World Rally Championship

History

Early

The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies, nine of which were previously part of the International Championship for Manufacturers (IMC), which was contested from 1970 to 1972. The 1973 World Rally Championship was the inaugural season of the WRC and began with the Monte Carlo Rally on 19 January.

Alpine-Renault won the first manufacturer's world championship with its Alpine A110, after which Lancia took the title in 1974, 1975 and 1976 with the Ferrari V6-powered Lancia Stratos HF, the first car designed and manufactured specifically for rallying. The first drivers' world championship was not awarded until 1979, although 1977 and 1978 seasons included an FIA Cup for Drivers, won by Italy's Sandro Munari and Finland's Markku Alén respectively. Sweden's Björn Waldegård became the first official world champion, edging out Finland's Hannu Mikkola by one point. Fiat took the manufacturers' title with the Fiat 131 Abarth in 1977, 1978 and 1980, Ford with its Escort RS1800 in 1979 and Talbot with its Sunbeam Lotus in 1981. Waldegård was followed by German Walter Röhrl and Finn Ari Vatanen as drivers' world champions.

Group B era

The 1980s saw the rear-wheel-drive Group 2 and the more popular Group 4 cars be replaced by more powerful four-wheel-drive Group B cars. FISA legalized all-wheel-drive in 1979, but most manufacturers believed it was too complex to be successful. However, after Audi started entering Mikkola and the new four-wheel-drive Quattro in rallies for testing purposes with immediate success, other manufacturers started their all-wheel-drive projects. Group B regulations were introduced in 1982, and with only a few restrictions allowed almost unlimited power. Audi took the manufacturers' title in 1982 and 1984 and drivers' title in 1983 (Mikkola) and 1984 (Stig Blomqvist), but with Lancia still winning the 1983 manufacturers' title with the rear-drive Lancia 037, the last rear-drive car winning a world championship. Audi's French female driver Michèle Mouton and her co-driver Fabrizia Pons came close to winning the drivers' title in 1982, but had to settle for second place after Opel rival Röhrl. The 1985 title seemed set to go to Vatanen and his Peugeot 205 T16 but a bad accident at the Rally Argentina left him to watch compatriot and teammate Timo Salonen take the title instead. Italian Attilio Bettega had an even more severe crash with his Lancia 037 at the Tour de Corse and died instantly.

The 1986 season started with impressive performances by Finns Henri Toivonen and Alén in Lancia's new turbo- and supercharged Delta S4, which could reportedly accelerate from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.3 seconds, on a gravel road. However, the season soon took a dramatic turn. At the Rally Portugal, three spectators were killed and over 30 injured after Joaquim Santos lost control of his Ford RS200. At the Tour de Corse, championship favourite Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto died in a fireball accident after plunging down a cliff. Only hours after the crash, Jean-Marie Balestre and the FISA decided to freeze the development of the Group B cars and ban them from competing in 1987. More controversy followed when Peugeot's Juha Kankkunen won the title after FIA annulled the results of the San Remo Rally, taking the title from fellow Finn Markku Alén.

Group A era

As the planned Group S was also cancelled, Group A regulations became the standard in the WRC until 1997. A separate Group A championship had been organized as part of the WRC already in 1986, with Sweden's Kenneth Eriksson taking the title with a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Lancia was quickest in adapting to the new regulations and controlled the world rally scene with Lancia Delta HF, winning the manufacturers' title six years in a row from 1987 to 1992 and remains the most successful marque in the history of the WRC. Kankkunen and Miki Biasion both took two drivers' titles with the Lancia Delta HF. The 1990s then saw the Japanese manufacturers, Toyota, Subaru and Mitsubishi, become title favourites. Spain's Carlos Sainz driving for Toyota Team Europe took the 1990 and 1992 titles with a Toyota Celica GT-Four. Kankkunen moved to Toyota for the 1993 season and won his record fourth title, with Toyota taking its first manufacturers' crown. Frenchman Didier Auriol brought the team further success in 1994, and soon Subaru and Mitsubishi continued the success of the Japanese manufacturers. Scotsman Colin McRae won the drivers' world championship in 1995 and Subaru took the manufacturers' title three years in a row. Finland's Tommi Mäkinen driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution won the drivers' championship four times in a row, from 1996 to 1999. Mitsubishi also won the manufacturers' title in 1998. Another notable car was the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, which was specifically designed for rallying. It was the first production car to produce downforce both at front and rear.

