Many. In Monte Carlo next year we can all just say it once more together "WE'VE GOT NO HYBRID!" Ditching hybrid alone is not going to save rally. It might keep M-Sport alive but that's about it. 2027 regulations need to be released early next year. Teams need to be given time to prepare. The restrictor...... To my understanding the hybrid gives you boost in acceleration. I don't think it affects the top speed or more importantly corner speed that much. So in acceleration we do loose but maybe not otherwise?

[@wiegraf9009]

Yes, less acceleration that's about it

[@CobraAce04]

Priorities 1-100 for the WRC should be getting on their knees to Stellantis, VW, GM, and even Renault Nissan Mitsubishi, and begging them to come to the table to decide on a new top class that everyone is happy to market in 2027. Whether that means SUVs, Prototypes, Hybrids, whatever

[@maximumattackrallying]

@@CobraAce04 absolutely, couldn't agree more.

[@Werferharfer]

I really liked hybrid, these cars were one the fastest in WRC history, sadly the implementation was bad. It should have started with small costs and more design freedom to atrract more manufactures. For now I think is good that it has been drooped, specilly for M-Sport and hopefully we`re gonna get a bigger driver line-up in the next two seasons. December is almost here and I can't wait to see what they are gonna tell us, how WRC 2027 is going to look like.

[@stevieray6216]

Usually, when you have sold a faulty or troublesome product and you want to stay in business, you offer generous after service or replacement. It almost sounds to me as if, by demanding ridiculous additional fees instead, it was Compact Dynamics (rather than the FIA) who deliberately filed for divorce here. How about going down a different path to decarbonisation and promote synthetic fuels instead?

[@hitempguy]

Synthetic fuels take a lot of energy to generate. Ethanol is a great compromise, high performance and can be generated from waste. Anything else is silly

[@hugopaiva5248]

Wrc lost manufacturer interest because it lost relevance. Just look at WEC, the hey gained relevance by accepting technology and keeping cost limited. Now there is simply no space for a non hybrid car because they are simply slower. Dakar was won by a electric car…

[@EdwinRosa-u7s]

Just based on affordability the WRC should be run on current WRC2 standards. More affordable for small manufacturers and privateers, with the current developments in suspension, safety and drivetrains the driver skills become highlighted!

[@skylineXpert]

I am not surprised. That supplier compact dynamics are behaving just like apple regarding screen swap on iphones.

[@glensubtorq]

Awesome news!

[@edithnganga585]

im very happy about this news.

[@jamesharmon1995]

Once again I completely share your view. Goodness knows what 2027 is going to look like it really is in chaos.

[@maximumattackrallying]

@@jamesharmon1995 thank you James! Maybe the FIA will introduce flying cars in 2027 🤣

[@1InVader1]

inb4 it will get replaced by EV. At the very least Hayden Paddon at Hyundai is working on some interesting rally EV stuff with the Kona. Could get Chinese manufacturers interested too.

[@Eliano55]

I wasant into WRC since 2019... So lets me as somone from the outside tell you how to revive the whole WRC series. 1 - base the cars on Rally2 2 - give them stronger engines and a proper hybrid system with kers etc, energy management all the things that F1 does. Even give them an f1 style turbo (porsche already does that) Base the engine on the R2 cars, just give them better accesories (turbo, intercooler, incetors etc etc etc) 3 - give them better traction, even bring back the crazy diffs WRC used to have. Give them better suspension, just the same mounting points, even active suspension if you have to. Make it like in F1, when we had up until 2021 hydrualic crazy suspension, almost ass good as active one. The point is, make it go faster. 4 - get a cost cap just like in R2 5 - allow the manufactures to CHEAT, just like FIA gave Merc a head start, then did not punish Ferrari that much. Give them room to grow the technology, make it a proper tech race, just like the old times. So bascially make it an Rally2 +++++ monster. WRC saved.

[@obtusemooose]

as a fan of cheating i approve

[@Eliano55]

@@obtusemooose Toto Wolf is that you?

[@obtusemooose]

@@Eliano55 cmon cheating is fun. we all know it. and its spelled wolff

[@Eliano55]

@@obtusemooose Toto sure knows it

[@ivaneurope]

I think Rally2 is also in crisis - so far the only new manufacturer that has entered in that category (e.g. didn't had a Rally2 or R5 car beforehand) is Toyota. And Toyota and Skoda are the only two manufacturers that have Rally2 compatible cars homologated until 2030 - the rest of the roster will have their homologations expire in the next 2 years. The Citroën C3 Rally2 is eligible until 2025 and so far there's no word from Stellantis on whether or not they'll do a Rally2 follow-up be it as Citroën or the many other brands they now happen to own like Peugeot (the now aincent 208 T16 R5 expires after this season), Opel or more importantly - Lancia (who introduced a car in the 2WD Rally4 class in which Stellantis already has presence). Ford/M-Sport's offering - the Fiesta Rally2, is based on a model that has ended production and there's no word if M-Sport will make a Puma Rally2, which will be odd looking compared to its peers. Volkswagen's Polo GTI R5 has been basically killed off 5 years ago, leaving Skoda as the sole VAG manufacturer in rallying (though with the huge crisis the Volkswagen Group is in, there's a chance the development budget being slashed or Skoda pulling out manufacturer support altogether). And there's the curious case of Hyundai i20 N Rally2 - basically Hyundai has stopped developing it since the base model will end production (though its homologation is until 2028, with the older i20 NG R5 is eligible until 2027), turning it into more of a tarmac-specific rally car.

