The FIA Junior WRC Championship welcomes Sparco as an official partner for 2022 which sees the championship equip all Fiesta Rally3 cars with the newest generation of Sparco seats and Junior WRC crews with Sparco overalls.
Inside the M-Sport Poland Fiesta Rally3, Sparco’s seats are being put to use, with Sparco’s Master 8855-2021 seat now the official competition seat for Junior WRC. The new Master seat is the first Sparco seat homologated to the new, more stringent FIA 8855-2021 standard. The seat design was developed in Sparco's R&D department to bring a significant improvement in driver safety and comfort. It means for the first time in history, Junior WRC competitors are using seating equipment that meets similar levels of protection as those used in Rally1 cars at the top of the WRC ladder. Compared to previous generation seats, Junior WRC crews will see a comprehensive improvement in protection, particularly around head movement, fireproofing and energy absorbing foam built into the seat.
For 2022, all Junior WRC crews will use the highest level of Sparco suit protection, with a unique design that complements the official livery of the Junior WRC cars.
All Junior WRC crews have had the opportunity to customise their overalls and display their sponsors and partners too, thanks to Sparco’s advanced printing technology.
Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, said: “M-Sport has a long and storied partnership with Sparco and now it is only fitting that this partnership extends to Junior WRC with Sparco assisting in supporting the next generation of WRC stars. From a safety standard perspective, the seat is a hugely important part of crew safety and it is a part of the car that cannot be ignored. The driver feels most of their driving experiences through the seat so it’s important to have a seat that ticks all the boxes in terms of safety, feeling and also comfort which Sparco has delivered.
“I have been very impressed with the quality of the Sparco overalls that this year’s Junior WRC crews are very fortunate to be wearing, the overalls also help the championship with a more recognisable and uniform look.”
Niccolò Bellazzini, Sparco Brand Manager, said: “We are extremely proud to be the first manufacturer to install the new generation of 8855/2021 racing seats in all the cars of a rally world championship. Safety in Motorsport is our first priority and our aim is to combine such needs with the needs of performance of the racing equipment for cars and drivers. Since the new FIA standard for seats was adopted, we have devoted huge human and economics resources in order to obtain a product with the lightest possible weight and with an innovative ergonomics: this is ”Master”. Such incredible result has been reached thanks to the joint work of our Racing R&D department and our OEM business unit: this is one sign, among many others, of the winner choice to cultivate an in-house know how for the development of all the aspects of the racing products”.
