Significant rule changes are scheduled for the World Rally Championship as early as next season. However, the general consensus is that the new reform package still requires refining to create a workable system.
After the Croatia Rally, Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala gave a long speech to RallyJournal.com about the planned changes.
The WRC Promoter has reported that discussions with the manufacturers have been conducted in good spirits, and meetings have been held regularly. But are all parties really on the same side of the table?
“We manufacturers agree that we don’t want to go down the path that the FIA has suggested. We agree with the manufacturers about these technical rules, that the cars should remain as Rally1s. Removing the hybrid unit is a good thing,” said Latvala.
However, Latvala mentioned that manufacturers are not keen on the idea of reducing power in Rally1 cars and trying to bring the Rally2 cars closer to Rally1.
“That concept just doesn’t work. I think the FIA is now beginning to understand what the manufacturers want. Previously, it seemed like the FIA was doing these things by themselves and we manufacturers were just tagging along,” said Latvala.
“We need to find a solution that works for everyone, not one where one party makes all the decisions. Otherwise, the overall result won’t be good. However, I believe we can reach a compromise on this issue.”
It’s clear that changes need to be made. The harsh reality is that the World Rally Championship currently only appeals to true fans.
“The cars are too expensive now. When we moved to hybrids, perhaps it wasn’t fully understood how much the prices of these cars would increase. At that point, we went in the wrong direction,” Latvala pondered.
One of the biggest problems in the World Rally Championship right now is that there simply aren’t enough drivers and manufacturers in the top class, and therefore, not enough competition.
“If you think about the years 2009-2012, we practically had two manufacturers, Ford and Citroen, but there were surprisingly many drivers at the starting line. Back then, there were more private drivers, and we weren’t in as much of a crisis as we are now. We have gone in the wrong direction. We need cheaper cars, although that probably won’t happen very quickly,” Latvala thought.
The changes planned for the World Rally Championship have sparked a lot of criticism, and many suggestions have been made to enhance the sport’s appeal. But what would Jari-Matti Latvala do if he had full control?
“If you ask my opinion, I think we have too many rules now. We have a rule for everything. The sport is built in such a way that we are in a sort of rule jungle. This sport needs to be moved in a freer direction,” Latvala outlined.
“We’ve been trying too much to move towards Formula One. Rallying has been pushed in that direction and trying to adopt a similar concept as there.”
When the rules of the sport become complicated, it does not help to attract new people’s interest.
“The sport should be simplified, it’s not that complicated. A revised points system has been introduced, and attempts have been made to seek entertainment. This is very hard for people to understand. For example, the situation on Sunday should always be visible on the screen so that people can see what the status is for Sunday,” Latvala criticized.
Latvala also sees a need for change in service. He believes that remote service could play a larger role in the future.
The Toyota boss’s wishes are being addressed, as the WRC working group has already tackled this problem, planning to give rally organizers more freedom in route planning. At the same time, more extensive repairs could be performed during more remote services.
Bringing flexibility to service and route planning would also be more cost-effective.
“People are here on site, and that’s the most expensive part. There could be more service points. Now we build huge service parks. Cars leave at six in the morning and come back around eight in the evening. Then the service park is pointless. Why do we build such huge service parks? They could be more numerous, and then we could properly do remote services without strict restrictions,” Latvala argues.
Latvala has a clear vision of how to bring rallying closer to the people. He took the example of the Rally Finland.
“On Saturday’s loop, we could drive to the center of Tampere for a service after the Ouninpohja stage. Then, we would return to complete the remaining stages and head to Jyväskylä. Currently, we drive in one place and the cars make a tremendous amount of liaisons.”
