How the car should feel

Our designs are based on what professionals and non-professionals have told us. We want the driver to be able to drive at his limit confidently. This is accomplished by the driver feeling that he is in control and the car is predictable. And if he loses control, the car is safe. The bottom line is that the driver can drive with confidence. Also, as track conditions are different and change during the day, the car needs to have the ability to adapt to the changes.

 

Our winning drivers' preferred rally car characteristics 

Acceleration: The driver should feel the car squatting as tires grip the track, delivering maximum traction.

Braking: Braking should feel firm and predictable, allowing the driver to sense the car’s balance and extract maximum grip while preparing for corner entry.

Cornering: At entry, most drivers want the car to feel neutral. The front should point where the driver wants it to go. The driver should feel comfortable with inducing oversteer to point the car out of the corner and provide as much power as possible.

Air Jump: The car should remain neutral and level in the air, ensuring stable flight and controlled landings without pitching up or down.

 

One non-professional driver and U.S. ARA national champion - described the car we built for him: “It feels like it’s in the road, not on it.” He wanted to feel the road and the grip, which we achieved through properly designed and tuned suspension. A professional driver put it simply: “The car should feel like a tight glove and do exactly what I want it to do.”
 

Our approach ensures every driver, from non-professionals to pros, experiences confidence, control, and connection with the car. 
 

What Makes the JRD Rally Car Design Approach Different?

JRD takes a fundamentally different approach to rally car design. Instead of adapting suspension to fit a chassis, we build the chassis around our proprietary suspension platforms. The result is a car designed for unmatched performance, durability, and control.

• Two standard chassis/suspension platforms that transform nearly any OEM car (2WD or AWD) into a rally winner

• Engineered for maximum grip, agility, and control in all conditions

• Developed and tested with national championship-winning drivers on shaker rigs and real rally stages

• Optimized balance for predictability, reliability, drivability, and safety
   

Suspension & Handling – The JRD Difference

A modern rally car demands exceptional suspension travel to tackle jumps, ruts, and rough terrain while maximizing mechanical grip on unpredictable surfaces. JRD’s Open Class AWD cars deliver 13 inches of travel with negligible bump steer, ensuring high-speed stability, precise turn-in, and neutral handling through corners. By optimizing suspension geometry, JRD strikes the perfect balance—allowing for full control even when maximum grip isn’t available for acceleration or braking.
 

Designed for Performance, Safety, and Reliability

JRD has two proprietary standard chassis/suspension platforms that will turn just about any OEM car (2WD or AWD) into a rally-winner.  Rather than adapting the suspension system to the chassis, JRD adapts the chassis to the suspension system. These systems have been developed by the engineers of JRD through countless hours of CAD design and simulation work, followed by real-life testing on shaker-rig and special stages with merited national championship-winning test drivers.  These cars are optimized for maximum performance without compromising reliability, drivability, or crew safety.  The JRD cars are built to be agile and controllable, with a well-balanced chassis and suspension system tunable for any conditions or driving style. 
 

A modern rally car requires great suspension travel to absorb jumps and ruts while still providing maximum grip and control on rough surfaces. This can only be achieved if the suspension maintains the desired geometry throughout its movement and the spring and shock combination has been optimized for the car.  The JRD Open Class AWD cars have a staggering 13 inches of travel and with negligible bump steer, the result is a car that is settled on the straights, responds perfectly to corner turn-in braking, stays neutral through the turn, and delivers maximum grip for straight-line acceleration on exit on to the straight.  

JRD rally cars are built to the latest safety standards and feature cutting-edge engineering designed for competitive success. Below are some specifics.
 

• Safety Features

  • Our cars are built to the latest safety specs, featuring FIA Certified Roll Cages and the FIA 8866-2016 Door Foam system, which is offered as an option.  

  • The engineers at JRD stay in constant communication with the ARA Safety Director, SFI, and FIA to implement the latest rally car safety technology.

  • The JRD cars are equipped with a 5 lb Automatic / Manual SFI/ARA-mandated FE-36 Fire Suppression System and two hand-held fire extinguishers with a UL rating of 10 BC each.

  • JRD relies only on the most trusted and respected brands and manufacturers of safety equipment for its cars.  Our preferred brand for seat belts and seats is OMP, but we are also offering products from Racetech, Recaro, Sparco, Sabelt, and Schroth.
     

• Chassis

  • Lightweight chassis with fully integrated FIA safety cage connected to suspension pick-ups for maximum chassis strength and rigidity.

  • The JRD rally cars are designed with a quick-disconnect, energy-absorbing front crash structure designed to crumple on impact, preventing damage from transferring into the structure of the car's chassis.  This crash structure holds the radiator, intercooler, and various other coolers and it is recommended to carry an entire assembly as a spare.

  • The JRD chassis is designed to accommodate drivers of various sizes with different preferences for seating, pedal, and steering wheel positions, as well as displays and switch gear locations.
     

• Suspension

  • Long Travel proprietary 3-way MacPherson dampers (interchangeable in 4 corners) developed in conjunction with Öhlins.

  • Docol R8 high-strength tubular subframes are designed to JRD’s race-winning and proprietary suspension geometry.

  • Quick-change ARBs with several rates available.

  • All suspension arms and uprights (interchangeable in all four corners to minimize the number of spares needed) are made from 7075 aerospace high-strength aluminum, 17-4 stainless steel, or Docol R8/Strenx. Docol and Strenx are modern automotive high-strength steel qualities known to be significantly stronger than 4130 Cromemoly.

  • Quick-ratio power steering rack designed and manufactured specifically for rally applications.

  • The JRD adjustable steering column is designed to accommodate various driving positions.

 

• Brakes 

  • Optimized and well-balanced brake system with monobloc calipers and hard lines to ensure a solid, consistent, and predictable brake feel.  Hydraulic hand brake.
     

• Drivetrain and Electronics

  • Choose a power plant between chassis brand-specific (customer-provided) or JRD Open Class Spec Turbo DI Engine, known for its strength and reliability from rallycross competition in Europe.

  • PWR-JRD radiator and intercooler with quick disconnects for easy serviceability.

  • Choose between JRD Spec 6-speed Sequential Gearbox/Rear Ramp Diff or customer-requested gearbox and rear differential.

  • Choose between JRD Spec ECU, PDM, and Dash or a customer-specified system.

  • Custom motorsport wiring harness using high-spec Deutsche connectors and fireproof mil-spec wiring.

  • All JRD wiring system come with full documentation and schematics.  
     

• Body kit

  • A choice between a JRD-designed and produced body kit optimized for maximum downforce and minimal drag under ARA regulations. CFD-tested to ensure the car is stable at high speed and in the air.

  • Body panel mounting points are designed for quick replacement during service.

  • Adaptation of existing third-party body kit.  Production of custom composite molds available on request.

 

• Custom Fuel Cell

  • Centrally positioned through-floor-mounted custom FIA safety fuel cell featuring dual pumps and Gill sending unit

 

• After Sales Support 

  • All standard and custom-designed components in your car are properly documented and cataloged to ensure fast and accurate spare parts service.

  • JRD has a strict part-interchangeability policy striving to make updated and revised components easily retrofitted on older cars.

 

JRD Rally Car Options

JRD rally cars are available in multiple configurations, including:

• ARC2 ARA Spec Car

• Open Class RWD or AWD Rolling Chassis

• Completed Open Class Top Car, fully race-ready
   

JRD Motorsport delivers championship-winning engineering focusing on precision, safety, and performance. Contact us to discuss how we can help bring your rally vision to life.