As Motorsport.com reports, the World Rally Championship is gearing up for a brand new era, and a fresh face is stepping right into the deep end. Project Rally One is targeting as many as seven World Rally Championship rounds next year as the tuner operation prepares for its debut in rallying's top tier. Last week, the Belgian squad became the first team to officially present an example of the WRC's new breed of Rally1 cars built to the new 2027 technical regulations.
Project Rally One stands as one of two tuner teams, alongside Spain's RMC Motorsport, that will field WRC27 cars next year alongside automotive giants and reigning WRC manufacturers' champions Toyota. Following last week's car reveal, Project Rally One has continued the development programme of its 2027 challenger with further testing on asphalt in France this week. They will head to gravel next month when newly crowned European rally champion Teemu Suninen jumps behind the wheel, all leading towards the car undergoing its homologation process on November 1.
The team's immediate target is to enter two cars at the season opener in Monte Carlo in January, focusing first on asphalt rallies before moving onto gravel. Team leader Lionel Hansen has outlined his hopes for 2027, confirming the car will at least be in action in 10 rounds spread across the WRC and the Belgian Rally Championship. Hansen stated that the target is to do between four and seven rounds of the WRC, with four being the minimum.
While the driver line-up for 2027 is not yet confirmed, Hansen already has clear favorites in mind. During development testing, Project Rally One will utilize as many as eight drivers, including experienced heads in former factory WRC drivers Stephane Lefebvre, Freddy Loix, Bruno Thiry, and Suninen. Hansen noted that starting Monte Carlo with Lefebvre and Suninen would make for a strong line-up, offering experienced drivers on both tarmac and gravel.
Another topic catching the rally world's attention is the design of the car, which appears to lean heavily on the Porsche Macan road car. Hansen has ties with the German manufacturer having successfully developed the Porsche 992 RGT Rally car, but has reiterated that Porsche has no involvement in the current project. Although initial discussions were held, Hansen explained that Porsche's motorsport budget was already committed for the 2027 season and they could not move that fast, though they are keeping an eye on the programme.
However, Hansen is not ruling out the prospect of future involvement from Porsche through its network of dealers and importers in countries like Paraguay, Chile, or the USA, or potentially even with the support of the Porsche dealer from Monte Carlo. For now, the focus remains firmly on hitting the ground running when the calendar turns and the new technical regulations take hold.