[@edugj23]

Rally2 is great and could even work as a "bridge" before the new regs come in. But the rules need an update to keep it going, as its models are being phased out and replaced by crossovers and EVs. Even the lower tier 2WD classes could be soon affected by the lack of platforms.

[@wilrallisport1]

Its gonna be cheaper and better i think with just engines no hybrid..so i think its a good change

[@paulpoyser2130]

Why don't they use rally 2 cars as the rally 1 cars there's got to be more manufacturers wonting to be part of it in stead of just the 3

[@BALANCEBF]

I absolutely agree that the teams need to have the freedom to build their own car around the regulations. It's the only way forwards in my opinion. BUT, the cars need to be smaller and lighter. Something close to Rally2. Why? Well if we keep the cars as huge as they are now, the costs are going to skyrocket once you bring new tech to the table. However i'm not too sure this will be the direction they are going in. The fact that they are taking power away from the cars, make it seem to me that they are trying to make a transition to even less powerful cars in 27. My safe bet is that we will see something close to rally2 in 27, but i hope that there is room to do something new. Maybe then, new manufacturers are interested

[@MUCKLEECH]

I'm glad it's going, it always seemed really silly to me in a rally car. They need to be light, simple, fast, and safe. That is all, and we can accomplish most of that with 25 year old technology hahaha

[@tjroelsma]

To me the WRC has been regulated to death. I know we'll never see the insanity of the Group B era from my youth again, but there must be some alternative for the present state WRC is in. I mean: from 600-700hp cars that weighed around 900 kg's then to 380hp cars weighing more than 1100 kg's now, that's an awfully big gap. And I can't help but feeling something in between might be far more successful. A car that pumps out around 450hp and weighs in at 1000 kg's sounds about ideal to me and it would somewhat revive the Group B feeling while still staying relatively close to modern day road-going hatchbacks.

[@l555mat8]

Toyota, Hyundai and Msport all produce Rally2 cars. Rally1 should be completely scrapped. That way you would gain Skoda and Citroen etc as well as all of the satellite teams.

[@ivaneurope]

Well, of the three actually only Toyota develops their Rally2 machinery - the GR Yaris. M-Sport's Fiesta Rally2 is based on a model that ended production not a while ago, while Hyundai basically killed off any development of the i20N Rally 2 when it became clear that it was not a Fabia killer (so far only the GR Yaris has been able to go toe to toe with the Fabia on a consistent basis). And it's not sure thing we'll see a manufacturer effort from Skoda or Citroën. The C3 Rally2 is homologated for one more year, but there's no word yet from Stellantis if there will be a follow-up based on the updated production model or Lancia will become Stellantis' sole rally torchbearer. And given the huge crisis the Vokswagen Group is, it wouldn't be shocking if Skoda slashes the development of the Fabia RS Rally2 or even pulls manufacturer support altogether leaving the cars in the hands of privateer entries.

[@l555mat8]

@ even In privateer hands there would still be a more competitive entry.

[@pr0gre551ve]

As much as hybrid was giving drivers advantage in corners, it was a weak link, how often have we seen it fail and impact results

[@lewisatkinson7277]

A few points of opinion here, if I may. The upside is that they're pulling it as opposed to not and hanging on to it for the sake of saving face. Globally, a crack in the electric car crusade seems to be appearing as a panacea for motoring. Therefore, this might encourage or force alternative thinking where the likes of synthetic fuels and other ICE initiatives/concepts are concerned. With regard Rally 1 as a class, you've got to maintain this as the pinnacle of the sport and possibly Motorsport as a whole. Sure, F1 is the pinnacle in terms of single seat racing, technology, and engineering. However, Rally represents the closest and most accessible link between the pinnacle of motorsport and everyday driving. To me, this represents something so much more exciting as a life-long F1 fan. My head has been well-and-truly turned.

[@mrmorizofan7001]

35mm restrictor should give only 350hp. not sure how this 380hp has gotten.

[@dieselracecomp]

When a New citroen c3 rally 2 ?

