Schaeffler owned Compact Dynamics won the bid for the hybrid products for WRC with a three-year deal starting in 2022.
Schaeffler is a well-known name in motorsport with partners in DTM and Audi Sport ABT team in the Formula E series, which also developing and manufactured components for, now the company is entering rallying and directly into the new WRC Rally1 class.
Electric motors will complement today’s WRC engine when the next generation of WRC cars enter the market from the 2022 season. Furthermore, stricter restrictions on the number of internal combustion engines (ICE) that can be used per car and season are also expected, two engines are set to save costs.
Around a month ago the decision was made to award Compact Dynamics as the winner in FIA’s procurement. The company will now be responsible for development, service and knowledge for the teams when the company’s products enters innthe WRC design.
A partner in the project is the Austrian firm Kreisel Electric, who will be developing batteries for electric cars among other products. They have previously been involved in a rally project with Raimund Baumschlager developing a Škoda Fabia R5 with electric drivetrain, now they also take a seat in the WRC venture.
In a press release, the company explained that they are already well ahead of the development, which is a requirement for the three competing teams, Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport to be able to access the companies information and products when they start the development of the 2022 year car.
However, the first tough tests in a Compact Dynamics rally car are not expected to take place until the start of 2021, in other words, a tight schedule for the teams who will have almost finished cars, tested and ready one year later. Development and simulation of both technology and software are now underway at the company’s development department.