World Rally Car era

For the 1997 World Rally Championship, the World Rally Car regulations were introduced as an intended replacement for Group A (only successive works Mitsubishis still conforming to the older formula; until they, too, homologated a Lancer Evolution WRC from the 2001 San Remo Rally). After the success of Mäkinen and the Japanese manufacturers, France's Peugeot made a very successful return to the World Rally Championship. Finn Marcus Grönholm took the drivers' title in his first full year in the series and Peugeot won the manufacturers' crown. England's Richard Burns won the 2001 title with a Subaru Impreza WRC, but Grönholm and Peugeot took back both titles in 2002. 2003 saw Norway's Petter Solberg become drivers' champion for Subaru and Citroën continue the success of the French manufacturers. Citroën's Sébastien Loeb went on to control the following seasons with his Citroën Xsara WRC. Citroën took the manufacturers' title three times in a row and Loeb surpassed Mäkinen's record of four consecutive drivers' titles, earning his ninth consecutive championship in 2012. Suzuki and Subaru pulled out of the WRC at the end of the 2008 championship, both citing the economic downturn then affecting the automotive industry for their withdrawal. Mini and Ford both pulled out of the WRC at the end of the 2012 championship, due to a similar economic downturn affecting the European market, although Ford continued to give technical support to M-Sport. Volkswagen Motorsport entered the championship in 2013 and Sebastien Ogier dominated the series with six consecutive titles. Hyundai also returned to the series in 2014. New World Rally Car rules were introduced for 2017 which generated faster and more aggressive cars.

In 2018, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT won the World Rally Championship earning Toyota their first manufacturers' title since 1999. With Tommi Mäkinen heading the team, he became the first person in the history of rally driving to win a Championship both as a driver and as a team principal. At the end of the following year, Citroën withdrew from the championship after Ogier left the team. Ott Tänak took the driver's title breaking the French Sebastien's (Loeb and Ogier) domination of the sport since 2004. Hyundai meanwhile, took the manufacturers championship title and repeated the success in 2020. Ogier returned to championship winning ways for 2020 and 2021 in a Toyota Yaris, though vowed that the new era of Rally1 would not be fully contested by himself. WRC said goodbye to the World Rally Car in 2021 after 25 years.

Rally1 era

Beginning in the 2022 season, the technical specifications were overhauled to produce the Rally1 car, with the goal of reducing costs and more closely reflecting modern consumer cars. This included the introduction of a hybrid electric power system. However the hybrid system proved difficult and expensive to repair mid-race, so was dropped for the 2025 season. Only three manufacturers (Ford, Hyundai and Toyota) have competed in the Rally1 era, with Toyota winning the first four manufacturers championships in a row. However the driver's championship became more competitive, with Kalle Rovanperä and Thierry Neuville winning their first titles.

Format and structure

Calendar

Each WRC season consists of a number of rounds within the same calendar year and should ordinarily include rallies on a minimum of 3 continents. In the past the championship has visited every continent except Antarctica. Most recently there have been about 13 rallies though there have been as few as 7 such as in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The rallies are typically driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice.

Rallies

The competitive special stages are driven on closed roads which are linked by non-competitive road sections known as liaisons. These roads are open to the public and all road laws of that country must be adhered to. The liaison routes are detailed in a road book given to each crew and must also be adhered to within a specified time limit to arrive at the next stage or time control point or else they face penalties. To help organise this, crews carry a timecard which is filled in at each time control or special stage by an official. An average day consists of a total of 400 kilometres (250 mi) of driving.

