The introduction of hybrid safety measures, which got here into effect after last weekend’s Acropolis Rally, could increase costs for teams competing within the World Rally Championship.
Since the introduction of hybrid powertrain to the WRC Rally1 cars in 2022, engineers have been capable of reset damper errors within the Compact Dynamics system in the event that they exceed a certain threshold.
However, as of last weekend, the hybrid unit's operating instructions in force from the beginning will apply for the remaining rounds of the season if the unit exceeds the set variety of shock absorbers.
If a hybrid unit experiences three failures at shocks above 15G or one failure at shocks above 25G, it have to be disassembled and returned to Compact Dynamics for a full repair, which could take several months.
The owner's manual was introduced for safety reasons, with some examples having “a number of errors”, in response to FIA Road Sport Director Andrew Wheatley.
There have been concerns that teams could also be forced to buy recent units and expand their pool if any of their hybrid units require a serious overhaul.
“What has modified within the owner's manual is that until the last rally in Finland, if that [the unit] He passed [the threshold] The on-site engineer would just robotically fix the errors and begin over, regardless of what happened,” Wheatley said.
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo: McKlein / Motorsport Images
“Now what have they got [Compact Dynamics] it has been identified that in case you go thrice over 15[G] or once over 25 [G] You should take it apart. You can't just clean it and throw it away.
Asked if teams is perhaps required to spend more cash in the long run, Wheatley added: “I believe that’s actually [will have] you’ve gotten to juggle.
“Once they do, [the units] I actually have three shock absorbers, they have to be checked and it's a giant job. Checking them will not be nearly opening the highest and checking the within, you’ve gotten to get into the battery and that's really destructive.
“It is determined by what stage of the development cycle they’re in, however it could possibly be [months before they can repaired]You have an issue [if you don’t have a lot of units]that's why they [the teams] I would like to maintain balance.
“Most of them, actually. [the shock errors] may result from tire or shock absorber damage. [Kalle] Rovanpery [spectacular crash in Finland] It's okay because you've dissipated the energy.”
According to Motorsport.com, the implementation of the user manual influenced the choice to make use of a non-hybrid Ford Puma M-Sport automobile by Martins Sesks on the Rally Chile later this month.
The matter is predicted to be discussed at a WRC committee meeting on Wednesday, with Wheatley revealing there could possibly be further changes to the user manual.
Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo: Tomasz Kaliński
“What we are currently witnessing at Compact Dynamics is a continuous evolutionary process that sometimes goes forward, sometimes backward,” he added.
“There were three people here [in Greece] we collect data from every stage, from every activity, we share it with the blokes from the FIA and we analyze together, where are the challenges, where are the opportunities. I believe these discussions will proceed to evolve.
“There will be more versions of the operating manual. The advantage of regulation is that it can be changed when a problem arises. It's about the supplier deciding at what level they are willing to accept responsibility.”
