From wrc.com
At the start of this season, a number of people were questioning whether or not the new generation of direct injection 1600cc turbo pocket rockets World Rally Cars would have what it takes to put on the show we’ve become accustomed to.
The horsepower may be more or less the same, but with 50% less torque, were we really going to be impressed by the sort of hatchbacks that are more frequently seen in supermarket car parks?
Try this one for size then: under some circumstances, these new 1600cc turbo cars are actually quicker than the two-litre World Rally Cars they have replaced.
More or less every driver says that they are more challenging to drive, and the top five - none of whom bore the surname ‘Loeb’ - headed into the last day of Rally Sweden this year covered by just 15 seconds. Is that enough excitement and unpredictability for you?
Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala even reckoned that the new generation of cars sounded a bit like the old Group B monsters from the 1980s; they certainly slide in the way that rally cars always used to. “To drive these cars effectively, you have to be a bit more committed than you could get away with in the past,” pointed out event winner Mikko Hirvonen with an evil grin. “But personally speaking, I really enjoy that.” It showed.
So having seen that first impressions may not always be quite all there, here’s another one to debunk: Ford’s monopoly of the Sweden podium is about to kick-start a new era of domination - but this time from Cumbria rather than Velizy.
M-Sport team principal Malcolm Wilson would love to say that this was true, but unfortunately for him, he knows that it’s not. Let’s not take anything away from Ford’s brilliant start but there are a number of other things to bear in mind.
Firstly, this is Sweden: a unique event that requires a very specific set-up and no small degree of local knowledge.
Secondly, the definitive specification of the cars will not be set in stone until May 1: a date agreed by the governing body for final engine homologations, in order to give manufacturers time to develop their cars further following the biggest rules change since 1997.
At the start of this season, a number of people were questioning whether or not the new generation of direct injection 1600cc turbo pocket rockets World Rally Cars would have what it takes to put on the show we’ve become accustomed to.
The horsepower may be more or less the same, but with 50% less torque, were we really going to be impressed by the sort of hatchbacks that are more frequently seen in supermarket car parks?
Try this one for size then: under some circumstances, these new 1600cc turbo cars are actually quicker than the two-litre World Rally Cars they have replaced.
More or less every driver says that they are more challenging to drive, and the top five - none of whom bore the surname ‘Loeb’ - headed into the last day of Rally Sweden this year covered by just 15 seconds. Is that enough excitement and unpredictability for you?
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| Photo: Ford |
Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala even reckoned that the new generation of cars sounded a bit like the old Group B monsters from the 1980s; they certainly slide in the way that rally cars always used to. “To drive these cars effectively, you have to be a bit more committed than you could get away with in the past,” pointed out event winner Mikko Hirvonen with an evil grin. “But personally speaking, I really enjoy that.” It showed.
So having seen that first impressions may not always be quite all there, here’s another one to debunk: Ford’s monopoly of the Sweden podium is about to kick-start a new era of domination - but this time from Cumbria rather than Velizy.
M-Sport team principal Malcolm Wilson would love to say that this was true, but unfortunately for him, he knows that it’s not. Let’s not take anything away from Ford’s brilliant start but there are a number of other things to bear in mind.
Firstly, this is Sweden: a unique event that requires a very specific set-up and no small degree of local knowledge.
Secondly, the definitive specification of the cars will not be set in stone until May 1: a date agreed by the governing body for final engine homologations, in order to give manufacturers time to develop their cars further following the biggest rules change since 1997.
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