In the current era each rally usually consists of between fifteen and thirty special stages of distances ranging from under 2 km (1.2 mi) to over 50 kilometres (31 mi), not totalling more than 350 kilometres (220 mi). Any stage which deviates from the character of the rally or ordinary running of a special stage is known as a super special stage. These are often short and for spectators or promotional purposes and may be on a different surface such as asphalt on a gravel character rally, or they may be a head-to-head running where two cars start at the same time at different points in a loop format.

Since 2021 rallies must consist of only one surface type except where short super special stages are permitted that do not require a change in the car's setup. In the past some rallies such as Sanremo or Rally Spain have had one day of gravel followed by another day of asphalt stages, requiring substantial changes in the setup of the car. Asphalt setups have 18" wheels compared to 13" on gravel or snow, combined with changes needed to the differentials, suspension travel and geometry.

A WRC event begins with reconnaissance (recce) on Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing crews to drive through the stages and create or update their pace notes. On Thursday, teams can run through the shakedown stage to practice and test their set-ups. The competition typically begins on either Thursday evening or Friday morning and ends on Sunday with the Power Stage. Cars start the stages at two-minute intervals in clear weather, or three-minute intervals if it is decided that visibility may be a problem for competitors.

Each rally has one central service park where the cars are prepared and repaired if needed at the end of each loop and leg, however some rallies may organise a remote service and/or tyre fitting zone nearer to the stages during a leg. How much time can be spent working on the car once the rally has started is outlined in the rally's itinerary. Between the days, after a final end of day service, cars are locked away in parc fermé, a quarantine environment where teams are not permitted to access or work on their cars.

Championship points

Points are awarded at the completion of each rally and contribute towards the world championship classifications, and those with the most points at the end of the season are given the championship titles. Up to the 2023 season, points were awarded to the top positions in the overall final classification of each rally, and from 2011, extra points for the Power Stage were introduced. A new points system was introduced for the 2024 season which did not include results in the final classification.

The driver's championship and manufacturer's championship are separate but based on a similar point system. Manufacturers must nominate up to three crews to be eligible for manufacturer championship points before an event. The two fastest nominated crews from each manufacturer form a new classification for the purpose of awarding manufacturer points. Retired crews cannot score points unless they have restarted and it is not unusual for a crew to finish far down the overall classification yet still score manufacturers points.

A driver can win the driver's championship driving one car while a different manufacturer wins the manufacturer's championship. This has occurred on several occasions, most recently in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2024.

Power Stage

First introduced in 2011, the "Power Stage" is the final stage of the rally and is typically televised live and immediately followed by the rally's podium celebrations. Additional World Championship points are available to the five fastest drivers and co-drivers through the stage regardless of where they actually finish in the rally. The fastest team receiving five points, the second-fastest receiving four points, etc. and the fifth-fastest receiving one. In 2021 manufacturers began scoring power stage points following a similar system to the classification points, where only the top two nominated from each team can be eligible. While normal Special Stages are timed with an accuracy to the tenth of a second, the "Power Stage" timing is to the thousandth of a second.

Restarting after retirement

Crews are permitted to restart the following day if they are forced to retire. For each stage not completed however, a ten-minute penalty plus the winning stage time in the same priority group is added to the overall time. Originally known as SuperRally when introduced and later renamed Rally 2, the rules allow for a better return on investment for competitors and more action for spectators. The Rally 2 name was dropped in 2019 as restarting became the norm, indeed crews are expected and assumed to be restarting unless they register a permanent retirement with the clerk of the course. The name was also dropped to avoid confusion with the new Rally2 group of car. Restarting is still at the discretion of the organisers, such as meeting safety standards after a heavy accident.

