Junior World Rally Championship
Encyclopedia
The FIA Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship
(WRC) as is the Production World Rally Championship
(PWRC), and the Super 2000 World Rally Championship
(SWRC). As JWRC was originally envisioned as a series for developing drivers, it is limited to drivers below the age of 28. The series' main car specification is Super 1600
(S1600). The cars have restricted power and front wheel drive only, and are more competitive on tarmac
, rather than on mixed surface or gravel rallies.
Like in the PWRC and SWRC, the series' calendar includes about half of the WRC's events, and it is contested on the same stages. JWRC entrants race through the stages after the WRC competitors.
The championship was first held in 2001 as the FIA Super 1600 Drivers' Championship, and included six events in Europe. Sébastien Loeb
became the series' first champion in his Super 1600
-class Citroën Saxo
. The series became the Junior World Rally Championship the following year. In 2007, the championship did not include events outside Europe, and was known as the FIA Junior Rally Championship (JRC).
class, but selected Group A
and Group N
specifications are also allowed to contest the series. In the 2008 season
, the JWRC includes seven events, and the competitors must participate in six of them. The point-scoring system is the same as in the WRC and the PWRC, with points allocated to the top eight competitors as follows; 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The age limit for the JWRC is 28 years (at the start of the championship year). However, there is no age limit for co-driver
s. From the 2008 season, all competitors are required to wear an FIA-approved head restraint, such as the HANS device
. To reduce the costs of contesting the championship, the number of tyres in use in rallies and the number of mechanics allowed to work at service parks are limited. All competitors are also required to use the control fuel and the control tyre by Pirelli
.
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
(WRC) as is the Production World Rally Championship
Production World Rally Championship
The FIA Production World Rally Championship, or PWRC, is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship, and is driven on the same stages. PWRC is limited to production-based cars homologated under the Group N. The series began in 2002, replacing the FIA Group N Rally Championship...
(PWRC), and the Super 2000 World Rally Championship
Super 2000 World Rally Championship
The FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship or S-WRC, is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship, and is driven on the same stages. S-WRC is limited to production-based cars homologated under the Super 2000 rules...
(SWRC). As JWRC was originally envisioned as a series for developing drivers, it is limited to drivers below the age of 28. The series' main car specification is Super 1600
Super 1600
Super 1600 is a rally car formula that is primarily used in the Junior World Rally Championship, as well as various national rally championships. Any automobile manufacturer that has a suitable road-going production model in its range may develop a specification for use in this formula...
(S1600). The cars have restricted power and front wheel drive only, and are more competitive on tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
, rather than on mixed surface or gravel rallies.
Like in the PWRC and SWRC, the series' calendar includes about half of the WRC's events, and it is contested on the same stages. JWRC entrants race through the stages after the WRC competitors.
History
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
became the series' first champion in his Super 1600
Super 1600
Super 1600 is a rally car formula that is primarily used in the Junior World Rally Championship, as well as various national rally championships. Any automobile manufacturer that has a suitable road-going production model in its range may develop a specification for use in this formula...
-class Citroën Saxo
Citroën Saxo
The Citroën Saxo is a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106 , the major difference being interiors and body panels...
. The series became the Junior World Rally Championship the following year. In 2007, the championship did not include events outside Europe, and was known as the FIA Junior Rally Championship (JRC).
Rules
The cars in the Junior World Rally Championship are usually homologated in the Super 1600Super 1600
Super 1600 is a rally car formula that is primarily used in the Junior World Rally Championship, as well as various national rally championships. Any automobile manufacturer that has a suitable road-going production model in its range may develop a specification for use in this formula...
class, but selected Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
and Group N
Group N
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to a set of regulations providing 'standard' production vehicles for competition, often referred to as the "Showroom Class"....
specifications are also allowed to contest the series. In the 2008 season
2008 World Rally Championship season
The 2008 World Rally Championship season was the 36th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 15 rallies and began on January 24, with the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally....
, the JWRC includes seven events, and the competitors must participate in six of them. The point-scoring system is the same as in the WRC and the PWRC, with points allocated to the top eight competitors as follows; 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The age limit for the JWRC is 28 years (at the start of the championship year). However, there is no age limit for co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
s. From the 2008 season, all competitors are required to wear an FIA-approved head restraint, such as the HANS device
HANS device
The HANS device is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports...
. To reduce the costs of contesting the championship, the number of tyres in use in rallies and the number of mechanics allowed to work at service parks are limited. All competitors are also required to use the control fuel and the control tyre by Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
.
