World Rally Championship

Launched to great acclaim in 1973, the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) shines a spotlight on sustainability while also placing a firm focus on safety and performance.

At its heart is the Rally1 category, which sits at the top of the FIA Rally Pyramid and utilises regulations developed by the FIA in partnership with the competing manufacturers – Hyundai, M-Sport (Ford) and Toyota.

Rally1 cars are equipped with a plug-in hybrid kit that increases power output to more than 500bhp. They can run in electric mode only, a requirement in Hybrid Electric Vehicle zones located close to event service parks. The use of 100 per cent fossil-free fuel reduces harmful emissions, meanwhile.

The Rally1 category delivered close and open competition throughout 2023 with all three manufacturers winning events. Significantly, three very different vehicle types – B-Class, C-Class and Compact Crossover – were used in keeping with the philosophy of the regulations.

Major safety gains were also achieved in the design of Rally1 machinery by using a tubular safety cell – the result of months of intensive research and development – which reduces accident intrusion by up to 50 per cent.

An ‘HY’ graphic on the side door panels was used to identify Rally1 cars as part of a major e-safety campaign rolled out by event organisers to highlight the use of hybrid technology and the possible associated safety risks. Only when the green lights appear on the windscreen and both side pillars should a Rally1 car be considered safe to touch.

The WRC’s global tour features 13 rounds from January to November in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Points and championship titles are up for grabs for drivers in Rally1, Rally2 and Rally3 cars, while all four-wheel-drive cars competing on WRC events must use tyres specified by Pirelli, the official supplier.

Titles up for grabs

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers

FIA World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers

FIA World Rally Championship for Teams

FIA WRC2 Championship for Drivers

FIA WRC2 Championship for Co-Drivers

FIA WRC2 Challenger Championship for Drivers

FIA WRC2 Challenger Championship for Co-Drivers

FIA WRC2 Championship for Teams

FIA WRC Masters Cup for Drivers

FIA WRC Masters Cup for Co-Drivers

FIA WRC3 Championship for Drivers

FIA WRC3 Championship for Co-Drivers

FIA Junior WRC Championship for Drivers

FIA Junior WRC Championship for Co-Drivers

What’s new for 2024?

• Instead of awarding points to the top 10 overall finishers at the completion of a WRC event on the basis of 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1, points are allocated at the end of Saturday’s leg as follows: 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1. However, points won’t be issued if a crew fails to complete the entire route, including Sunday’s stages. Instead, the crew finishing behind will collect their points. A separate classification for all Sunday stages awards points to the top seven as follows: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. The changes have been made to discourage the practice of drivers opting for a slower pace through Sunday morning’s stages ahead of a push on the Power Stage, which has adversely affected the spectacle for fans watching the final day of a WRC event unfold.
• Points are no longer awarded to the fastest three FIA WRC2 competitors on the Power Stage to make the distribution of points fair for all crews due to the unavoidable gaps in event running orders.
• Poland returns to the WRC roster for the first time since 2017, while Latvia makes its debut in the championship following its elevation from the FIA European Rally Championship, when the event ran as Rally Liepāja.
• Safari Rally Kenya is back to its traditional Easter calendar slot having run in June in recent seasons.
• Secto Rally Finland is included on the FIA Junior WRC Championship schedule after a break of five years.
• A maximum of three new hybrid units can be used per eligible Rally1 car in 2024 – compared to the previous nine – under rules to reduce the cost of competing.
• Rally1 cars can compete on WRC events without running the standard plug-in hybrid system. However, they must carry the equivalent weight of the full EV system in ballast and won’t be eligible for Manufacturers’ championship points.
• Providing the FIA Technical Delegate is informed and is given the opportunity to seal the new engine before its use, there will be no penalty to change a failed engine between pre-rally scrutineering and TC0 – the formal start of an event. However, each manufacturer must not use more than two engines per car per season with each engine assigned to a specific car name. For 2024, no more than two engines may be sealed per car name.
• Priority 2 crews can utilise the services of route note crews for sections of a WRC event run entirely on asphalt.
• To set the running order for Priority 2 crews, championship positions (at the end of the previous season for Rallye Monte-Carlo) are considered in addition to expected performance.
• Key media, influencers, celebrities and other VIP guests can experience the thrill of a high-speed passenger ride – and sample Rally1 hybrid technology – on all rounds of the WRC to further increase promotion of the championship.
• Drivers and co-drivers competing for FIA WRC3 honours can count their best six scores from a maximum of seven rallies.
• To score WRC Masters’ Cup points, drivers and co- drivers must be born on or before January 1, 1974, while co-drivers must be paired with an eligible driver. The best six scores from seven starts can be counted but there is no longer the possibility to add a bonus score from an event outside Europe.
• Failure to have a timecard marked or signed at a control, for a time entry not to appear on a timecard or for a timecard not to be presented at a control, can no longer result in exclusion from an event if it can be proved the crew has correctly passed a control.

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 SUPPORT CATEGORIES EXPLAINED

FIA WRC2 Championship

• Flagship category for Rally2 cars on all 13 rounds of the season
• Drivers and co-drivers must be registered in WRC2 with the FIA
• Best six scores from seven nominated events are counted

FIA WRC2 Challenger Championship 

• Previous winners of the WRC2 or WRC3 titles (in Rally2 cars) cannot take part
• Drivers previously nominated for WRC manufacturer points also not eligible
• Best six scores from seven nominated events are considered

FIA WRC2 Championship for Teams

• Teams must be registered to compete in WRC2 with the FIA
• They must nominate two drivers on a maximum of seven events to score points
• Points scored on five out of six rounds in Europe are counted plus points scored on a bonus seventh event outside Europe previously nominated as one of the seven scoring rounds

FIA WRC Masters Cup

• For drivers and co-drivers registered with the FIA born on or before 01/01/74
• As well as Rally2 cars, drivers can use Rally3, Rally4, Rally5, Rally5-Kit and RGT cars
• Points scored on six out of seven rounds can be

FIA WRC3 Championship

• Catering for Rally3 cars on all 13 rounds
• Open to drivers and co-drivers registered in WRC3 with the FIA
• Crews can nominate seven events on which to score points and count their best six results

FIA Junior WRC Championship

• Arrive-and-drive category providing an opportunity for young drivers to build experience and showcase their ability in Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars run by M-Sport Poland on Pirelli tyres
• Drivers must register to compete in Junior WRC and sign the driver agreement
• They must have been born on or after 01/01/95
• Drivers competing with P1 status or nominated to score manufacturer points are not eligible
• Championship contested over five rounds with double points up for grabs on the final round for drivers and co-drivers who have started a minimum of three rounds
• One point on offer for each fastest stage time set
• Junior WRC champion gets four fully-funded Ford Fiesta Rally2 prize drives in WRC2 in 2025 with M-Sport as their prize

WRC2/WRC3 entry list lettering:

D = Drivers’ championship

C = Co-Drivers’ championship

T = Teams’ championship

CD = Challenger championship Drivers

CC = Challenger championship Co-Drivers

DM = Masters Cup Drivers

CM = Masters Cup Co-Drivers

J = Junior WRC Drivers/Co-Drivers

More information:

Click HERE for the Sporting Regulations and click HERE for the official WRC website