What's the design theory behind making the 22 so long??

[wacattack]

After running my 22 for the first time at Worksop on Sunday, one thing is really obvious on track and that is the cars length.

I ended up making the wheelbase the shortest it would go on the wheel side of the wishbone which made the car feel better. Next time out I'll be trying moving the wishbone further forward on the inner hingepin to see if it makes it better still.

Given the car felt better with the shorter wheelbase (in my opinion), why was the car made so long? Is it more suited to outdoor conditions?