The leading motorsport technology publication since 1990 Special digital edition • July 2016 • www.racecar-engineering.com World of rally E [email protected] CONTENTS Contents 4 HYUNDAI 20 DANNY i20 R5 under the spotlights Slip angles on gravel 12 PEUGEOT 2008 DKR 26 RALLY 2017 Rally raid Dakar winner What’s that coming over the hill? 18 ABARTH Produced by Andrew Cotton, Sam Collins, Lightweight rallying Mike Breslin and Dave Oswald RALLY 2016 DIGITAL SPECIAL 3 R5 - HYUNDAI I20 4 RALLY 2016 DIGITAL SPECIAL he FIA’s car and component cost-capped R5 regulations define competition cars which may appear ostensibly similar to World Rally Cars, but these machines are in fact Tone tier down from the WRC top level. They do have a similar powertrain layout to the current WRCs, with Hy’ Five passive front and rear differentials and no centre diff Hyundai’s i20 R5 is the latest in in their four-wheel-drive system. They can also have a turbocharged engine up to 1620cc, but this must a string of customer sport rally be based on a manufacturer’s production engine – hence WRC-style ‘Global’ engines are not allowed. The cars to roll out of manufacturers’ turbocharger must also be from a production car, while just five forward gear ratios are allowed with one final workshops. But will it be able take drive ratio. Suspension must be MacPherson strut, and the fight to M-Sport and Skoda all four uprights must be identical. Beyond these headline points, the R5 regulations out on the stages? are actually quite complex, incorporating maximum prices for components and assemblies, aimed at By MARTIN SHARP producing a highest price of €180,000 for a new asphalt specification R5 car before tax and registration costs – although FIA Appendix J still allows for free options in the areas of seats, batteries and the like. The R5 category has proven itself in leaps and bounds since M-Sport’s Fiesta became the first R5 car to hit the stages in 2013. This was some six months before the – delayed, and troubled – arrivals of its first rivals: PSA’s Peugeot 208T16 R5 and Citroen DS R5, both of The Hyundai i20 R5 in full flow during the Ypres which were developed by Peugeot Sport. Also, while Rally ERC round in June, where it ran as a course M-Sport was working flat-out three years ago to bring car. Like all R5 cars the i20 is powered by a its Fiesta R5 first to the rallying party, Skoda Motorsport 1.6-litre production based engine, it is four-wheel- had already begun its Fabia R5 project, too. drive, and is cost capped at 180,000 R5’s arrived R5 is now firmly established as the top formula for national, regional and WRC2 rallying. With the effective demise of Regional Rally Cars (essentially more stringently inlet-restricted WRC cars) WRC2 is now dominated by R5 cars, as are national and regional rally championships across the rallying world. The Fabia R5 was not homologated until April 2015, scoring its first fastest stage time on last year’s Ypres Rally. This demonstrated the Czech team had not wasted the Fabia R5’s lengthy gestation and that rival R5 teams needed to up their game. M-Sport met the challenge head-on with much improved power, torque output and characteristics in the Fiesta R5 Evo (also seen on entry lists as R5+), and Peugeot Sport has planned upgrades to its pair of PSA R5 cars to close the gap to the top-running Skoda and M-Sport Ford. Now, in the latter part of this year, privateer and semi-privateer teams wishing to compete in R5 have another, fresh, alternative: Hyundai Motorsport’s New Generation i20 is getting the R5 treatment. But this new Korea-derived R5 car, designed and developed out of Hyundai Motorsport’s base in Alzenau, Germany, will only be homologated when everything is right. ‘We are still in a phase of development and testing and we don’t really want to rush if the car is not ready, because its basic design is even more critical than a World Rally Car,’ says Michel Nandan, Hyundai Motorsport team principal – referring here to the complex and restrictive nature of the R5 rules, as mentioned above. ‘This is because you have to get it right at the beginning. There’s not a lot of jokers, first; which is also not good for the customer, so we have to provide a RALLY 2016 DIGITAL SPECIAL 5 R5 - HYUNDAI I20 Hyundai Motorsport has been allowed to use the roll cage and the bodyshell from the existing 2016 i20 World Rally Car for the R5, but the rest of the car is completely different from its WRC sister car which is reliable