Engineering solutions to problems is in motorsport’s DNA, such is the never-ending quest to design, build and develop the best package to succeed. For the most part, teams are constantly evolving their machines in pursuit of performance. But sometimes an issue presents itself that requires clever thinking and swift action to avert a potential crisis. The World Rally Championship recently found itself in such a situation, when increased cockpit temperatures in the new Rally1 hybrid cars necessitated a quick response from the FIA and the teams.
In the first year of shaken-up regulations, resulting in all-new car designs, teething issues are not unusual. And one of the unfortunate byproducts of incorporating the 100kW hybrid unit into WRC cars is that the exhaust now runs down the right-hand side, where the co-driver sits, instead of through tunnelling down the centre of the car as before. Cockpit temperatures have increased significantly as a result, with the mercury levels rising towards 70C at Rally Portugal in May and leading some to label the conditions “unsafe”. In one case a co-driver’s boots began to melt…
