World Rally Championship drivers have voiced their concerns over the GPS system that will warn crews to slow down for virtual chicanes, which will make its competitive debut at Rally Finland.
Event organisers have introduced a virtual chicane in the shakedown and Ouninpohja stages at this weekend’s gravel rally that marks the ninth round of the championship.
A virtual chicane provides a way to slow cars down ahead of a challenging section without organisers placing a physical obstacle for drivers to navigate around. Instead of using heavy hay bales to mark out a chicane, organisers can now designate predetermined areas where drivers are required to slow to 60km/h.
Drivers will be warned of the virtual chicane with arches counting down from 300 metres prior to the zone. This will also be replicated on the GPS tracker box located toward the bottom of the centre console in the cars, which will also highlight the car’s speed and flash green when 60km/h is reached.
The system was tested in Latvia, but after passing through the virtual chicane in Thursday morning’s shakedown, drivers were concerned by the fact they have to avert their gaze from the road to look at the tracker box to ensure they don’t incur a two-second penalty for every km/h over the set figure.
When asked if he was happy with the system, Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi, who topped shakedown, said: “No, this system they have provided is very bad.
“They [the FIA] could make it easily more safe and more efficient, but they don’t want to. I have to take my eyes off the road and look for a green light. In shakedown it is fine as you have low speed, but in Ouninpohja you will arrive at this place at 185km/h, I don’t want to take my eyes off the road. It’s a bad system.”
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans echoed Lappi’s view, adding: “I don't think it's particularly consistent and I think what I found as well is that your eyes are not on the road at all.”
Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier suggested that a radar system being used in the Finnish Rally Championship could offer a more reliable solution.
“The little question mark I have is regarding the reliability of the GPS signal and the fact that we are a bit dependent of technology. We are fighting these days for nothing sometimes and I lost a rally recently by 0.2 seconds,” said Ogier.
“I heard that in Finnish Championship they are using a radar and with a board, and if the board turns green, then you can go. It looks like a better idea and more reliable.
“So maybe that could be an idea to think about for the future, especially as with this option, you keep your eyes on the road and with the one we have we are forced to look in the cockpit, which is not really good regarding safety.”
Speaking after the virtual chicane test in Latvia, FIA rally safety delegate Nicolas Klinger said that tracker boss is clearly visible to both driver and co-driver.
“The system is easy. You have a warning on the tracking box at 300 metres, 200 metres and 100 metres,” said Klinger. “Like when there is red flag in the stage the screen will turn to red. The driver will slow down until you hit the right speed and it goes green and you start, and then when you pass through the section you drive normally again.
“The tracker has been used for a long time for safety reasons, and showing red flags, for sure it is visible and also you have the co-driver there.”
While teams and drivers understand the safety reasons behind the implementation of virtual chicanes, M-Sport’s team principal Richard Millener feels the penalty for speeding through the section is too severe.
“The penalty is incredibly harsh and let’s see how that works out in reality,” Millener told Autosport.
“On paper, for me, it's probably too much, it is the most excessive penalty you can get in terms of time in rallying basically. It’s two seconds for every kilometre an hour you are over.
“If you have an issue or you have something that goes wrong, or someone have a freak thing that happens, if you go through there 20 kilometres over, your rally is over basically.”
