Croatia Rally (April 19/21)
What happened in Croatia Rally? Results, Videos, Stage Positions, Press Conference, Reviews ->
Martinš Sesks makes Rally1 debuts in Poland and Latvia
Martinš Sesks and M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, with the support of the WRC Promoter, will make his top-level debut on two back-to-back events of this year’s championship, as well as piloting the first non-hybrid appearance of the Puma Rally1 at a FIA World Rally Championship event.
Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis will make the competitive debut of non-hybrid Rally1 machinery on the highly anticipated return of Rally Poland in June. With the FIA’s updated regulations for 2024, allowing Rally1 cars to compete with equivalent ballast weight in lieu of the plug-in hybrid system, the step-up to Rally1 machinery becomes more attractive and accessible to competitors.
The non-hybrid appearance will bridge the gap between Sesks’ transition from competing in Rally2 in the FIA European Rally Championship to Rally1. Allowing him to adjust to the increased power and weight of the Puma, using non-hybrid in Poland will prepare him for his full hybrid outing on his home rally, the all-new Rally Latvia, just a few weeks later.
M-Sport has worked with Sesks’ team and the WRC Promoter on this project in order to support the increase of Rally1 entries on WRC events. Increasing the accessibility of the sport’s top-flight aligns with M-Sport’s and the WRC Promoter’s goals to support future rally talent, giving opportunities to candidates like Sesks to prove themselves amongst the sport’s superstars.
Sesks arrives to his Rally1 debut with an already impressive roster. Making his ERC debut in 2016, he advanced to a full season only a year later, and by 2018 had claimed both the ERC3 and Junior ERC championship titles with co-driver Renars. Upgrading to Rally2 machinery in 2022, Sesks claimed a stunning win on his home rally, Tet Rally Liepaja, with a clean sweep of stage wins.
The 2023 ERC season saw Sesks come into his own, claiming the win on Rally Poland, followed by a podium finish in Hungary, the Latvian driver completed the season second in the championship.
Also no stranger to world rally stages, Sesks competed in the Junior WRC between 2020-2021 and was runner-up for the championship win in 2020. His combined experience and knowledge of European stages in ERC and JWRC set him in good stead for his debuts in Poland and Latvia.
Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“I’m very pleased to be working on this project with Martinš and the WRC Promoter, making use of the new regulations for 2024 allowing us to run the Rally1 cars without the hybrid unit. Not to mention this being a more cost-effective solution for customer drivers, it allows drivers like Martinš to make the step up to Rally1 more comfortably so that we can widen the Rally1 field.
“Martinš has an impressive resume and is a perfect candidate for debuting this new non-hybrid strategy. It was a good opportunity to give him the seat time in Poland before competing with full hybrid on his home event. It will be fantastic to see Martinš able to drive the best rally cars in existence in front of his home fans.”
Peter Thul, WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport, said:
“We identified the need to put more resources into supporting the next generation of potential WRC world champions and assisting them on making the challenging step from the support categories to our sport’s highest echelon.
“Martinš performances in the past two seasons of the ERC have deemed him a worthy recipient of this support. He has demonstrated a winning edge in Latvia and Poland and we believe that with time, he will become a regular face in the WRC.”
Martinš Sesks said:
“I am sincerely grateful, as it is a dream come true to join forces with the M-Sport World Rally Team and the WRC Promoter for this remarkable opportunity to advance from Rally2 to Rally1 level. I must admit, it takes saying it twice to fully believe that we will soon be competing alongside the world’s most elite drivers with Rally1 machinery.
“The journey to this point has been a massive effort of many people, particularly my family, whose rallying legacy dates back to my grandfather’s inaugural event in Liepaja in 1965. Now, 59 years later, I have the opportunity to participate in the same rally but as a WRC event. While adapting to Rally1 machinery will undoubtedly demand our unwavering focus and commitment, we are fully prepared to give it our all. Being entrusted with piloting the first non-hybrid appearance of the Puma Rally1 makes it more exciting for us to see what the future brings.”
Source:
www.m-sport.co.uk
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March 2024 tweets
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FIA World Motor Sport Council 28.2.2024
The FIA World Motor Sport Council convened today, 28 February, for its first meeting of 2024. The meeting was chaired by President Mohammed Ben Sulayem with FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid and WMSC members joining in person at the Federation’s offices in Geneva and from around the world via video conference.
