- Project to be led by Lionel Hansen, Yves Matton, and Prospeed
- New car’s first shakedown scheduled for 2026
The World Rally Championship (WRC) has confirmed Project Rally One as the first new constructor under its upcoming regulation change for the 2027 season.
The project has been founded by experienced motorsport engineer Lionel Hansen, alongside WRC specialist Yves Matton and Prospeed. The team will design, build and homologate a WRC entry under the new 2027 regulations.
Last week, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed the final details of the regulations which will allow independent tuners to enter cars alongside major manufacturers. The aim is to make WRC more affordable and, therefore, more attractive to new entries.
That intent is already being realised, with Project Rally One becoming the first new entrant at the top level of WRC since Hyundai in 2014.
A key part of these new regulations will be a €345,000 (US$405,000) cost cap, something that helped create the right conditions for Project Rally One’s entry into the championship.
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“The introduction of the WRC27 regulations gave us the opportunity to enter the championship,” said Hansen. “The new technical framework creates the right environment for independent projects like ours, allowing us to develop a car from the ground up and compete against manufacturers at the highest level.”
WRC Promoter’s senior director of sport Peter Thul added: “The fact that this comes so soon after the announcement of the WRC27 regulations confirms the appetite from the automotive world to be part of the pinnacle of rallying.
“It fills us with confidence that this will be just the first of many such announcements to come. We as the Promoter are here to help Lionel and Yves to reach their ambitions and we are certain that the mix of WRC27-homologated cars alongside the existing Rally2 cars will generate one of the deepest fields of competition in the WRC in recent memory.”
The new car’s first shakedown is scheduled for 2026 and Malcolm Wilson, deputy president for sport at the FIA, praised the more accessible framework provided by the new WRC regulations.
“Project Rally One is a significant moment for the FIA World Rally Championship,” he said. “It confirms that the move toward a more cost-effective and accessible technical framework is already generating new engagement with the sport.
“Attracting new entrants is essential for the long-term growth of the WRC, and it is encouraging to see other tuners preparing to compete alongside manufacturers.”
Toyota is the only current manufacturer known to be constructing a car for the 2027 regulations, so there is still much work to be done to prove they will be a success.
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