2012 WRC calendar revised

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has agreed the venues and dates for the 2012 World Rally Championship.



In a move that will delight many fans, the Monte Carlo Rally is to be included on the calendar for the first time since 2008, having spent the past three seasons as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Could 2012 see a Mini win the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time since 1967?

Italy is also in, but the intended event in Abu Dhabi has been abandoned because its business plan did not get the required approval.

FIA 2012 World Rally Championship
Round	Date	Country
1	22/01	Monte Carlo
2	12/02	Sweden
3	11/03	Mexico
4	01/04	Portugal
5	29/04	Argentina
6	27/05 (or 03/06)*	Greece
7	24/06	New Zealand
8	05/08	Finland
9	26/08	Germany
10	16/09	Great Britain
11	07/10	France
12	October*	Italy
13	04/11	Spain
* Dates to be confirmed.
Dates shown are the Sunday of each rally weekend.

In a change to the regulations, a form of qualifying is going to be introduced from the beginning of next year. The shakedown times set by all Priority 1 and 2 crews will be used to determine the day one running order, with the fastest competitors allowed to choose their start positions.



This should help get around the current problem where the first to set off are often at a disadvantage - especially on gravel stages - because they sweep a clearer path for subsequent cars, who then benefit from the extra grip and so gain extra speed.



Related post:

2012 WRC calendar

Volkswagen to enter WRC

Volkswagen has confirmed that it will be contesting the World Rally Championship from 2013. The announcement was made in Olbia - just ahead of the Rally d'Italia Sardegna - where a concept version of the firm’s Polo R WRC was also revealed.

A fourth manufacturer is good news for the series, and the arrival of Volkswagen Motorsport should provide some added competition for the existing entries from Ford, Citroën and newcomers Mini.



The catalyst for the WRC’s revitalisation has undoubtedly been new cost-saving regulations, introduced at the start of this season.

Like its rivals, the Polo R WRC will be powered by a 1.6 litre, turbocharged petrol engine with direct injection producing around 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb/ft) of torque. Featuring all-wheel drive, bodywork alterations and various aerodynamic aids, the end package is going to have to comply with the minimum weight limit of 1,200 kilograms (2,645 lbs).



Although the car is just a concept at the moment, work on the first prototypes is planned to commence later this year ahead of a testing programme in 2012.

Related posts:

Mini Countryman WRC

Citroën DS3 WRC 2011

Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2011

2012 WRC calendar

5 June 2011 Update:

The FIA has revised the 2012 WRC calendar.

For details, please click here.

The World Motor Sport Council has agreed a calendar for the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship. Next year will see a reduction in the number of events, down from thirteen to twelve.





Out go the Jordanian, Italian and Australian rallies, while rounds in Abu Dhabi and New Zealand join the series. Rally Sweden becomes a joint Sweden-Norway event, and Rally Argentina is going to be long distance.



The inclusion of Great Britain and Abu Dhabi on the schedule is subject to the FIA approving those events’ business plans and rally formats.



Dates have yet to be confirmed, as the series organisers sensibly want to avoid any clashes with Formula 1 races.



List of 2012 World Rally Championship events, in alphabetical order:



· Abu Dhabi

· Argentina

· Finland

· France

· Great Britain

· Germany

· Greece

· Mexico

· New Zealand

· Portugal

· Spain

· Sweden - Norway

Mini WRC Team launched

The Mini WRC Team has been officially launched, ahead of a limited campaign in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.

As previously announced, the pair of Mini Countryman John Cooper Works WRC cars will be crewed by Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle and Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio. Their first outing is going to be May’s Rally d’Italia Sardegna, the fifth event in the 2011 WRC calendar. A further five rounds are due to be contested this year, before the team commits to a full WRC programme in 2012.



Developed by Prodrive, customer versions of the Countryman rally car will also be made available to private teams in either S2000 or full WRC specification.

Mini Countryman John Cooper Works WRC 2011
Engine
Type	Four-cylinder, direct injection petrol, turbocharged
Capacity	1,600 cc
Power	Over 300 bhp (223 kW / 304 PS)
Torque	Over 400 Nm (295 lb/ft)
Maximum turbo boost	2.5 bar (absolute)
Transmission
Gearbox	Sequential Xtrac 6-speed
Drive	Permanent four-wheel drive
Chassis
Brakes	AP Racing, four piston, gravel 300mm / tarmac 355 mm (front and rear)
Suspension	Prodrive Öhlins Macpherson strut, 3-way adjustable dampers (front and rear)
Dimensions
Length	4,110 mm
Width	1,820 mm
Weight	1,200 kg (FIA minimum weight)

Related posts:

Mini Countryman WRC

Mini to compete in WRC

Citroën WRC 2011 entries

Citroën has confirmed its entries for the 2011 World Rally Championship, ahead of the first round which takes place in Sweden between the 10th and 13th of February.



Following major changes to the regulations for this season, the venerable C4 WRC is no more and so all will be driving the brand new DS3 WRC with its 1.6 litre turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive.

