The company that owns Peugeot and Citroen will stop WRC competition after '05. From what I heard it was due to harder car market, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to the new regulations.

Starting in '06 IIRC, Subaru will have to run a new chassis due to the new regulations. So far, Ford is the only manufacterer to commit to the new regulations. Mitsubishi has committed to '05. This isn't to say its the end of WRC, the privateer and production car teams will supposedly benefit from the new regulations.

FYI: Some of the regulations include the limit of 2.0L engines, N/A (non-turbocharged), restriction on ECU controls (ie traction control, active differentials, driver drivetrain controls). Also, all transmissions must be setup to be mounted transversely. Basically, they are trying to cut costs on rally cars to make it more accessible to more teams.

Personally, I think the restriction to 2.0L *and* the banning of turbochargers will result in the slowest sport ever imagined. Time for some of us to look for rally viewing elsewhere....

Peugeot and Citroen are quitting rallying because #1 citroen did very well the past two years and didn't sell 1 more car because of it. #2 peugeot couldn't get their ***** together. ford subaru and skoda are the big names now, word is that skoda views this as a big oppertunity. in 06 subaru won't be running the impreza anymore. and suzuki has vocalized their intrest in running a wrc car (they have done very well in the jwrc s1600 class)

OMG so instead of having EVOs and Focus RSs and WRXs they will start selling us again Lancers and Escorts and Imprezas with I-4s with 115hp with small wheels, big wings and stickers.
Sigh..This is bad news.

 

Well said, I couldn't agree more. This depresses me greatly because we're really heading into the unknown here.

Are the hero cars of our youth still going to be around 15 years from now? Will the Impreza still exist in 2020 in an STi trim with a force-fed boxer and a manual transmission?

I am beginning to understand how gearheads from the '60s and '70s must have felt when they saw muscle cars going away.

 

Well also, cars weigh too damn much now, since people want all these gadgets in them and all these air bags, etc etc And they get bigger every generation. By 2020, a STi would weigh 4000lbs, it would have 600hp and 12 speeds. It would also be the size of a LS 430.

When I see or have sat/drove a new Camry/Altima/Accord, I am amazed how how huge they have gotten in 15 years. Look at how the ES has grown in size.

 

Mike, I have to disagree with you.
The new rules won't make the sport any slower, have you seen how fast the jwrc cars are? Those are NA 1600cc 4 cilinders pumping out about 220 hp.
Making the sport cheaper will make it more accesable to more people and maybe more manufacturers.
If you wanted to buy a new WRC car as a privateer you are looking at $500k minimum.

 

But it will make for some nice naturally aspirated engines

 

EXACTLY! gotta loveN/A!

 

That's damning by faint praise if I've ever heard it, considering we'll never see anything like it in street cars. At least with the current rules a 2.0L turbo 300HP race car can have a strong connection to the street 2.0L turbo 300HP counterpart (see the Evo or WRX for an example).

 

though they use 2.5L turbo for US spec STi?

 

I see, sorry, I am fairly new to the WRC. I am trying to get into the sport more and other racing sports......including NASCAR...

 

No problem Mike, just here to educate, LOL

 

Yes, but before the EJ255/6/7 variants, the EJ20 (the 2.0L) was pumping out massive HP in Asia and Europe.