Hybrid cars storm the World Rally Championship... "Towards a more sustainable future"

The World Rally Championship (WRC) officially launched its 50th season on Friday, with the start of the Rally "Monte Carlo", the first round of 2022, in a championship in which teams move to a new era with "Rally 1" cars based on the range of hybrid engines.

The "Rally 1" package is the biggest change in the laws of the championship, after the World Rally Championship (WRC) last season called the classes of cars that are based exclusively on combustion-fuel engines, and moved them in the 2022 season, to the range of hybrid engines that include engines. Electric combined with combustion fuel engines.

New Rules

The Rules of Rally1 are designed to move WRC to a more sustainable future, and to attract more new manufacturers, which has prompted the championship teams "Hyundai", "Toyota", and "M-Sport-Ford" and since last season, design and production All-new cars, built around a safer chassis, in addition to offering a mandatory 100kW hybrid power unit, mated to a 1.6-liter turbocharged internal combustion engine, in combined power units (combustion engine + electric motor) to generate power 500 hp.

Hybrid power units

Drivers must use hybrid power at every stage of the rally. The power boost is activated by the accelerator pedal, when more extra thrust (horsepower) can be gained, through energy recovery when braking during the stages, which is estimated at (30 kJ) to deliver an additional 130 horsepower using three validated engine maps, selected by each team based on the type of rally stage and weather conditions.

The car has a range of 20 km in fully electric mode, while a 3.9 kWh battery can be connected, working at a voltage of 750 volts, and recharged in the maintenance areas within 30 minutes, and the cars will be fueled with sustainable fuel 100%.

Safer chassis and heavier cars

According to the rules of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the 2022 World Rally Championship cars will rely on a safer and more rigid steel frame structure, capable of providing 51% greater protection in terms of internal cracks, and 115% better than The previous generation in terms of the surface section and the absorption of collision energy, in addition to 70% better protection in frontal collisions, which helps protect the drivers' feet and their navigators.

The Rally1 cars come with a heavier weight of about 70 kilograms compared to the 2021 cars, due to the addition of the hybrid system and protection components, bringing the total weight of the cars to approximately 1,260 kilograms.

Aerodynamic components and control systems

In the 2022 cars, many aerodynamic components, especially the wings and blades that are added to the external structure, were banned away from the front splitter and the rear wing, which poses greater challenges to drivers with a 15% decrease in downforce ratios compared to the previous generation.

The axle differential used to improve the handling and stability ratios of the car was also prohibited, in exchange for the adoption of a differential to reduce mechanical slippage, with a fair distribution of the torque ratios between the front and rear tires, especially since the suspension travel range has been reduced to 270 millimeters, which will have no effect. Great when racing on asphalt tracks, versus noticeable effect when driving on rough tracks.

Tires and brakes

Pirelli, the tire supplier, has used new formulations capable of dealing with the extra weight of cars and the impact of additional loads. The 300 mm air-cooled brakes will be used when driving on asphalt tracks, compared to larger versions of the 370 mm brakes when driving. In gravel rallies and off-road tracks.

2022 World Rally Championship teams and drivers

1 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team

Car: Toyota GR-Yars Rally 1

Drivers and co-drivers: Sebastian Ogier/Benjamin Fia (Car No. 1), Alvin Evans/Scott Martin (Car No. 33), Kaley Rovaniera/Bonnie Halton (Car No. 69), Isabica Lappe/Pani Verum (Car No. 4), Takamoto Katsuna/Aaron Ponston (Car No. 18)

2 Hyundai Motorsport Team

Car: Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Drivers and co-

drivers: Oliver Solberg/Albot Edmundson (Car No.2), Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Car No.6), Ott Tanak/Martin Parifuma (Car No.8), Tiberi Novell/Martin Widach (Car No. 11)

3 Team M Sport

Car: Ford Puma

 Rally1 Drivers and co-drivers: Sebastian Loeb/Isabel Galmich (car No. 19), Adrian Formou/Alexander Correa (car No. 16), Craig Brin/Paul Nigel (car No. 42), Gus Greensmith/ Jonas Anderson (Car No. 16).

World Rally Championship (WRC) 2022 calendar:

Jan 20-23 Monte Carlo Rally

Feb 24-27 Sweden Rally

21-24 Croatia Rally

19-22 May Portugal

2-5 Rally Sardinia

June 23-26 Rally Kenya

Jul 14-17 Rally Estonia

August 4-7 - Rally Finland

August 18-21 - To be confirmed

September 8-11 - Rally Greece

September 29 - October 2 - Rally New Zealand

October 20-23 - Rally Spain

November 10-13 - Japan Rally

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