In the lead car of the Citroën Total World Rally Team will once again be Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, who is aiming for an incredible eighth successive world drivers’ title. Sat alongside him will be co-driver Daniel Elena, from Monaco.



Joining them as team mates will be the French pairing of driver Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia, their promotion to full-time duty in the works outfit undoubtedly helped by victories in 2010’s Rally de Portugal and Rally Japan.



Although the Citroën Junior Team has ceased to exist, Citroën Racing Technologies will be running three additional cars for private crews.



Petter Solberg / Chris Patterson, competing for the Petter Solberg World Rally Team, are going to enter all thirteen rallies. Kimi Räikkönen / Kaj Lindström will contest at least ten rounds under the Ice 1 Racing banner, while the Van Merksteijn Motorsport entry of Peter van Merksteijn / Eddy Chevaillier is expected to begin its season at March’s Portuguese event.



Related post:

Citroën DS3 WRC 2011

Mini Countryman WRC

Today has certainly been the day for new World Rally Championship cars. Not only were the Citroen DS3 WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC unveiled, but also the Mini Countryman WRC got its debut at the Paris Motor Show.

The car has been developed in partnership with Prodrive, no strangers to WRC success. Like the DS3 and Fiesta, Mini’s entry uses a 1.6 turbocharged engine, in accordance with the new FIA regulations for 2011. Developed by BMW Motorsport, it will transmit its power via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox.

Mini has confirmed that it’ll be entering six out of the thirteen scheduled WRC rounds in 2011, before going on to campaign the full season in 2012. Prodrive will also be building customer cars for independent teams to use.

As expected, Kris Meeke has been named as the first driver who will compete for Prodrive in the Mini Countryman WRC. Meeke, from Northern Ireland, is the current Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. It’s rumoured that he could be joined at Mini by two-time WRC champion Marcus Grönholm.

Citroën DS3 WRC 2011

Hot on the heels of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Citroën has also today unveiled its 2011 World Rally Championship contender.

The DS3 WRC will have a huge reputation to live up to, seeing as its Xsara and C4 predecessors secured six driver’s titles (all with Sébastien Loeb at the wheel, and all won over consecutive years) and five constructor’s championships. And it looks very likely that Loeb and Citroën will be accomplishing both feats again this year, too.



In developing the new car, Citroën Racing has had to comply with the new 2011 FIA WRC regulations. The biggest change is the shift from 2.0 litre to 1.6 litre turbocharged engines but, with an eye on costs, components such as semi-automatic gearboxes and centre differentials are now banned, while others have to comply with strict cost and weight criteria.

The direct injection engines used in the DS3 WRC have been tuned to produce around 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) and, under the revised rules, each one will be expected to last for up to six rallies. Transmission to the all-wheel drive system is via a fully manual six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox.



Converting the bodywork of the road-going DS3 to WRC specification has involved changing the bumpers and wings in order to reach the maximum permissible width of 1,820 mm. Aerodynamic down force is taken care of by a front splitter and a substantial rear spoiler.

Meanwhile, the door glass has been replaced with polycarbonate, and the doors themselves have been filled with foam to increase side impact protection. Naturally, there’s also a hefty internal roll cage, made from 40 metres of steel tubing.



The 2011 driver line-ups for either the Citroën Total World Rally Team or the Citroën Junior Team have yet to be confirmed.

Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2011

Ford has unveiled the Fiesta RS WRC, the car that it’ll be entering in next year’s World Rally Championship. Designed to comply with new regulations that come into force in 2011, power will come from a 1.6 litre turbo engine instead of a 2.0 litre unit as used by today’s WRC cars.

Like the Focus RS WRC that it replaces, the Fiesta RS WRC has been built by Ford of Europe and its partner M-Sport, which is run by BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson.

The car’s EcoBoost engine, which features direct petrol injection, was also developed by Ford and M-Sport, together with some input from French tuner Pipo Moteur.

This year’s driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala is set to continue unchanged, and both will get an opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC during its first major test session. That’s due to take place on gravel roads in Spain at the beginning of October.

Mini to compete in WRC

The World Rally Championship could do with a few more works teams right now, so it’s good news that Mini has confirmed it’ll be joining the series.



Using the new Countryman as a basis, the cars will be prepared by Banbury-based Prodrive in accordance with the FIA’s Super2000 rules that come into force next year.

The revised regulations, which stipulate the use of 1.6 litre turbo engines and four-wheel drive, are designed to reduce costs by around 25% compared to current specification WRC cars. Existing competitors Ford and Citroen are also working on their Super2000 challengers, and development versions of the Fiesta and DS3 have already been seen out testing.



Mini will begin its WRC campaign by entering selected rounds of the 2011 season, before competing in all events the following year. There’s no word on drivers yet, although it’s rumoured Marcus Gronholm and Kris Meeke may become involved. The Countryman WRC will also be made available for private customer teams to buy, which should hopefully further boost the number of championship entrants.

FIA agrees F1 changes

Following today’s meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which took place in Geneva, several changes have been agreed for the 2011 Formula 1 season.