Calendar
The 2010 JWRC calendar| Round | Dates | Rally Name | Rally HQ | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | 18 April | Rally Turkey |  IstanbulIstanbul Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... |
Gravel with some asphalt |
| 06 | 30 May | Rally de Portugal Rally de Portugal The Rally de Portugal is a rally competition held in Portugal. First held in 1967, the seventh running of the race, the 7º TAP Rallye de Portugal was the third event in the inaugural FIA World Rally Championship in 1973... |
 VilamouraVilamoura Vilamoura is in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve, Portugal. Its boundaries lie within the parish of Quarteira. Vilamoura is a purpose built resort and Marina which was started from scratch by a wealthy banker from Porto, Cupertino de Miranda. The resort was started in 1974 and is still... |
Gravel |
| 07 | 11 July | Rally Bulgaria Rally Bulgaria Rally Bulgaria is the most prestigious and the oldest rally event in Bulgaria. It is a confirmed event for the 2010 World Rally Championship season, as the seventh of the thirteen planned events. 2010 will be the first time that Rally Bulgaria have been in a World Rally Championship season, having... |
 BorovetsBorovets Borovets , known as Chamkoria until the middle of the 20th century, is a popular Bulgarian mountain resort situated in Sofia Province, on the northern slopes of Rila, at an altitude of 1350 m... |
Asphalt |
| 09 | 22 August | Rallye Deutschland Rallye Deutschland The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a rally event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier... |
 TrierTrier Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC.... |
Asphalt |
| 11 | 03 October | Rallye de France Rallye de France–Alsace The Rallye de France–Alsace is a rally competition held in the Alsace region of France. In 2010, it hosted the French round of the World Rally Championship, the Rallye de France, replacing the Tour de Corse.- Winners :- External links :*... |
 StrasbourgStrasbourg Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,... |
Asphalt |
| 12 | 24 October | Rally Catalunya Rally Catalunya The Rally Catalunya is a rally competition on the World Rally Championship schedule. Now held on the wide, smooth and sweeping asphalt roads around the town of Salou, Catalonia, Spain, it was previously held around the region of Costa Brava... |
 SalouSalou Salou is a municipality of the comarca of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The city is approximately 10km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112km from Barcelona... |
Asphalt with some gravel |
Champions
| Year | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 2010 World Rally Championship season The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November.... |
Aaron Burkart Aaron Burkart Aaron Nikolai Burkart is a German rally driver. He is the 2010 Junior World Rally Champion.- Career :... |
Suzuki Swift Suzuki Swift The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, India and North America.- Predecessor :... S1600 |
| 2009 2009 World Rally Championship season The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point... |
 Martin ProkopMartin Prokop Martin Prokop is a Czech rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in the 2009 season.-Career:... |
Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 2008 2008 World Rally Championship season The 2008 World Rally Championship season was the 36th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 15 rallies and began on January 24, with the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally.... |
 Sébastien OgierSébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in... |
Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 2007 2007 World Rally Championship season The 2007 World Rally Championship season was the 35th season in the FIA World Rally Championship. The season began on January 19 with the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo and ended on December 2 with the 63rd Wales Rally of Great Britain. Citroën's Sébastien Loeb won the drivers' world... |
 Per-Gunnar AnderssonPer-Gunnar Andersson (rally driver) Per-Gunnar Andersson is a Swedish rally driver. He is a two-time winner of the Junior World Rally Championship.-Career:... |
Suzuki Swift Suzuki Swift The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, India and North America.- Predecessor :... S1600 |
| 2006 | Patrik Sandell Patrik Sandell Patrik Sandell is a rally driver from Sweden. Sandell won the Swedish Junior Championship in 2004 and the Swedish Group N3 Championship in 2005. In 2006, he won the Junior World Rally Championship title driving for Renault... |
Renault Clio Renault Clio The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation... S1600 |
| 2005 | Dani Sordo Dani Sordo Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Mini WRC Team... |
Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 2004 | Per-Gunnar Andersson Per-Gunnar Andersson (rally driver) Per-Gunnar Andersson is a Swedish rally driver. He is a two-time winner of the Junior World Rally Championship.-Career:... |
Suzuki Ignis Suzuki Ignis The Suzuki Ignis is a subcompact car that was produced by Suzuki between 2000 and 2008, replacing the Suzuki Cultus. The Cultus retailed under various names globally, notably as the Suzuki Swift... S1600 |
| 2003 | Brice Tirabassi Brice Tirabassi Brice Tirabassi is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2003.-Career:Tirabassi won the French Rally Championship in 2002, before stepping up to the Junior World Rally Championship in 2003. He won three out of seven rounds to take the crown. In 2005, he competed in... |
Renault Clio Renault Clio The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation... S1600 |
| 2002 | Daniel Solà Daniel Solà Daniel Solà Villa is a Spanish rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2002 and the Spanish Rally Championship in 2006.... |
Citroën Saxo Citroën Saxo The Citroën Saxo is a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106 , the major difference being interiors and body panels... VTS S1600 |
| 2001 | Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
Citroën Saxo Citroën Saxo The Citroën Saxo is a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106 , the major difference being interiors and body panels... VTS S1600 |