Ny regler i WRC ang. reperasjoner i utenfor serviceområdet!

[Qee]

 

Radical new WRC servicing planned

 

New servicing restrictions for rally cars will be introduced into the World Rally Championship for June’s Acropolis Rally in Greece.

 

The new measures will permit 10-minute service halts outside the regular service park schedule but cars will only be allowed to be worked on by two mechanics. In turn, the mechanics will only be allowed to fit spare parts that have been carried in the rally car itself, as opposed to fresh from the service truck.

 

The traditional, 20-minute service halts, now familiar in the WRC, will take place as usual but only after cars have covered a distance of at least 103kms on the first day, 87kms on the second and 98kms on the third.

 

The new regulations have caused concern among the top teams. Subaru technical director David Lapworth has voiced his concern, suggesting that WRC machines will have to last longer and be stronger if such service restrictions become a matter of course.

 

“It’s going to be tough,” he said, “especially while everyone gets the hang of 103-odd kilometres without service. And in Greece two of these new service halts are based at Rally HQ in Lamia. I thought the idea of additional service halts for fuel and tyres etc. was to open up the rally route a bit…

 

“It’s going to change tactics quite dramatically,” Lapworth added. “We’re going to need more time to adapt. Our 2004 Impreza has gone very well in testing [the team has logged thousands of testing kilometres in readiness for the car’s planned debut in Mexico next month], but if this is the direction we’re going in, we’ll need to think about it.”

 

Other rallies are looking at introducing a similar system, notably Finland. However, events such as Argentina have expressed a keenness to maintain traditional service halts in the designated service park at the start and finish of each leg with the extra, 10-minute service halts taking place in remote areas, thereby opening up the route.

 

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Virker egentlig helt greit da.