Hybrid world rally cars era poses new challenges
Raj Jutley tries the BOA, a new extrication rope for accident victims, at the FIA Medical and Rescue workshop in Raamsdonksveer, Netherlands on November 21, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The other challenge is to have field paramedics capable of working in two different environments - for the hybrid WRC1 cars and conventional vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine in R2 and 3 categories.
- The FIA is committed to introducing environmentally friendly cars gradually, starting with WRC1 then followed by WRC2 and WRC3 cars.
in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Dr Raj Jutley, a neurosurgeon in charge of the medical team of the World Rally Championship Safari Rally, says he forsees new challenges when the new hybrid World Rally Car 1 era takes root.
However, he also said that there has not been any known case of a hybrid battery failing for the last 24 years since Toyota introduced the first Hybrid car - a Toyota Prius - a model now commonplace in many parts of the world including in Kenya.
He was speaking to experts in the medical and rescue fields during a three-day International Automobile Federation (FIA) briefing at the Holmatro factory - world’s leader in manufacturer of cutting equipment.
Jutley, who practices in Nairobi and Scotland, believes the biggest challenge for a doctor is how to attend to an accident victim inside the car because the new WRC 1 car has an aperture of only 55 centimetres, or around 2 square feet window between rolls of steel in the protective cage.
Medics and the rescue team will have a glimpse of the new roll cage during the first event of the 2022 season at the WRC Monte Carlo Rally in January.
FIA was unable to get a hybrid WRC1 car for the briefing since all the manufacturers were in Monza, Italy for the season-ending WRC event. Sebastien Ogier won the race and his eighth world title.
The other challenge is to have field paramedics capable of working in two different environments - for the hybrid WRC1 cars and conventional vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine in R2 and 3 categories.
The FIA is committed to introducing environmentally friendly cars gradually, starting with WRC1 then followed by WRC2 and WRC3 cars.
