January 05, 2011 / 16:16 IST
The new year 2011 brings a welter of changes in the world rally championship, headed by the change in formula for cars! The successful 14-year-old 2-litre turbocharged rules have gone, world championship cars can now be physically smaller and powered by 1.6-litre turbo engines, fitted with direct injection systems. The new generation World Rally Cars must be used by the top level teams and like the old generation cars they can also be used by the lower level teams as well as privateers. Old generation World Rally Cars, along with other cars running in the A8 class, will no longer be eligible to run in any FIA championship events in future. Super 2000 cars fitted with atmospheric 2-litre engines which have been already homologated can continue to run in the world and other regional championship events, but all new Super 2000s must be fitted with 1.6-litre turbo direct injection engines, like the World Rally Cars - the same except for very minor technical differences to the flywheel and the size of turbocharger restrictor. It is not yet defined in which other championships (regional and national) the new generation Super 2000 will be allowed to run.
The second major change is the realignment of classes within the world championship. No fewer than 22 categories of cars are eligible to take part on world rallies, and these categories are arranged so that comparable cars compete against each other, even if they run under different rules. In some classes all the cars will run to identical rules, in other classes up to six different types of car will compete against each other. One of the new categories is for GT cars, the rules for which have also still not been defined.
For the world championship itself, there will be two alternative tyre suppliers, Michelin and DMack, replacing Pirelli which were the sole supplier, with Michelin expected to supply the professional teams and DMack the budget competitors.
Events
Once again there will be thirteen rounds, again with three events being non European events. Event changes are: Greece is in instead of Turkey, Australia instead of New Zealand and Argentina instead of Bulgaria. The season continues to run from February to November. The most important novelty regarding event format is the Power Stage. This is the name for a short televised stage in which supplemental championship points are given to the fastest three competitors. Benefiting from the lessons of the disastrous televised stage system in 1999, the points awarded are now proportionally much less significant, and only the drivers, not also the manufacturers, will benefit. Notwithstanding the new FIA official policy that events should provide more flexibility, organisers generally have been nervous at changing their established formats. Actions have been taken in various ways. Sweden has a stage which travels from Sweden in Norway and back again, Mexico
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