The FIA, or, to give its full title, The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, plays a pivotal role in setting and improving motorsport safety standards.

The FIA set everything from homologation standards for racing helmets to the level of fire resistance a race suit must offer. Each driver and co-driver can feel more confident thanks to the rigorous testing the FIA conducts to ensure safety apparel and equipment are up to the task of better protecting you.

The FIA, the World Motor Sport Council and WRC stakeholders have all been working on a new concept, a new set of standards which has been dubbed “WRC27”. This new set of standards is creating quite a stir in the rallying community, as it stipulates everything from a new roll-cage design to a price cap on how much a race-ready car should cost in this division. 

What makes this different from, say, traditional safety standards we are used to is that the FIA now seems to place greater emphasis on cost control.

The primary focus will always be on increasing safety standards and meeting homologation standards; however, cost control is now becoming a more dominant theme within the WRC27 guidance. This is because FIA and various bodies acknowledge that safety is key, yet attracting new talent to motorsport and rallying competitions is also essential.

Lower cost barriers, for example, capping the “ready to compete” rally car at €345,000, are controversial plans, yet could bring in a whole new host of talent to rallying in the years to come.

Tubular frame dubbed the Rally “safety cell”

A key component of the proposed WRC27 concept is how a standardised, tubular frame safety cell could be introduced into the rally car. This builds on the structure and design first introduced in the 2022 Rally1 car. 

However, this new tubular design has reportedly undergone extensive simulation and actual crash testing by the FIA to reach its current form. The new design is stated to offer two main benefits; the most important is improved resistance to intrusion during impacts compared to the original configurations. 

The second is the focus on reducing the design's overall complexity and production costs.

Changes to vehicle design 

Rallying, in general, conjures up for most of us thoughts of various rally teams and the cars that helped them achieve great success on a global stage. Famous vehicles such as the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Celica for example. When these cars are then subsequently seen on public roads, they often spark thoughts of WRC wins by the legends of rallying.

Therefore, traditionally, car manufacturers have benefited from seeing their rally cars win prestigious rally competitions, and benefiting from the subsequent uplift in sales of their road-going cars as a direct result of this.

OEM or production model cars used in rallying and motorsport events are unlikely to become a sight banished to history- we are thankful for that. This is something we would like to celebrate personally, as the crossover of design between the track and the road is a great thing for car manufacturers and enthusiasts alike.

However, the WRC27 regulations may offer some insight into the future of motorsport and how it is evolving in terms of overall car design and aesthetics.

Instead of rally cars mostly built from current production model designs, the WRC27 regulations could cite “a reference volume within which all exterior panels must sit.

These changes could radically alter the exterior appearance of some rally cars.

The FIA refers to car manufacturers, tuners, and modification companies as “constructors,” and this term is used extensively in the press release. 

The FIA press release actually states, “Constructors are free to develop a wide range of designs, from production-based designs to bespoke rally concepts.

This opens the possibility for radical new designs, perhaps diverging quite substantially from the road-going OEM designs we are used to. Those eager rally fans who could once easily identify which car brand was approaching them from a distance, even in foggy, unpleasant weather, could have a somewhat confused expression as they identify which brands of cars are competing in the years ahead.

Well, under the proposed WRC27 plans, where it's stated where body panels should be fitted, there could perhaps be less emphasis on keeping the car resembling a stock or road-going version of that make or model. Therefore, “constructors” could shift away from making the vehicle appear more unique and toward making it look less mainstream.

In the FIA press release titled “A constructor's future,” the FIA states its ambition to bring both OEM manufacturers and tuners under a single definition of “constructors.”

Making rallying more accessible 

As with any sport, the more accessible it is, the more you will attract new drivers and teams who want to compete. 

Part of the WRC27 package is an ambition to reduce the performance gap between second-tier and top-tier competition. The aim is to reduce the performance window without requiring extensive car-specific testing.

1.6 turbocharged engines 

Part of the WRC27 package is a statement on drivers using a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. 

These relatively small engines are then cited as capable of producing and pushing around 290 horsepower. The car will feature a four-wheel-drive, five-speed gearbox and a double wishbone suspension configuration; these have been cited as the car's main setup. 

Changes to the Rally Pyramid 

Let's now move on to what is perhaps the more controversial of topics, that is, a “restructuring of the rally pyramid”. The FIA has stated that, as the FIA World Rally Championship now enters the next regulatory cycle, the WRC27 cars will compete with existing Rally2 cars in the top category. This, therefore, brings together a mix of vehicles that will compete at the highest level of international rallying.

A hint that the future could be hybrid?

For some die-hard rally enthusiasts, this could be described as a step too far; however, the FIA seems to have hinted that, perhaps in the future, hybrid drivetrains could be used within WRC27 rally cars.

The press release from the FIA states that for the first 5-years of the initial regulation cycle, the rally cars will be “sustainably fuelled by a 1.6 litre engine”. However, the framework has been cited to allow for the future introduction of alternative powertrains. This, therefore, begs the question: will hybrid or electric drive trains be coming down the line?

Capped at €345,000 

A standout part of the WRC27 regulations is the statement regarding reducing the cost of competing at the rallying elite level. 

The FIA wants a “ready to compete” rally car capped at €345,000 or £300,000 (Jan 2026 exchange rate).

This, to the uninitiated, may still sound like a considerable sum; however, the WRC27 regulations represent a massive 50 per cent reduction compared to the outgoing formula.

These savings are planned through a variety of means, some of which are quite drastic measures. For example, it has been suggested that rally teams' operating costs could be reduced by imposing limits on personnel.

Standardising the design of specific components, such as the safety cell, could also help reduce costs. 

Keeping you informed, whilst supplying some of the best motorsport safety equipment.

As all true motorsport professionals know, you can never afford to let the grass grow beneath your feet. In the not-too-distant future, it appears that WRC27 plans to implement profound, quite radical changes to this motorsport discipline.

However, no matter what changes, one thing remains constant: our uncompromising commitment to supplying some of the very best rallying equipment and motorsport safety gear available.

Our expert team of rally and motorsport specialists are here to guide, inform, and help you choose the proper safety equipment.