Cars

The rules surrounding which cars are used in WRC are governed and approved by the FIA. From the WRC's inception, cars had always followed a basic rule of being Category I, 'Series Production Cars' with a minimum production requirement to achieve homologation by the FIA. This ceased to be the case when Rally1 cars were introduced for the 2022 season. Rally1 regulations placed them in Category II as 'Competition Cars', which are built as single examples for exclusive use in competition.

The rules have changed over time to suit economic conditions, for safety reasons, to advance technology, to attract more manufacturer entrants or to better promote the series. Specifications of cars used can be for just one type, such as the World Rally Car, or a Group of similar specifications that differ in performance such as Group R. In 2014, the FIA introduced the current sporting classes to help further categorise the different classes and groups based on performance. RC1 has the highest performance cars whilst RC5 has the lowest permitted at WRC level.

To enter a WRC rally in 2025, cars must be homologated in one of the following groups: World Rally Car 1.6L, any of the Groups Rally and R3 or R-GT of Group R

World Rally Car 1.6L

Eligible cars with 1.6L direct injection turbo engines and four-wheel drive built to World Rally Car regulations. The power output is limited to around 280 kW (380 hp). The 'WRC+' cars including the Ford Fiesta WRC, Toyota Yaris WRC and the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cannot be driven by those who had scored points for a manufacturer team in the previous 5 seasons. Earlier WRC cars since 2011, such as the Volkswagen Polo R WRC are permitted without such restrictions. 2021 was the final season of this specification at the top of the sport, being replaced by Rally1 in the manufacturer's championship in 2022.

Groups Rally

The Groups Rally consists of six rally car specifications eligible for WRC.

• Rally1 cars were introduced in 2022 and replaced the World Rally Car as the car permitted in the manufacturer's championship. Hybrid powertrains were introduced for the first time in rallying amongst cost-cutting initiatives such as centrally developed tubular safety structures and simpler suspension and transmissions.
• Rally2 cars, formerly R5 of Group R, are the second highest performance cars and are the sole cars eligible for WRC-2.
• Rally2-Kit cars, previously known as R4-kit in Group R, are also eligible for overall entry. Rally2 and Rally2-Kit are within the same sporting category — RC2.
• Rally3 cars were introduced in 2021 and used in WRC3 from 2022.
• Rally4 cars, formerly R2 of Group R, do not have a specific support championship.
• Rally5 cars, formerly R1 of Group R, do not have a specific support championship.

Group R

Starting in 2008, a category of rally cars known as Group R were introduced as a rally only replacement to the Group A and Group N categories which were slowly phased out of eligibility. Cars were classified under one of six categories based on their engine capacity and type, wheelbase, and drivetrain. Group R cars still had to be homologated in Group A or N but have the relevant Group R extension approved in common with other rally formulae. As a result, older cars could reclassify under Group R subject to meeting criteria.

With R5, R4, R2 and R1 of Group R being renamed and absorbed by the new Groups Rally, as of the 2026 season, R3 and R-GT cars remain eligible for overall entry. R3 cars however have been downgraded to RC4 sporting class from RC3, in line with Rally4 cars rather than superseding them. Neither R3 or R-GT have specific WRC support championships.

Historically eligible cars

When the WRC began in 1973, FISA allowed cars from its Group 1 (series-production touring cars), Group 2 (touring cars), Group 3 (series-production grand touring cars) and Group 4 (modified grand touring cars) amongst national classes. These FISA classes were also used in circuit racing and other motorsport championships. The groups formed the basis of new groups in 1982, Group N replaced Group 1, Group A replaced Group 2, and Group B replaced Group 4. Due to the increasing power, lack of reliability and a series of fatal accidents during the 1986 season, Group B was permanently banned. In 1987 Group A became the highest performance car and the choice for manufacturers whilst privateers opted for the budget friendly Group N for use in the newly created Production Car World Rally Championship. A Group N car has won a WRC rally only once - a Renault 5 driven by Alain Oreille won the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in 1989. Despite the PWRC ending in 2012, Group N cars were allowed to enter WRC2 until 2016 and overall rallies until the end of 2018.