In his opening address, the FIA President updated the World Council on new Commission President appointments. He said:
“This gathering is a momentous occasion as we welcome our new Presidents and Chairpersons to a number of Commissions and Committees. I am delighted to say that four of the newcomers are women. The FIA is dedicated to growing the number of women in senior posts within the FIA, and these appointments are an important step in our efforts to achieve this.”
Noting some significant events that have taken place since the previous World Council gathering which took place as part of the General Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2023, he added:
“In recent months we have held the MENA and Africa Karting Cup events, a first for the African region. Motor sport that is affordable and accessible for all – that is our goal – and we are indebted to the support of our Member Clubs for the staging of these events.”
Pathway for the future of the FIA World Rally Championship agreed
The roadmap for the future of the FIA World Rally Championship, presented to the World Council over the past two days by the WRC Working Group, has been given the green light. The Working Group has generated a review of the current state of the championship, a record of the sport’s key attributes to be sustained, and the definition of a series of objectives for the future.
Established at the request of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December and headed by FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid and WMSC member David Richards, the Working Group, comprising WMSC representatives Garry Connelly, Ronan Morgan and Andrew Mallalieu as well as FIA executives Andrew Wheatley and Xavier Mestelan Pinon, have put forward objectives that prioritise plans for far greater focus on PR, Marketing and Promotion of the Championship, and set a framework for changes to the sporting and technical aspects of the WRC to be developed.
The WRC Commission has now been tasked with drafting concrete proposals, based on the WRC Working Group’s recommendations, for submission to the next WMSC meeting, with the new sporting and technical regulations for the 2025 WRC season and beyond to be published by the end of June.
As well as utilising their extensive expertise and experience, the WRC Commission representatives will also be taking into consideration the results of the WRC Fan Engagement Survey. The survey, which was commissioned by the FIA and received more than 11,000 responses, provided invaluable feedback on several topics, such as the format of rallies, car type and specification.
The key objectives have been set out as follows:
Promotion
- In order to leverage promotional opportunities around each event and maximise the WRC’s full potential, the FIA will establish a WRC Promotion Team within the FIA in close collaboration with stakeholders from the WRC Promoter, event organisers and manufacturer teams.
- The WRC Promotion Team’s key focus will be to develop a WRC Charter that will define a set of commitments from all stakeholders to promote the WRC to a wider audience against an agreed set of objectives and KPIs.
- This coordinated approach will leverage the expertise of each party in order to promote the WRC outside its current fan base as one of the foremost motor sport championships in the world.
Sporting
- Event organisers will be given more freedom when developing the route of their rally. However, while the starting day of an event and the number of stage kilometres can vary, all rallies should finish on a Sunday with the Power Stage.
- The global calendar may include a small number of shorter sprint-style and longer endurance events in addition to the rallies that follow the existing format. Nevertheless, the overall timed kilometres covered during a season will remain largely unchanged with events still organised on a mix of asphalt, gravel and snow.
- As part of cost-cutting measures, the target number of personnel of a three-car team will be capped in the future.
- The service park set-up will follow a new model with manufacturers allocated locally sourced structures as a working space. As well as saving costs and reducing the amount of transportation required, the move provides more flexibility, should the service park location change during an event. It also reduces the total area required for the service park by event organisers.
- To allow organisers to adopt less rigid formats, reduce liaison section distances and spread the reach of events, remote service opportunities will be encouraged with teams permitted to carry limited parts in a small support vehicle.
Technical
- The current Rally1 car will continue as the WRC’s flagship vehicle in both 2025 and 2026 but with modifications to reduce cost and performance. These include the removal of the plug-in hybrid unit, with the performance compensated by a reduction in overall weight, and a reduction in the air restrictor and aerodynamics.
- Rally2 cars will continue in their current form for the duration of their homologation as the basis for national and international series. However, Rally2 cars competing on WRC events from 2025 and beyond will have an option to run with a WRC kit consisting of a larger restrictor, a larger exhaust, an optional paddle shift gearbox and a rear wing with the objective of reducing the performance gap between Rally1 and Rally2 cars.
- From 2026, revised Rally1 technical regulations for the WRC’s top-level category will be introduced based on the current Rally1 concept. These regulations will run alongside the current Rally1 regulations for the 2026 season. These new rules will use a common safety cell to reduce costs and complexity, and allow manufacturers and tuners to develop cars with their own bodywork based on production models including B-class, C-Class, compact SUV or a Concept Car designed to tight technical criteria such as centre of gravity and aerodynamics in order to equalize performance.
- The power output will be targeted at 330hp, with the engine performance controlled by a reference torque curve for all cars. Engine and transmission will be cost-capped and technology limited to Rally2 equivalence. Aerodynamic efficiency will be limited along with a top speed restriction to reduce development and cost.
