How the FIA plans to differentiate between Rally1 and Rally2 in WRC 2027

The FIA is proposing a change in turbo restrictor regulations to ensure the new World Rally Championship Rally1 cars will have a small power advantage over Rally2 cars next season.

Next year the WRC is gearing up for a seismic shift in technical regulations that will see all-new WRC27 cars and Rally2 cars, featuring the FIA’s 7,500-euro update kit, compete under one new Rally1 umbrella. 

Toyota and tuner operations Project Rally One and RMC Motorsport will compete with WRC27 cars next year, while M-Sport has confirmed it will run a Rally2 Kit car. Hyundai, Lancia and Skoda are yet to confirm their plans for 2027, but all three have Rally2 cars that could compete.

The WRC27 and Rally2 kit cars are built to two separate technical regulations and are expected to produce similar levels of performance. Rally2 cars featuring the update kit will weigh 10 kilograms less than the new WRC2027 cars.

Rally2 cars without the FIA update kit are also permitted to compete in the championship next year albeit in separate Rally2/WRC2 class. However, given the closeness in the performance between the WRC27, Rally2 kit and Rally2 cars, there had been fears that a Rally2 car could regularly topple the new top class cars.  

Rally2 kit

Photo by: FIA

To address this the FIA has tabled a regulation change to differentiate the two classes. Speaking in a media roundtable attended by Autosport, FIA technical director Xavier Mestelan Pinon confirmed that Rally1 and Rally2 Kit cars are set to have a turbo restrictor advantage.

WRC27 and Rally2 Kit cars will be permitted to run a 33mm turbo restrictor, while Rally2 cars without the update kit will have to run a 32mm turbo restrictor. It is anticipated this change could produce as much as a 15-horsepower difference between the two classes, with Rally2 cars producing a 290-horsepower output.  

The proposed regulation change will be tabled for vote at the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on 15 October.