Alpine is interested in returning to the WRC and entering the Dakar Rally – The French company wants to enter an electric car
Is Alpine returning to the World Rally Championship (WRC) and entering the Dakar Rally? The French brand is flirting with a rally programme and would like to enter an electric car in the WRC. Alpine last competed in the WRC in the 1960s and 1970s with the A110 and has already created a car for the R-GT class with the new version of the car.
According to media reports from France, the new Alpine A5 could be a model for a WRC return. Renault managing director Luca de Meo was sparse about an entry into the Dakar Rally. “We are looking at whether we can find the right conditions to enter the WRC, but I would like to do it with an electric car, which is not yet possible. I would also like to compete in the Dakar.”
The WRC has launched into an electric future in 2022, but is using hybrid cars in the Rally 1 era for now – too little for Alpine. The regulations, which Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport have committed to with Ford, will be in place for at least three years. As the electrification of the automotive industry progresses, an all-electric WRC could follow in the future.
Another option would be to power the engines with hydrogen, says Robert Reid, vice-president of the Automobile Federation (FIA). Sister brand Renault has already decided to return to rallying: The French want to get involved in the new Rally3 category in the future. Renault customer sport boss Benoit Nogier says: “The first tests will start in a few weeks. “