- The cost per car will be capped at €400,000 and WRC manufacturers will be required to make their cars available for sale directly from the finish parc fermé of a WRC event.
- At the earliest opportunity, an electric category will be introduced into the WRC with the FIA technical department charged with establishing suitable technical regulations that could utilise the new Rally1 safety cell and achieve parity of performance with Rally1 cars running on sustainable fuel.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “The WMSC members carefully considered the recommendations of the WRC Working Group and were united in their support of the series of objectives that have been established. To be at the point where the WRC Commission can now work on finalising proposals that will go a long way towards cementing the WRC’s future course, once approved by the WMSC, is a significant moment for the championship, its stakeholders and the rallying community in general. It’s also important to note that the results of the WRC Fan Engagement Survey will be carefully considered by the WRC Commission during the process of drafting the final proposals. I thank all those who took part as we continue the process of delivering a WRC that’s relevant for the present and fit for the future.”
Source:
www.fia.com
January 2024 tweets
With a bolstered squad of crews and upgrades to the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, the team is aiming to secure more victories and points during the upcoming season.
Over the first two years of WRC’s hybrid era, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team accumulated seven wins and 13 podiums. Despite this success, a championship crown eluded the Korean manufacturer. However, the team sees 2024 as an excellent opportunity to potentially claim its first drivers’ championship.
The two crews vying to take home the title for Hyundai Motorsport will be Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe (#11) and Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja (#8), with both pairings running a full programme in 2024. Neuville has been with the team since its debut WRC season in 2014 and played a vital role in the manufacturers’ championships claimed by Hyundai Motorsport in 2019 and 2020. Tänak and Järveoja were also part of the team’s successful 2020 campaign and return to Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team following a single year elsewhere.
Supporting Neuville and Tänak’s title challenges will be a trio of crews sharing the team’s third entry: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6), Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4) and Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (#9). The responsibilities will be split based on the surface of the rallies, allowing each driver to take part at events that boast a favourable profile for their driving style. The aim for these vastly experienced crews will be to compete for podiums and steal points from Neuville and Tänak’s closest rivals.
Being more frequent rally winners is a core target for Hyundai Motorsport in 2024. To try to achieve this, the team identified reliability and weight as two key aspects of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid that required improvement. Over the off-season, these areas have been developed and improvements wrought to increase the competitiveness of the car.
While success in 2024 is a priority for Hyundai Motorsport, the Alzenau-based team also has one eye on the future. The team views the upcoming season as another important step towards its goal for 2025 and 2026 – to be the manufacturer to beat in WRC.
2024 is also an important year for Hyundai Motorsport and its relationship with technical partner and title sponsor Shell, as the brands celebrate their ten years of strategic partnership. Over the past decade, Shell has supported the team across several iterations of technical regulations, including some of the most advanced cars ever to grace WRC stages. These innovative rally machines and their involvement in WRC have been a crucial platform for promoting Hyundai’s road-going cars and Shell’s technology leadership in the development of Shell Helix that delivers ultimate engine performance in the extreme rally conditions and on the road. Since the team’s debut season in 2014, the motorsport operations continue to inspire the company’s high-performance N brand vehicles of today and tomorrow.
Cyril Abiteboul said: “This year, we want to target more frequent wins, which we hope to achieve with our refreshed driver line-up and improved Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Also, given the nature of the 2024 season, we believe we can fight for the drivers’ title. Ott had unfinished business with the team, and once we started talking, we realised there was a mutual interest to finish it. Alongside Thierry, we have two drivers capable of claiming the crown. In our third car, we wanted to reward crews that we felt deserved the opportunity, as all three have shown loyalty to the team as well as impressive pace and ability over the past years. Bringing in talent in a number of areas, such as new engineers, mechanics, weather and sporting personnel, also strengthens the overall team as we look to push forward this year. Success in 2024 will be our focus and we are confident that we have the right pieces in place for this to be a reality. In addition, we also have a plan that looks forward into 2025 and 2026 that we intend to execute.”
Thierry Neuville said: “The targets for us in 2024 are the same as always: we want to be frontrunners throughout the whole season and fight for the championships. This will naturally be tough, and we will have to perform well at every rally to make it possible, but we will do all we can to push for the titles. We have a very strong line-up of crews this year and that will definitely help us battle for victories and podiums to have a successful season. The reorganisation of the team should also keep us moving in a positive direction. Our first goal will be to make a strong start at Rallye Monte-Carlo, an event where we have been competitive before and finished on the podium many times in the past.”
