New 2017 WRC Cars Are Too Quick, According To The FIA
It’s fair to say the new 2017 World Rally Championship cars look epic, sound downright insane and are much quicker than last year’s machinery.
But, according to the FIA, the cars are now too fast. This comes after stage 12 of Rally Sweden was called off due to safety recommendations over the speeds of the cars.
No, we’re not joking. The first run through the Kron stage saw Ott Tanak set an average speed of 85.62mph, but the FIA doesn’t want that figure to go over 80mph.
So, according to the FIA’s rally director Jarmo Mahonen, it’s considering rule changes to bring down the average speeds of rally stages.
Here’s what he told Autosport:
“These cars are quicker than the old cars - but in this stage even last year’s [cars] were going more than 130km/h [80mph]. These kind of stages teach us one thing: we need to take a more firm grip when organisers want to introduce new stages, we have to be present to check them.
“If we see a stage time of more than 130km/h then it’s an indicator that we need to be looking at this. From our point of view this was too fast. What we want to do is look at a guideline on this, but maybe we need to think to the regulations.”
But, of course, no one wants to see the average speeds decreasing through artificial means or the cars being pegged back.
Thankfully, Mahonen seems to understand this:
“We want the cancellation of this stage to send a message to the other organisers to think carefully about their route. We want speeds lower than 130km/h, but I remember when I was an organiser and I didn’t want to use straw bales to make chicanes. I understand that, and the answer is simple: use smaller roads that will be slower. This is what we have to do.”
Let’s hope that, if something is brought in, it doesn’t impact the incredible spectacle of the new WRC cars.
Comments
To hell with political correctness. This is what every motorsport division needs. Danger is part of the sport. It took way too long since Group B to make WRC worth watching again. Don’t ruin it.
ahem ahem
The fact the spectators are almost in the road is probably more the issue than the average speed
It’s like Group B rally all over again
Wrc in 2030: we have achieved a record speed in ouninpohja of 3mph
F1 and now this, let the drivers decide if its too fast. Fans can hide behind walls and pillars.
Breaking news:FIA ARE GONNA CANCEL THE WHOLE RALLY FINLAND BECAUSE IT’S TOO FAST(with wide roads and long straights)
I don’t understand the safety aspect of an average speed limit. That implies that a stage with mainly tight corners but one long dangerous straight full of ruts and potholes and jumps is safer than a fast smooth flowing track simply because the average speed is lower. Even a stage with a 50mph average could have dangerous aspects on the high speed sections.
If they’re so unsafe, how come they made it out alive?
So because the cars go too high above average the cars are too fast. Maybe look at the stage…
That is kind of exactly what they’re doing. The stage that had the high average speed has been cancelled and the mentioned solution is to use narrower, slower tracks rather than slowing the cars down forcefully (i.e. limiters etc).
Group B has enacted their 30year plan to sneak back in ti WRC.