The WRC looking for a manufacturer

During the last World Council (June 14), the FIA ​​announced that a call for tenders would be launched to find a single manufacturer for 2021-2024. If the terms of the contract have not been revealed, the selected manufacturer will have to equip all 4-wheel drive vehicles. The challenge is significant since it will be necessary to provide tires for the WRC current in 2021, Michelin ensuring the transition in 2020 (without being a partner of the WRC), then others to hybrid vehicles from 2022. The technology being new in rally and the cars may be different (larger or with a tubular structure), it may be necessary to redo a range. Will the lucky one have to consider two development processes? If the Clermontois do not respond, the replacement will have to seriously get involved! The question will then arise of the car to use for the tests, as well as the driver(s) to be requested. How will these days be counted?

Once development is complete, it will become urgent to launch production to build up sufficient stocks to transport to the first test. Especially since Monte-Carlo represents an enormous amount of work with the different choices available to competitors. Even for Michelin, this requires significant involvement and investment.

It regularly happens that competitors use Kumho, Yokohama, MRF or DMACK tires, even if the latter is becoming rarer since the success of Elfyn Evans at Wales 2017. Are these manufacturers able to get involved more massively? ? And what about Goodyear or Dunlop? At Pirelli, the F1 taking the entire budget, the Italians do not plan to apply.

“We were present in WRC2 to respond to the request of our marketing department, explains Terenzio Testoni, the rally manager. We tried to be close to our customers. So this will stop. We have to wait for the terms of the call for tenders, but there is little chance that we will be candidates. In terms of budget, it will be substantial. And, if neither Pirelli nor Michelin come, what will they do? They will eventually find someone, but what level will the championship be? Those who have made this decision do not realize the work involved in obtaining high-performance tires. For Sweden, for example, we would have to start testing this winter to be ready in February 2021! »

The technical aspect will be important, but the financial aspect will be just as important since the promoter will ask for several million euros for the right to appear on the edges of the special stages or on the podium. Which Michelin no longer seems willing to do.