Ott Tänak said: “I’m very excited and motivated to be back with Hyundai Motorsport. I can see great excitement from the team and there is clearly a collective drive to achieve and produce a strong season. We will start the year on a clean sheet and it all will be in our own hands to start building a strong season. Of course, we aim to win the title and so does the team, so we are at the start of an exciting year.”
Dani Sordo said: “I am very happy to be back with the team for an eleventh season in 2024. I love to compete and fight against the best drivers in the world, so the motivation to continue at the highest level is certainly there. And I still have excitement for that moment when you get to the end of the stage and see your time. I think we have a very strong line-up of crews this year that I think can bring the team success. Every driver has lots of experience and we now also have a car that we can achieve good results in. My target is to be competitive at every rally that I am entered in and help the team – and my team-mates – fight for the titles.”
Esapekka Lappi said: “Competing in the third car with two other crews, our main target is to support Thierry and Ott in their challenge for the drivers’ title and help the team fight for the manufacturers’ title. However, this doesn’t stop us from going for wins, so we will push to finish as high as possible in every rally. Everything was new to us last year, so it helps that we now know the team and the car very well. During 2023 we were also able to develop the car more in the direction that suited my driving style, as well as making it faster. Overall, I expect that everything will feel far more natural this season and that we will be more competitive in 2024.”
Andreas Mikkelsen said: “For the past few years we have been fighting to get back into Rally1, so I am very grateful to have opportunity to compete against the big boys in the top category for Hyundai Motorsport in 2024. There are some familiar faces from when I was with the team before, but also lots of new people and new management that are moving things forward. For us, it is clear that our role is to help both Thierry and Ott win the drivers’ title. Performing well at each rally we do and taking points away from their rivals is why we are here. To finish ahead of those guys is always going to be tricky, but that is my aim.”
Source:
motorsport.hyundai.com
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 granted FIA homologation
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) is pleased to confirm that the GR Yaris Rally2 has been officially granted homologation by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) from January 1, 2024.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) has up to now been participating in the FIA World Rally Championship with the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID and in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the GR010 HYBRID as works motorsport activities, and also developed the GR Supra GT4 to promote making ‘ever better cars’ through customer motorsports. Feedback from motorsport has been reflected in the production GR sports car series.
The GR Yaris Rally2 has been developed for customer rallying. Chairman Akio Toyoda, known also as ‘Morizo’, hopes this will be the car to make the first step in building a bridge between motorsport vehicles and production vehicles through rally competition – something that could contribute to enhancing the rally market worldwide.
With the granting of the homologation certificate, distribution of the GR Yaris Rally2 can now begin to customers all over the world. The commemorative first car is scheduled to be delivered to ROOKIE Racing, led by Morizo, while four teams are set to participate in Rallye Monte-Carlo from January 25-28 with the GR Yaris Rally2.
The first four-wheel drive sports car to be developed exclusively by Toyota for 20 years, the GR Yaris was created by TGR with a mission to win in the WRC. Rather than a car made for TGR to win, the GR Yaris Rally2 is a car made for customers to win: this is the start of our new challenge.
The car made its public debut at Rally Japan in 2022, when Morizo took the wheel and measured its performance. Since then, we received a lot of feedback from the many drivers who have tested the Rally2 car on different surfaces and in different conditions. More than 15,000 kilometres have been covered, including participation in the Japanese Rally Championship which also served as testing on Japanese roads.
So far, the development process has incorporated feedback from top professional drivers, young up-and-coming drivers and experienced customer drivers. From now on, an even wider range of feedback will be gathered from customer motorsport competitors in championships such as WRC, helping to develop improvements to make an ever better car.
GR Yaris Rally2 specification
| Engine | |
| Type | In-line three-cylinder, turbocharger |
| Displacement | 1,618.2 cc |
| Bore x stroke | 87.5mm x 89.7mm |
| Air restrictor | 32mm acc. to FIA regulations |
| Transmission | |
| Gearbox | 5-speed sequential transmission |
| Drive system | 4WD, Motorsport-specification limited-slip differential |
| Suspension & brakes | |
| Suspension front/rear | MacPherson strut |
| Brake system | Gravel: 300mm |
| Tarmac: 355mm, 300mm | |
| Chassis | |
| Length | 3,995mm |
| Width | 1,820mm |
| Height | Adjustable |
| Weight | 1,230kg (including 1 spare tyre) acc. to FIA regulations |
Source:
toyotagazooracing.com
Rally Paradise 