Super 2000 World Rally Cars explained

Just like the era of the Group B rally monsters came to an end in 1986, 2010 marks the end of the World Rally Cars as we've known them for the last decade and a half or so. Gone will be the outrageous 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-wheel drive rocketships which could hit 100km/h from a standstill in a tad over 4-seconds… on gravel! With costs spiraling upwards and a loss of interest in this top league of rallying causing a large number of manufacturers to back out from the WRC, the new generation of rally cars have been emasculated to a certain extent and what we're left with are the Super 2000s. These new cars are based almost entirely on the Super 2000 rally cars but trade the 2000cc naturally aspirated engine for a 1600cc turbocharged one.

The latest of the new S2000 rally cars to be unveiled was the Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Developed from the 2010 Monte Carlo Rally-winning Fiesta S2000 rally car by the Blue Oval's long-term British-based partner M-Sport, with support from Ford of Europe, it forms part of a new era in the World Rally Championship, for which a revised cost-effective formula is introduced this season. While the 2011 Fiesta RS WRC does look rather similar and shares the chassis and rollcage from the S2000 Fiesta, that's where the similarity ends. All the other components have been modified to be lighter, stiffer or changed in a way to help improve performance.

But the most major new part that the Fiesta RS WRC brings to the table is a brand new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which, believe it or not, has its origins among Ford's road cars. Christened EcoBoost, the four-cylinder unit combines high-pressure direct injection, advanced turbocharging and twin variable valve timing to maximise combustion efficiency and deliver the best power output. Power from this motor is sent to all four wheels through a four-wheel drive transmission which contains mechanical front and rear differentials and a clutch disconnect system fitted to the handbrake. The gearbox is an M-Sport / X-Trac-built six-speed sequential unit which is operated by a mechanical shift. Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will put the Fiesta RS WRC through its paces for the first time in the WRC when the 13-round season begins in Sweden.

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Citroen has had a good run in the WRC for quite a few years in the recent past thanks to the services of a brilliant driver in the form of Sebastien Loeb and of course, in no small part to the brilliantly reliable Xsara and C4 WRC cars. Making the switch from the C4 World Rally Car to a new Super 2000 based car would no doubt have been a rather large move for the French auto maker, but in fact, it was the one of the first to show off its 2011 WRC contender, the DS3 WRC. Based on the road going version of the DS3, the competitive intentions of the WRC version are immediately apparent, with its widened wings, redesigned bumpers and aerodynamic features. Built using the production body shell, the chassis has undergone many modifications to adapt the four-wheel drive transmission and the McPherson-strut suspension system.

Compared with the previous generation of World Rally Cars, the 2011 regulations have led to a genuine revolution under the bonnet. The Citroen DS3 WRC is powered by a four-cylinder, 1598cc turbocharged direct injection engine which has been designed and built by Citroen Racing and develops a healthy 300bhp. With the new rules prohibiting the use of a center differential, all this power is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox made by Sadev, which is coupled to mechanical front and rear differentials. Surprisingly, semi-automatic, steering wheel-mounted controls for the gearbox have been also outlawed as well, and have been replaced with a totally manual gearshift lever. Deemed to be efficient, balanced and easy to handle by drivers during initial testing, Citroen DS3 WRC will have the job of adding to the large collection of titles and race wins racked up by Xsara and C4 WRC.

The Mini has had a long love-affair with the world of rallying in the 60s, where this diminutive car scored high place finishes at the Monte Carlo in face of competition from larger, more powerful rivals. Sadly though, this cute little car took a large sabbatical from rallying after that. But this year, the descendent of this car is wading its way into the World Rally Championship in the form of the Mini WRC. Based on the Mini Countryman, which is basically a larger, four-door version of BMW's modern interpretation of the Mini, this car is pretty much in the same spec as the Ford Fiesta RS WRC and the Citroen DS3 WRC - Super 2000 chassis, 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, four wheel drive, six-speed sequential gearbox, et al.

The heart of the MINI WRC is the BMW Motorsport-developed 1.6 litre, four-cylinder direct-injection turbo-charged engine which can be deployed not only in the WRC, but also in other championships running to the FIA's Super2000 regulations. The power transmission takes place via an Xtrac 6-speed, sequential gearbox. For its outings on the rally stages, the MINI Countryman chassis has been fitted with a roll cage developed by Prodrive, which exceeds the strict safety requirements of the FIA.

While it is really good news that the Mini WRC is going to be fielded by Prodrive, the team that has tremendous experience and won dozens of rallies with Subaru, the car will see a limited campaign for 2011, choosing to compete only in six of the total thirteen rounds. The team will field Minis for the full season of the 2012 World Rally Championship though. Though pretty much a legend in rallying circles, no one behind the Mini WRC effort is taking the challenge of competing in the world's foremost rally discipline lightly. 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge winner, and prodigy of the late rally legend Colin McRae, Chris Meeke has been confirmed as the first driver to compete for Prodrive in the MINI WRC.