Racing Ford

In line with FIA plans, from 2022 the World Rally Championship will become a hybrid powertrain. The idea was also supported by Toyota, Ford and Hyundai, so next year they will be able to introduce racing cars under the new rules at the WRC without hindrance. Ford has now unveiled a prototype of its racing car, but not just the powertrain has changed.

Instead of the previous Fiesta, the Puma now provides the foundations for the WRC race car - which, let's face it, is just a marketing ploy, as the deep-seated technique has little to do with the street model. What is certain, however, is that the structure is completely new compared to this year’s Fiesta WRC model: as Matthew Wildon, head of Ford’s rally partner M-Sport Stable, said, the base engine is the same as in the current race car, but everything else is brand new - the chassis, geometry, electronics.

Under the new rules, the previously used motor may remain, but a 136-horsepower electric motor, powered by a 3.9 kWh battery, will be attached to it. The battery can be charged in the depot in 25 minutes, and the race car has a regenerative braking system, so it also charges during deceleration. System performance is unknown, but is not expected to change from the previous one: the hybrid component is not intended to be stronger, but to make cars cleaner (more precisely, the driver can only mobilize the 136 horsepower of the electric motor as an extra if he wants to accelerate, but this extra power can be available for up to 3 seconds.

Cleanliness is also ensured by the FIA in other ways: from 2022, racing cars will be refueled with 100% sustainable petrol, a mixture of synthetic and biofuels, and battery chargers will also pass on sustainable electricity to their batteries.

(Source: vezess.hu / photo: pixabay.com)