17 Jul JRD introduces new, modular rally car design at NEFR

Article written for Rally America here.

ERROL, N.H. (July 17, 2015) – JRD Tuning introduced a new modular rally car concept this weekend at New England Forest Rally that they promise is faster and more affordable than existing options available to rally competitors.

The Atlanta-based JRD Tuning is perhaps best known for its involvement in road racing with the Panoz organization, including the Le Mans winning Panoz Esperante and the DeltaWing. But the company has a long history in rally and, with their new car, they have brought their experience with purpose-built race cars into their approach to rally car design.

The concept of serviceability drove many design decisions for JRD. The front subframe is built so that it can be replaced easily using the tools available in a rally paddock. Suspension assemblies use identical components on all four corners to help simplify the repair process.

Considerable effort has also been put into developing the vehicle’s geometry to maximize its performance in a rally environment. It has long travel suspension — some 12.5 inches at all four corners — and little-to-no bump steer, according to JRD. “We wanted to have as close to an ideal rally suspension as possible,” said company president Johan Ragnarsson.

But one of the key selling points is that the modular design can be incorporated into nearly any vehicle, said Ragnarsson. For New England, the chassis is under the skin of a Mitsubishi Evo IX.

Tingwu Song is driving the car this weekend for the first time in competition. He had nothing but praise for the new car.

“The car is performing better than expected,” said Song at the end of Day 1. “I can take jumps at full throttle and I barely even feel the landing. I leave the ground and once I land it doesn’t feel like I have left the ground at all.”

Given that it’s the first competition test for the new car, JRD has modest ambitions for the rally this weekend. The car’s first-ever stage was a half-mile press demonstration on Thursday and Day 1 of competition was effectively an extended shakedown, said Song.

And driver Song said he is looking forward to finding more capabilities in the car as he gains experience with it. “I will try to drive as fast as I can, but at the moment, I am the one that is slowing the car down,” he said.

JRD plans to make the chassis available globally in rally or rallycross configuration as a rolling chassis or as a complete race-ready vehicle. According to JRD, the new chassis has already gained international interest and rally cars based on it are expected to appear in various championships across the US, China, and South America in the coming year.

(PHOTO: Pete Kuncis)- See more at: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912040826/http://www.rally-america.com/news/entry/jrd-introduces-new-modular-rally-car-design-at-nefr#sthash.Mml3oMRP.dpuf