WRC
WRC is the championship’s headline category and the spectacular new-era World Rally Cars are driven by superstars such as Sébastien Ogier, Sébastien Loeb, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
Three manufacturers compete for drivers’, co-drivers’ and manufacturers’ world titles across all championship rounds. All rallies count towards the final standings.
Getting technical:
- Technical Group: Rally 1
- Referred to as World Rally Cars
- 1.6-litre, fuel injection, turbocharged, four cylinder engines fitted with a 36mm air intake restrictor
- Power output restricted to 380bhp
- Cylinder block and head based on those in the standard road car
- Modifications allowed to crankshafts, con rods, pistons, cylinder linings, valves and camshafts
- Permanent four-wheel drive, six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle-shift on steering
- Mechanical front and rear differentials. Active centre differential
- 7 x 15inch wheels for gravel, 8 x 18inch wheels for asphalt
- 300mm diameter brakes for gravel, 370mm for asphalt
- Weight: 1190kg minimum. 1350kg with driver and co-driver
- 0-100kph in less than 4sec
- Top speed exceeds 200kph
WRC2
WRC2 is the home for all Rally2 cars, the sport’s second tier behind the new hybrid-powered Rally1 cars. The main cars to look out for are:
- Citroën C3
- Ford Fiesta
- Hyundai i20 N
- Skoda Fabia
- Volkswagen Polo GTI
Getting technical
- Technical Group: Rally2
- At least 2500 examples of these road cars must have been manufactured in the previous 12 months
- 1.6-litre, fuel injection, turbocharged, four cylinder engines fitted with a 32mm air intake restrictor
- Power output about 285bhp
- Cylinder block and head based on those in the standard road car
- Modifications allowed to crankshafts, con rods, pistons, cylinder linings, valves and camshafts
- Permanent four-wheel drive, five-speed sequential gearbox with paddle-shift on steering
- Mechanical front and rear differentials
- 7 x 15inch wheels for gravel, 8 x 18inch wheels for asphalt
- 300mm diameter brakes for gravel, 355mm for asphalt
- Weight: 1230kg minimum. 1390kg with driver and co-driver
Every round of the WRC season features WRC2, but drivers and co-drivers can only nominate seven scoring rounds. Their best six results count. Drivers and co-drivers under the age of 30 are eligible for the WRC2 Junior Championships. At the other end of the spectrum, drivers and co-drivers over the age of 50 are eligible for the WRC Masters Cup.
WRC3
The following titles will be contested within WRC3 in 2022:
- Open Championship for Drivers
- Open Championship for Co-Drivers
- Championship for Teams
- Junior Championship for Drivers
- Junior Championship for Co-Drivers
In a change from the 2021 season, a teams championship will be contested but drivers will not be obliged to run in one. Points from the highest scoring 4 rounds of 5 entered will be considered for the championship.
The WRC3 Junior championship will be organised by M-Sport Ltd as an arrive-and-drive style competition as previously presented in Junior World Rally Championship. Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars will be provided on 5 prescribed rounds for drivers born on or after 1st January 1993. Unlike the rules used in WRC2 Junior, drivers of Junior age who do not register and compete in this fashion will not be eligible for the WRC3 Junior championships.
