Changes To Rally Car Regs?

[BertMk2]

David Lapworth (Subaru) is suggesting that rally car safety needs a big shake up and that the only way to achieve this is to make radical changes to the regulations. In short this will result in rally cars being less closely related to the production cars on which they're based.

He also suggests that the stages themselves need looking at and will have to be changed to improve safety.

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ly/4259762.stm

Comments?

[1200Datto27]

I just hope that we do not have "knee-jerk" reactions to this fatality, like happened with Senna's death in F1.

[429CJ]

You just can't have such a side protection like touring cars, there's not enough room, if there is two people side to side.
But how about moving driver, touring car style, more closer to center line of the car, and then co-driver equally, but behind the driver? Of course the roll cage must have a complete redesign then, adding protection to "rear seat" area, too.

[touringlegend]

I don't mean to sound harsh but the only way to be 100% sure of safety is not to bother at all racing and rallying cars.

I agree with the sentiments above re the reactions after Senna's death, of course there can still be improvements made though. But at the end of the day, drivers and co-drivers know the risk, the way they're talking now as if they are surprised driving cars at these speeds may kill someone and they must stop all deaths. You could have the cars like a nuclear bunker but there would, sadly still be fatalities.

Hope my views don't sound too harsh.

[Ian Briggs]

Some time in the seventies, Fiat tried putting the Nav Further back in the Car, to get better weight distribution, the result was a badly carsick Co-Driver, not saying that it cannot happen today, but seems unlikley.
David Lapworths article seems to suggest taking the next Genaration of cars even further from production based than the current WRCs are.
It wont happen, but I would like to see two Wheel drive production based, Narurally aspirated Rally cars, that you have to drive an a sideways manner to get the most out of (Not the lightweight 2wd kit cars of the recent past) This should reduce cornering speeds, whilst increasing spectator appeal, look at the way Seb Loeb drives, top bloke, more talent in his little finger than I could dream of, but dosent look terribly exiting, just as fast as he gan get it to go through the corners without wasting time going sideways.
Also, can we get rid of those big wings? high downforce on a surface liable to change its grip cannot be adding to safety.
Michael Park, RIP. Doing what he loved doing

[silver bullet]

I'm surprised at David Lapworth's statement, rally cars are safer now than they ever have been. Wherever you site the driver and co-driver, there will be an accident, sometime, somewhere, where that part of the car is the part that takes the impact.
After Henri Toivonen's death wholsale changes were made and here we are 20 years on the cars are quicker than ever and tragedys still happen. Rallying is dangerous, always has been dangerous, and always will be dangerous whatever changes are made.

[WebberForWDC]

Rally cars are kind of safe, but teams like Mitsubishi make their cars extra unsafe by being daft and having almost no roll-bars in behind the B-pillars! At least you could mandate a double roll-hoop, that the drivers can actually sit in and under, and a big slab of Kevlar behind the doors etc.

[mamba]

could it be posible to make teams design some kind of carbon tub for driver and co driver. Because the sides the cars are prone to taking huge hits from any like tree's and tank stopers like at the german WRC event "they hurt" also are freindly skippy's do some damage to cars. My mate took a from one in his subaru rs on front pillar on co drivers side and push it in hard enougth. got a photo some were.

[Eddy V]

Originally Posted by touringlegend

I don't mean to sound harsh but the only way to be 100% sure of safety is not to bother at all racing and rallying cars.

I agree with the sentiments above re the reactions after Senna's death, of course there can still be improvements made though. But at the end of the day, drivers and co-drivers know the risk, the way they're talking now as if they are surprised driving cars at these speeds may kill someone and they must stop all deaths. You could have the cars like a nuclear bunker but there would, sadly still be fatalities.

Hope my views don't sound too harsh.

Agree with you touringlegend.
I've seen so many good changes since I got involved so long ago, but the risk will stay.