The FIA World Motor Sport Council has ratified the World Rally Championship’s switch to non-turbocharged Super 2000 cars from 2011.

While it had been known for some time that the S2000 rules would form the basis of the WRC’s next technical package, there was continued debate over how much the more standard cars would be modified for rallying’s premier category.

The FIA Rallies Commission decided last month that turbochargers should not be added, and that the only change to the basic S2000 rules would be the addition of extra aerodynamic components. That suggestion was officially approved at today’s WMSC meeting.

Both S2000 machines and the current World Rally Cars will be eligible for the WRC next season, before S2000 takes precedence for 2011 and 2012.

The WMSC also agreed with the Rallies Commission’s proposal to move to 1600cc turbocharged cars from 2013 onwards.

“From 2013, it is proposed that the World Rally Car will continue to be Super 2000 based with a cost-effective 1.6 litre turbo engine,”
said an FIA statement.

“This is subject to review, based on the specification of the car produced by manufacturers for the mass market.”

S2000 cars currently compete in the Production class of the WRC, with Patrik Sandell winning the division in a Skoda Fabia in the last two rounds, and are the top category in the rival Intercontinental Rally Challenge, which has attracted works-backed S2000 entries from Skoda, Abarth, Peugeot and Proton.

WRC champion Sebastien Loeb has previously hinted that he would quit the series if S2000 cars were adopted without significant modifications.

[ Source: AutoSport ]

Subaru have become the latest team to withdraw from next year’s World Rally Championship as the economic downturn continues to hit motorsport hard.

It comes a day after Suzuki also quit the WRC and less than a fortnight after Honda withdrew from Formula One.

Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg all won titles with the Japanese team in its 20-year history.

“This sudden decision is a response to the widespread downturn affecting the industry,” Subaru said in a statement.

The team was established in 1989, when the manufacturer teamed up with Prodrive, a motorsport and automotive engineering group with dealings in the UK, Thailand and Australia.

“Subaru’s departure from the World Rally Championship is a great loss as it is one of the sport’s icons,” added Prodrive chairman David Richards.

“Although this closes a significant chapter in Prodrive’s history, our focus now turns to the future.”

Richards said the decision had been taken over the course of the weekend as the economic downturn claimed another victim in the world of sport.

“We had an urgent call for a meeting over the weekend,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Despite the fact that we have entered the championship for next year and were actually testing last week in Spain, Subaru just felt the sudden downturn in their business was so dramatic that they had to make some quick decisions.”

One of Richards’s previous roles was team principal at Formula One team BAR, and Prodrive may now look at a move into motorsport’s highest tier.

“It certainly clears the decks and gives me a bit of spare time to think about it, that’s for sure,” said Richards.

“The new structure for F1 from 2010 onwards, with new regulations coming and very significant cost-cutting programmes, certainly make it more appealing and far more suitable for a company such as ours.

“What’s on the table today make it more realistic. It’s still a challenge, not to be underestimated, but it certainly becomes far more feasible.”

Prodrive has said it will be looking to redeploy staff assigned to the WRC programme, which accounts for around 20% of the company’s turnover.

Subaru won six world titles in all, with the last coming with Solberg’s victory in 2003.

But recent years have been harder going for Subaru, with their last rally win coming in Mexico back in 2005.

Subaru’s exit leaves just two manufacturers in next year’s championship in the shape of Citroen and Ford.

[Source: BBC.co.uk]

For those readers who may not know, this expo is considered to be one of the largest industry shows for professional motorsports.

The transmission was designed through a partnership between Prodrive and Xtrac. After 21 months of research and design, the gearbox finally made its debut on the WRC2008 car at the Acropolis Rally in May.

One of the unique aspects of this transmission is that it remains to be the only H-pattern style gearbox left in the WRC. The WRC2008 car was the first to feature this 6-speed electro-hydraulic paddle-shift operated transmission. With the new design, gear changes can be made in approximately 12 milliseconds.

The new gearbox also features all internal oil lines. (as opposed to external) The new casting method used by Prodrive has also provided for a weight savings of about 9kg.