WRC
Luca de Meo “dreams” of entering the electric Renault R5 in the WRC
Will we see a modern electric R5 in the WRC in the coming years? © Renault Design
It's no secret: the Group Renault would like to get more involved in motorsport. Already present in Formula 1 and WEC via Alpine, the French group (made up of manufacturers Renault, Alpine, Dacia and Mobilize, a brand dedicated to mobility) is aiming for entry into a 3rd global competition. If certain rumors could push towards a registration in Formula E (in collaboration with Lotus) or in Dakar, the WRC would seem to be the preferred choice.
In any case, this is what Luca de Meo, president and CEO of the Renault Group, declared. On the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show, the Italian director confided that he would like to find one of his brands in the world rally championship. At the Paris show, Renault presented the R5 Turbo 3E, an electric concept designed for drifting using the stylistic codes of the original R5 Turbo. A vehicle that could be perfectly suited to participation in the WRC…
“The FIA should review the regulations” for Renault's arrival in the WRC
“We have almost found the technical solutions to make it a reality, we just need to find room in the budget, explained Luca de Meo. But if business does better than expected, maybe we could afford to expand it? This would be perfect to make it the top of the range from Renault. The dream is to fight for a World Rally Championship (WRC), but the FIA should review the regulations to allow pure electric vehicles. »
Currently, Rally1 regulations only authorize cars with a hybrid engine. The WRC is now looking for newcomers, while only three manufacturers are involved in 2022: Toyota, Hyundai and Ford (via the private structure M-Sport). According to some rumors, Hyundai could leave the championship in the medium term, as Oliver Solberg was able to tell us in our columns (AUTOhebdo n°2383, October 12).
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Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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DANIEL MEYERS
21/10/2022 at 05:08 a.m.
Still, it would have been smart to start with the news Alpine, LA, that made sense!! For this, this car had to be eligible? so what ! Not so long ago, Citroën achieved its goal of being able to participate in the world touring car championship!