In 1997, the World Rally Car specification was introduced to ease the development of new cars and bring new makes to the competition. An extension of Group A, the WRC cars were used in the manufacturer's championship, although Mitsubishi received special dispensation to run their Group A models into 1999, and won three drivers and one manufacturers championships whilst doing so. In 2011 changes were made to the World Rally Car, the engine capacity was restricted to 1.6L and the minimum length requirement removed to allow for smaller and cost-effective models. Further changes in 2017 allowed for more aero-dynamics, increased safety requirements and a larger air intake restrictor, which increased the effective power from 300 to 380 hp.

Super 2000 cars were allowed to enter the overall rallies from 2007 to 2018. They were eligible in the PWRC from 2007 to 2009 before the Super 2000 World Rally Championship was run between 2010 and 2012. They were also accepted in WRC2 from 2013 to 2016. Super 1600 cars were only allowed to enter in JWRC and on events that the championship was held on up to 2010 before the R2 became the sole championship car.

Tyres

Historically, multiple brands have provided tyres to competitors. Pirelli was the single tyre supplier for the top class from 2008 to 2010, then Michelin from 2011 to 2020, and Pirelli again from 2021 to 2024. Hankook was announced as the exclusive tyre supplier from 2025 to 2027.

WRC competitors use different tyres for dry and wet asphalt, gravel, snow and ice with studs or no studs, with different compound hardness also available. Hand cutting a tread pattern is not permitted.

For the 2023 season, Rally1 entries may use a maximum 28 tyres per round.

Promotion and coverage

WRC Promoter GmbH owns the commercial rights to the series and is responsible for media coverage, sponsorship operations and encouraging participation in the championships. The company has served as the promoter since the 2013 season and was jointly owned by Red Bull Media House and KW25 Beteiligungs GmbH until July 2026 when the company was acquired by French automotive technology and services company Cosmobilis and private credit investor Park Square Capital. Former Formula One team principal Éric Boullier was appointed chief executive officer following the acquisition.

Through the Red Bull Content Pool, WRC has provided news, articles and images to professional news and media outlets free of charge. The WRC.com website and mobile applications provide news, live rally times and results, championship standings and information about the rallies and championships.

Commercial rights to the championship were first sold in 1996 to International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), a company owned by Bernie Ecclestone who also held an FIA presidential position at the time. ISC was sold in 2000 to a group led by the then Subaru team boss David Richards, who later sold the company to North One Television in 2007. In 2009, ISC was awarded a 10-year contract to act as the first promoter for the championship from 2010. This new relationship included the FIA handing over responsibilities such as proposing new events and recruiting new sponsors. The contract with North One Sports (renamed from ISC) was cancelled by the FIA ahead of the 2012 season after the company entered into administration the previous year. The current promoter, WRC Promoter GmbH, was announced as the new promoter from the 2013 season.

Internet video

In 2014, a digital subscription service named WRC+ was launched providing video clips and live transmission of some stages each rally, including the power stage, as well as onboard footage and live map tracking of competitors. With the introduction of WRC+ All Live in 2018, for the first time in the championship's history, every special stage from each round was shown for selected cars with commentary available in English. For the 2019 season, commentary in Spanish was available for all stages. German and Japanese were available since the 2021 Croatia Rally.

During the 2023 season, the WRC+ All Live service was replaced by a new service, Rally.TV, which amalgamated the service with a similar offer covering the FIA World Rallycross Championship. As well as offering a live service of all European Rally Championship rounds, a linear TV channel shows footage and documentaries between events, covering the three championships.

Brief and free video footage is also provided via social media platforms. In addition, the first running of Shakedown is often shown live on YouTube and Facebook.

Red Bull also produce feature-length programmes for Red Bull TV using stage footage from WRC TV combined with their own presenting team and insight from guest pundits. Dirtfish.com also provide some video content in a similar way, though usually not as long.

