"World Engine" Discussed in Paris

The FIA has revealed at the beginning of this year its plans for introducing a so-called "world engine" in as many motorsports disciplines as possible, including the Formula One, WRC and WTCC.

Representatives of the manufacturers have met on monday in Paris with FIA to further debate the subject at hand. FIA's plan aims for common-built 1600cc and two liter engines in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs and bring back the excitement in motorsport

Sources from the meeting disclosed to autosport.com some of the insides of the discussions. It appears, one of the key subjects was the replacement of the 1600cc engine with a three-cylinder turbocharged 1500cc unit, topic which was supposedly dropped by the end of the talks.

"There were some loose ends to be tied up with the world engine - and that's what the meeting was all about. The 1.5 engine had been proposed by a group of manufacturers, but following a healthy debate, even they could see the flaws in such a plan", said the source to autosport.com

"The FIA is looking at two engines (1.6 and two-litre) so that formulas needing more than 450bhp can take the two-litre regulations rather than having to spend millions of pounds developing the 1.6 motor to get that power output. It's that simple. The meeting was all about common sense", added the same source.

The meeting didn't have any regulatory power, but rather its role was to bring manufacturers and FIA to a common decission which will later be presented to each individual governing body of motorsport's several disciplines.

"The plan is that the engine is recommended to commissions, such as the World Rally Championship Commission, and they can then take that rule and propose it to World Motor Sport Council as a regulation. The more championships which do this, the more engines are going to be built and the lower the costs can be", revealed the insider.