enough, which has been by the Korean headquarters in the middle share the people and the departments. But tested on the different surfaces and different of last year, and established in September. it’s true that for some aspects, of course, conditions that people will use it in, and to The company recognised that R5 is a top you need more people; for example in the give all the base set-ups to the people,’ Nandan category in all national rally championships, customer department you need to have other says. ‘So we really don’t want to rush it too and concluded it is important for Hyundai to people dedicated. So, we use some of the much, but it’s planned to homologate this have cars fighting in championships all over people from, let’s say, the workshop or sub- car during the summer some time. We will the world. Nandan says: ‘It was a very good assembly or things like that, and then people decide, I think, really at the last minute when decision to be allowed to do such a car.’ are working together on WRC and R5. But it will be: if it will be, let’s say, in July or August then with some other aspects of the customer [this year], but the plan is like this. We’re still R2 me too department, and also all the R5 engineering continuing our process of development and As the customer department grows, its next support, there will be dedicated people only also durability tests and everything.’ project will be an R2 car, but currently the involved in this customer business. All top rally cars have to be right at newly formed group is establishing itself and ‘It’s a mix of everything, but it is done the beginning of their lives, of course, but concentrating wholeheartedly on the i20 R5. in a way to use the efficiency of Hyundai Nandan’s statement is prescient and rally In the early design stage of the second-tier Motorsport and the departments which are engineers involved in R5 agree generally i20 rally car Korean engineers were brought already in place, plus the equipment, in order that the design stage of an R5 is crucial, and in to assist, partly because of the implied and to – first to save a bit of money, of course – arguably more difficult, than that of a WRC. regulated requirement to incorporate more but also to be more efficient,’ Nandan says. ‘In fact, I have to tell you, that is true,’ says standard components in an R5 than in a Essentially, this means that once the R5 car is Nandan. ‘With the regulation we have at World Rally Car. And indeed, Hyundai homologated it becomes the responsibility of the moment it’s a car which we can name Motorsport engineers involved with the engineers in the customer department. as a compromise car. This type of car is a WRC programme also diverted their talents But, as an important manufacturer’s big compromise because you have to cope toward the R5 car. Because of the cost- motorsport wing, does that department have with the rules … And I have to say it’s not so conscious nature of the rules, negotiations to show a profit? ‘Of course. It’s a customer easy to make a competitive car with all the with suppliers had to become more intense, business, it has to show a bit of profit, yes. But compromises you have to make. So, I think necessitating an increased head count in the first it’s a car which is done for the image. So, it’s not an easy job,’ he adds. team’s purchasing department. we have not to lose money, this is true, but if Hyundai Motorsport’s R5 programme is the Nandan explains: ‘The aim of Hyundai we can make a bit of profit it’s better. And it first initiative to derive from its new Customer Motorsport was to use all the different has to be done in this way. But the first thing is Racing department, which was approved department structures we have in order to to deliver a good car; reliable, and which can be used easily by the customer,’ Nandan says. R5 regulations are quite complex, incorporating Just before press time the new customer department completed eight days testing of maximum prices for components and assemblies the sole R5 prototype in a fortnight, beginning 6 RALLY 2016 DIGITAL SPECIAL CREATIVE MINDS, INSPIRING DESIGN, PUSHING BOUNDARIES: OUR GRADUATES ARE READY FOR ANY CHALLENGE! Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Christopher Roberts studied BSc Motorsport Technology and is now working for M-Sport as Eric Camilli’s Engineer Before coming to Brookes I completed a three-year diagnostic course with Citroen and an apprenticeship as a dealer mechanic.