Pirelli has been named as sole tyre supplier, following Bridgestone’s decision to withdraw after the 2010 championship. The contract will run for a term of three years, the Italian firm being chosen over rivals Michelin and Cooper Avon. Perhaps, though, it would give the series an extra competitive element if multiple tyre providers were represented?



Of potential concern to Lotus Racing, HRT F1 Team and Virgin Racing (plus any more newcomers) is the reintroduction of the ‘107%’ rule for next year. Originally included in the regulations from 1996 to 2002, it seems the increasingly widening gap in pace between teams has prompted its return.



It will mean that any driver whose first qualifying session performance exceeds 107% of the fastest time will not be allowed to take part in the race. However, sensibly, the WMSC has decided that in exceptional circumstances - such as previously setting a decent lap time in free practice - the stewards may allow a car to start from the back of the grid. This safeguard will mean that top-level drivers who fail to complete first qualifying, as Fernando Alonso did when he crashed his Ferrari at Monaco earlier this season, will still be able to participate.



In yet another attempt to increase overtaking opportunities, cars will be fitted with driver-adjustable rear wings in 2011. Only available after two laps have been completed, a driver will have to be less than a second behind a competitor at one of the pre-determined points around the circuit if he wants to use the system, which then becomes disabled when the brakes are used. Adjustable front wings, devices such as McLaren’s ‘F-duct’ and anything else that allows drivers to change the aerodynamics of their cars will be banned.



Away from F1, the WMSC also agreed that the name of the co-driver will now be displayed alongside that of the driver on the rear side windows of cars competing in the World Rally Championship. The ruling also applies to the FIA Regional Rally Championships, and comes into force with immediate effect. It seems only fair, because without their co-driver calling out the pace notes, a rally driver might as well get out and walk.

2011 WRC calendar

The FIA has announced the event calendar for the 2011 World Rally Championship season:



13 Feb - Sweden

06 Mar - Mexico

27 Mar - Portugal

17 Apr - Jordan

08 May - Italy

29 May - Argentina

19 Jun - Greece

31 Jul - Finland

21 Aug - Germany

11 Sep - Australia

02 Oct - France

23 Oct - Spain

13 Nov - Great Britain



Compared to 2010, the rounds in Turkey, New Zealand, Bulgaria and Japan have been dropped. Italy, Argentina, Greece and Australia replace them.



Still missing from the calendar is Monaco, although the FIA is saying an as yet unnamed 14th event could be added later. The World Motor Sport Council will have to decide on that by 23 June 2010 at the latest.

Loeb leads WRC

Following Ford’s victory at the first round of the 2010 World Rally Championship in Sweden, the tables were turned at this weekend’s Rally Mexico.



Citroen occupied all three podium positions, with Sebastien Loeb claiming his fourth successive victory in the event. His performance on day two of the rally, which left him nearly a minute ahead of the rest of the field, effectively secured the win. Such a huge margin meant Loeb could take it relatively easy on the final day.



In a well-deserved second place was Petter Solberg, driving his privately-entered C4 WRC. He had been in the lead at the end of the first day, benefiting from the cars running ahead sweeping away the fine gravel and giving him better grip.



Unable to match the pace of Loeb on day two, Solberg then had to battle with Sebastien Ogier for second spot. Right up until the final stage, a Super Special in Leon, Solberg was lying third, just 0.6 seconds behind the Frenchman. However, Solberg managed to set the fastest stage time, eventually finishing the rally 1.1 seconds ahead of Ogier.



Ogier’s fellow driver in the Citroen Junior Team, ex-F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen, did not fair so well, crashing out in dramatic style on day one.







The Mexico event also saw the debut of Ken Block in a WRC car, driving a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for the Monster World Rally Team. Although famous for his exploits on YouTube, he is also a rally driver of some talent, twice finishing runner-up in the Rally America National Championship.



Block acquitted himself well, finishing day one in tenth place. An accident on a slippery right-hand bend on the second day however badly damaged his car’s suspension, putting him out of contention. He was able to re-join the rally on Sunday though, under the Super Rally rules.



Going into the next round, the Jordan Rally which starts on 1 April, Loeb leads the championship with 43 points. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT duo of Hirvonen and Latvala are sitting in second and third, on 37 and 25 points respectively.

2010 WTCC points

The FIA has changed the points system for the World Touring Car Championship.



Instead of the top eight finishers scoring (allocated on a 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis), the first ten will now be awarded points:



1st: 25 points

2nd: 18 points

3rd: 15 points

4th: 12 points

5th: 10 points

6th: 8 points

7th: 6 points

8th: 4 points

9th: 2 points

10th: 1 point



This brings the WTCC in line with the new system already adopted by F1 and the World Rally Championship for the 2010 season.

The much larger points disparity - especially for the podium positions - is designed to push drivers to battle on, as just one place difference could have a big impact on their overall standing.



Arguably, given the already close racing in touring cars, that’s more applicable to F1 than the WTCC.