[@ivaneurope]

I think this will be the last of Citroën in rallying - with the current C3 Rally2 homologation ending in 2025 and the priorities of their new overlords being towards Lancia, Citroën's involvement in rallying is coming to an end. But there are no words on whether or not Stellantis has plans for an Ypsilon Rally2 car down the line - for now Lancia is represented by the Ypsilon Rally4, which is in the 2WD class and where Stellantis already has presence through Peugeot and Opel (though those two were under the rule of PSA Groupe pre-FCA merger)

[@chrisbiewer-rallye-info]

Good the Hybrid is gone. I wonder if teams are not allowed to reset anymore, can these units be changed in service? Are they forced to retire? Imagine that, every rally half the field would retire with the same hybrid problem rally after rally again. I absolutely agree with you that hybrid is only part of the problem. Spaceframe makes them like beach buggies without any marketing value. Or a former motorsport boss at Ford once said: F1 is for brand awareness, rallying is for product placement. Well, Rally1 is brand awareness and we have got this already in F1, FE, WEC etc… A friend once asked me, “But you liked groupB…” very clever question as I can not easily reply it. But I would say there were still parts of the chassis and the engine blocks from the road car, there were homologation special road cars for bedroom posters to dream about, for me Rally1 fails even at all that. What is your reply here? Finally, yes I am also surprised the restrictor is smaller. And what is the point? To have similar power to weight ratio as the 2024 hybrid cars they say? Well, the 2024 hybrid cars are not competing any more, so why do they need the same power to weight? Plus I think this makes the cars less exciting unnecessarily. In the old days that cars had such an amazing popping, banging and spitting flames. Just try and recall when that stopped. Remember the Toyota cheating with the ST205 Celica? The moment they were caught and the correct air restrictor fitted, they sounded crap! So the larger the air restrictor, the more these cars sound like monsters to be tamed. So why a smaller air restrictor? Maybe they don’t want the cars sound as great as they did with the hybrid? As if anyone out there would seriously believe the great sounds came from the hybrids. In contrary, if even a smaller problem, the hybrids sounded stupid. I will never forget seeing the cars go over the Ypres ramp in hybrid mode, they sounded like tumble dryers, an absolute joke! And 20 meters away in its service bay Toyota was finetuning the engines in revving them!

[@Erowens98]

Great. Heavy hybrid drivetrains have no place in a rally car. Rally cars especially are very sensitive to weight because they very often drive on low friction coefficient surfaces, so the ratio of inertia to friction is a lot worse than in say and F1 or LMP car. And extra power or even throttle response isnt as beneficial because the acceleration bottleneck is usually friction and not power. Hybrid in rally was always a political desicion and not a practical/performance decision. Id like to see less strict regulations. Have a power/weight target, and let the teams decide how they reach it.

[@tenmamut]

I'm not against hybrid overall, but that hybrid was really stupid, dumb boost once in a while and breaks half the time, how is that relevant to anything in any way? They should just let manufacturers use any tech they want to promote: full electric, ice or hybrid and just bop the cars if they want closer competition. Dakar and WRX has mixed tech why not Rally? Road cars going fast sideways in the middle in the forest is the essence of rallying for me.

[@paul106xsi]

I dont like SUVs but B segment cars are a dieing breed, so the WRC needs to realise that and change the rules to suit the current market. Its also very manufacturer focused. The cars are too expensive for anyone else to run, the teams struggle to sell them and we're left with only 9 drivers. Its become very F1, in that once youve finished with the car it becomes a museum/ collectors piece. They need to find a middle ground where the cars are rally1 speed but close th Rally2 price.

[@mhh7544]

Todays WRC 1 has 400 bhps. Hence 380

[@Graz23]

tcr cars in rally can be one solution for increase interest

[@danielalejandrogonzalezara6070]

Rally cars are meant to be road cars modified to crush stages, not spaceships that resemble road cars... Make them simpler to build and maintain

[@Uknownvlog]

So your saying rally is no longer a sport?

[@comradewyvern1150]

Great video! God bless, Jesus loves you!

[@installshieldwizard3017]

How to make WRC great again? Return the Group A rules.

[@martinbone2889]

I don't see electric power in racing...when this will happen im sure it will lose 90 of popularity... Hope better days for the wrc and for the sport .

[@udabalap]

FIA need to make Rally more interesting for car manufacturer, the current line up is boring ngl

[@davidshurterfoundermembero2885]

Praise the lord! now get rid of the spaceframes and let the Gr Yaris have its real Glory. First rally homologation car in donkeys years and it never got to fight in a tier 1 category.

[@TiagoJoaoSilva]

The FIA being led by a prince from a country that depends on oil production must've had *absolutely nothing* to do with this...

[@maximumattackrallying]

I don't think it had anything to do with him in reality. The teams voted for it, I expect because Compact Dynamics tried to implement an new and expensive inspection and repair requirement

[@ana303_]

so greed killed the hybrid xD

[@installshieldwizard3017]

bye-bye hybrid, you will not be missed

[@jorren1000]

They should ditch wrc and go back to group A Cars. Manufacturers should make 5000 road cars like before.

[@josephnyerere6435]

Poor desicion making

[@uh1mike698]

The hybrid regulation hasn't done anything to improve the WRC. It failed to attract manufacturers and failed to convince privateers to run the cars because of the costs. Let's be honest here. What kind of outcome does the FIA expect out of this? 3 manufacturers. Toyota with extensive experience with hybrid systems and a hybrid production car considered to be the most successful. On the other hand, Hyundai and Ford who can't even make their production internal combustion engines reliable. For sure Toyota will dominate! 😂

[@Nightmareof94]

Good riddance to it