WRC hybrid technology explained ahead of 2022 season

World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally is scheduled for 23 to 26 June 2022 in Naivasha as the sixth leg of an enlarged 2022 calendar which will be the sport’s first hybrid-era season with 13 rounds.

The season brings some of the biggest and most far-reaching changes in the sport’s history as the WRC enters a more sustainable age. The new season brings to the fore eligibility requirements for crews entering events that will be simplified and streamlined into a system called the "FIA Rally Pyramid". 

WRC Safari Rally 2022 dates set

As the WRC marks its 50th edition, part of a portfolio of regulations to drive the series towards a greener and more sustainable future WRC will welcome the new hybrid era Rally1 cars.

The hybrid system and the software governing its use will be standardised for three years as a way of keeping the costs of competing down. The system will be provided by Compact Dynamics, a subsidiary of Formula E team Audi Sport ABT supplier Schaeffler.

The Championship will also introduce a standardised safety structure in a bid to improve safety standards. This will coincide with the homologation requirements being re-written to allow teams to enter a scaled chassis based on production cars rather than having to adapt a chassis to fit a road-going model.

Specific liaison sections in which Rally1 competitors must drive in full electric mode will be introduced into the championship. Safari Rally Technical Delegate Musa Locho what Hybrid Technology entails, and here was his explanation.

 "A hybrid vehicle is a car that uses two or more distinct sources of power to propel the car. With the WRC, they will use a combination of an electric energy battery driven and 100% fossil-free fuel. The different energies alternate seamlessly to avoid any inconvenience or loss of power while driving.

The motorsports industry has always been very instrumental in complimenting the research and development of the motor industry. Most of the technology that we see on our street going cars is as a result of this investment in Research & Development,” he offered. 

Specific liaison sections which top-tier competitors must drive in full electric mode will be mandatory in next season’s FIA World Rally Championship. Designated zones close to service parks and ceremonial start areas will be highlighted in the roadbook at all 2022 rounds. Rally1 crews will be required to travel along them with their new-era plug-in hybrid cars in electric format.

The technical changes further reveal that the "Rally3" will be for privately entered and "gentlemen driver" crews competing in the World Rally Championship-3. "Rally4" and "Rally5" entries will not contest their own dedicated championship, but will instead serve as a bridging category aimed at making the step from R2 to R5 more manageable by allowing R2 entries to be equipped with four-wheel drive.