WRC TV

WRC TV produces previews, daily highlights and event reviews for each rally, as well as other magazine shows such as season reviews for broadcast television. Some TV stations also broadcast the power stage and select other stages live, usually two stages on a Saturday and the first run of what will be the power stage. Further, TV stations may broadcast the entire All Live live stream, typically via an interactive channel.

The make up and format for these programmes can vary from country to country depending on the local broadcaster and prominence of local drivers. In 2016, the cumulative worldwide TV audience for WRC TV's programmes was more than 700 million, growing to 836 million in 2019. The programming is available in over 150 markets and more than 12,000 hours were screened globally in 2016, reducing to under 10,000 hours in 2019.

Radio

Live radio/audio coverage of the rallies was provided in English by a free service called World Rally Radio, broadcast via the Internet by Crown House Media. The service featured end of stage reports direct from the drivers and teams, up to date results and stage times plus other news in the service park. It also produced podcasts and featured contemporary music during breaks in rally coverage. World Rally Radio ceased in 2018 when WRC+ All Live began.

Podcasts

An official podcast is frequently produced. The latest version Backstories has interviewed drivers and co-drivers since 2020.

Records and statistics

Manufacturers

21 different manufacturers have won a World Rally Championship event: Citroën, Ford, Lancia, Toyota, Peugeot, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Audi, Fiat, Hyundai, Datsun/Nissan, Opel, Renault, Renault-Alpine, Saab, Mazda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Talbot. With a further 11 having finished on the podium: Seat, Mini, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Ferrari, MG, Polski Fiat, Škoda, Triumph and Wartburg. Lancia, with ten Manufacturer's Championships, has won more championships than any other marque.

Champions

Event wins

Updated after 2026 Rally de Portugal. Drivers and manufacturers who have participated in the 2026 World Rally Championship are in bold.

Video games and esports

There have been many video games based on the World Rally Championship, and due to lack of licenses, many more based on only certain cars, drivers or events. Sega Rally, released in 1995, as well as V-Rally and Top Gear Rally in 1997 were primarily arcade racing games with little emphasis on realistic damage or physics. The Colin McRae Rally series introduced in 1998 was the first to incorporate a more realistic simulation racing feel to the genre. Rally Trophy, released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows by Bugbear, concentrated on historic cars such as Alpine A110 and Lancia Stratos. RalliSport Challenge, released in 2002 for Windows and Xbox by Digital Illusions CE, featured classic Group B cars and hillclimb models along with modern WRC cars.

The first fully FIA licensed WRC: World Rally Championship was released in 2001 for PlayStation 2 by Evolution Studios. The video game series had its fifth game, WRC: Rally Evolved, in 2005. Racing simulator Richard Burns Rally, released in 2004 for several platforms, has gathered recognition for its realism. Recent top-selling games include Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Sega Rally Revo and Dirt 3. Gran Turismo 5 includes WRC licensed cars from manufacturers such as Subaru and Ford. In October 2010, Black Bean Games released WRC: FIA World Rally Championship which features the cars, drivers and events of the 2010 World Rally Championship, including those from the three support categories. A downloadable patch was produced allowing players to drive in Group B cars such as the Audi Quattro. Various cars whose participated in the WRC such as Mitsubishi Lancer WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC have also appeared in the Facebook game Car Town. The WRC video game license was acquired by French game development studio Kylotonn from Milestone srl after the release of WRC 4: FIA World Rally Championship in 2013. The first WRC game by Kylotonn was WRC 5, released in 2015, with successive releases on a near-annual basis with WRC Generations due in 2022. The WRC license passed to Codemasters for the period of 2023 to 2027.

eSports WRC is an online championship run via the latest official video game. Beginning in 2016, the championship is free and open to anybody with a copy of the game. Each esports season ends with a Grand Finale with competitors gathering for an on-site event to race each other, usually in the service park of an actual rally event. Previous eSports WRC champion Jon Armstrong is also a physical rally driver, and racehouse Williams run a team.