2022 World Rally Championship To Debut Next Week In Austria, Will Mark A New Hybrid Era

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) will embark on a new era in 2022 wih hybrid cars with a spectacular launch planned next week in Austria. For the first time, the new-generation Rally1 cars from the three manufacturer teams will be unveiled together in Salzburg's Hangar-7 museum and will showcase the the new and sustainable look at the future of WRC on January 15, 202. 2 event will be see the presence of the newly-elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The teams will reveal new liveries, while drivers and co-drivers from reigning champions Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford will talk about their plans for 2022 with team management talking about season strategies, the organisers said in a statement.

A 100 kW electric motor will be paired with the 1.6-litre, in-line four-cylinder turbo motor that will develop in excess of 500 bhp on the new WRC Rally1 cars

The WRC is all set to undergo major environmental changes this year when new technical regulations. This includes new plug-in hybrid-powered Rally1 cars. The cars have been designed around an upgraded safety cell chassis and will be supplied 100 per cent fossil-free fuel and sustainable energy supplies. The rally cars will come with a 100 kW electric motor coupled to a 3.9 kWh battery pack that will be complement the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The package improved performance figures to over 500 bhp while reducing harmful emissions.

Speaking about the new era, FIA deputy secretary general sport Bruno Famin said, "Adopting hybrid power and fossil-free bio-fuel are two of the biggest advances in the sport's history and a huge step towards achieving our overriding sustainability goals. The FIA has been working very hard on these developments, while also introducing significant safety innovations.”

WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said the new era underlined the commitment to a more environmentally-friendly future. He said, “It's fitting these ground-breaking changes should be incorporated for the WRC's 50th season. The new Rally1 cars look fantastic. After so much preparation and hard work across the sport, we're just days away from the start of the new era – it's hard to contain the excitement! I can't wait to see the cars together in Salzburg to mark the start of what will be a thrilling year.”

The 2022 WRC season launch takes place five days before cars roar into competitive action at the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo between January 20-23, 2022. The Monaco-based fixture features inhospitable roads in the French Alps where winter weather can be expected to deliver the unexpected.