Here is some wild news for the future of rallying: as Motorsport.com reports, Project Rally One has officially pulled the covers off its brand-new machine built to the WRC's 2027 technical regulations. The Belgian squad showed off the car at the Rally4Passion event in Huy, Belgium, setting its sights on a bold two-car entry for the season opener in Monte Carlo next year.
Founded by experienced motorsport engineer Lionel Hansen and former FIA rally director and Citroen Wrc boss Yves Matton, the team committed to designing and homologating a WRC27-specification car back in December last year. They stand as one of two tuner operations, alongside Spain's RMC Motorsport, taking advantage of new rules that allow tuners to step up as constructors.
We are not a factory team, but we are preparing to compete in the same arena,
Following a roll out in Germany earlier this month, the machine has already devoured 750 kilometres of asphalt testing in France. That initial work was led by Stéphane Lefebvre and Bruno Thiry, while newly crowned European Rally champion and former factory WRC driver Teemu Suninen is set to take over the next phase of gravel testing next month.
Under the hood, the beast is driven by a Volkswagen Group engine akin to the unit in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car, though extensive modifications were necessary to meet WRC27 targets. While not tied to a specific road car model, the futuristic bodywork channels Porsche design cues through Hansen's past work on the 992 Rally GT car. However, Hansen was quick to clarify that the German brand has zero technical or financial involvement in the venture. Instead, the team collaborated with Paris-based Faster Racing, a company boasting 35 years of motorsport expertise, bringing the total development time to roughly 4,500 hours.
Homologation is locked in for November 1, following the exact same process required of giants like Toyota. Yet sporting director Alain Penasse noted the vast difference in scale for their 21 full-time employees. "We are not a factory team, but we are preparing to compete in the same arena," Penasse pointed out.
With further testing scheduled on asphalt next week and gravel in October, the squad is right on schedule. The driver line-up for the Monte Carlo debut remains unconfirmed, but discussions are already underway as prospective pilots circle the project.
