The
World Rally Championship (WRC) is a
rallyingRallying is a form of motor competition that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars. This motorsport is distinguished by running not on a circuit, but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants and their co-drivers drive...
series organised by the
FIAThe Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on June 20, 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
, culminating with a champion driver, co-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 12 three-day events driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Each rally is split into 15-25
special stageSpecial stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
s which are run against the clock on closed roads. The sport's commercial rights are administered by
International Sportsworld CommunicatorsInternational Sportsworld Communicators is a United Kingdom based company which owns the commercial rights to the World Rally Championship.-History:...
, who also produce the daily event highlights shown in 186 countries.
The WRC was formed from well-known and popular international rallies, most of which had previously been part of the
European Rally ChampionshipThe European Rally Championship is the European continental championship series in rallying. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile .- 2009 season events :*Rallye 1000 Miglia - Italy *Istanbul Rally - Turkey...
and/or the
International Championship for ManufacturersThe FIA International Championship for Manufacturers was a rally series culminating in a champion manufacturer. The championship was run from 1970 to 1972 and it was replaced by the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973...
, and the series was first contested in 1973. The
World Rally CarWorld Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
is the current car specification in the series. It evolved from
Group AIn 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 the Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight,...
cars which replaced the banned
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
supercars. World Rally Cars are built on production two-litre four-cylinder cars, but feature
turbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced-induction of an internal combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the purpose of a turbocharger is to increase the density of air entering the engine to create more power...
s,
anti-lagAn anti-lag system is a system used on turbocharged engines to minimize turbo lag.- Overview :ALS was first used in the early days of turbocharged cars in Formula One racing circa mid to late 1980s, until fuel restrictions made its use unsuitable...
systems, four-wheel-drive, sequential gearboxes, aerodynamic parts and other enhancements bringing the price of a WRC car to around US$1 million (€700,000).
The WRC features two support championships, the
Junior World Rally ChampionshipThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
(JWRC) and the
Production World Rally ChampionshipThe 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 or Super 2000 rules...
(PWRC), which are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC, but with different regulations. The production car and junior entrants race through the stages after the WRC drivers.
Early
The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies, nine of which were previously part of the
International Championship for ManufacturersThe FIA International Championship for Manufacturers was a rally series culminating in a champion manufacturer. The championship was run from 1970 to 1972 and it was replaced by the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973...
(IMC), which was contested from 1970 to 1972. The 1973 World Rally Championship season was the inaugural season of the WRC and began with the 42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo on January 19. The season consisted of 13 events, seven of which have usually been part of the WRC schedule to this day; the
Monte Carlo RallyThe Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
,
Swedish RallyThe Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...
, Rally Portugal, Acropolis Rally, 1000 Lakes Rally (now known as
Rally Finland), RAC Rally (
Wales Rally Great Britain) and
Tour de CorseThe Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally race first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It has been part of the World Rally Championship schedule since the inaugural 1973 season. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it...
.
GravelGravel is rock that is of a specific particle size range. Specifically, it is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters in its smallest dimension and no more than . The next smaller size class in geology is sand, which is > in size. The next larger size is cobble, which is >. Gravel can...
events formed the majority of the programme, as with following years.
Alpine-Renault won the first
manufacturer's world championship with its
Alpine A110The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
, after which
LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
took the title three years in a row with the Ferrari V6 -powered
Lancia StratosThe Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.-History:...
, 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
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
's
Sandro MunariSandro Munari is a former motor racing and rally driver from Italy.-Career:Born at Cavarzere, Veneto, Sandro Munari began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Rally Championship in 1967 and 1969, adding the European Rally Championship title in 1973. In 1972 he won the Targa Florio sports car...
and
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
's
Markku AlénMarkku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and still holds the record for most stage wins in the series...
respectively.
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
's
Björn WaldegårdBjörn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979...
became the first official world champion, edging out Finland's
Hannu MikkolaHannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
by one point.
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
took the manufacters' title with the Fiat 131 Abarth in 1977, 1978 and
1980The 1980 World Rally Championship season was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies...
, Ford with its Escort RS1800 in 1979 and
TalbotTalbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industry's most complex.-Inception of the British Talbot:Talbot was originally the British brand name used to sell imported French Clément-Bayard cars. Founded in 1903, this business venture was financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th...
with its Sunbeam Lotus in
1981The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies...
. Waldegård was followed by
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
Walter RöhrlWalter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
and Finn
Ari VatanenAri Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
as drivers' world champions.
Group B era
The 1980s saw the rear-wheel-drive
Group 2The Group 2 racing class referred to regulations for cars in touring car racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. Group 2 was replaced by Group A in the 1982....
and the more popular
Group 4The Group 4 racing class referred to regulations for cars in sportscar racing, GT racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. The Group 4 class was replaced by Group B for the 1983 season.-Production requirements:...
cars be replaced by more powerful four-wheel-drive
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
cars.
FISAThe Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile was the governing body for motor racing events. The organisation's origins date from 1922, when the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile delegated the organisation of automobile racing to the CSI , an autonomous committee that would later...
legalized all-wheel-drive in 1979, but most manufacturers believed it was too complex to be successful. However, after
AudiAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
started entering Mikkola and the new four-wheel-drive
QuattroThe Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March....
in rallies for testing purposes with immediate success, other manufacturers started their all-wheel-drive projects. Group B regulations were introduced in the
1982 seasonThe 1982 World Rally Championship season was the tenth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies. By this time, the schedule format had become generally stable, with only one or two changes to venues year to year...
, and with only a few restrictions turned out to mean almost unlimited power. Audi took the constructors' title in 1982 and
1984The 1984 World Rally Championship season was the 12th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship...
and drivers' title in 1983 (Mikkola) and 1984 (
Stig Blomqvist"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. Blomqvist won the Swedish Rally several times, and was the 1984 World Rally Champion....
). Audi's
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
female driver
Michèle MoutonMichèle Mouton is a former French rally driver. She is the most successful and well-known female rally driver of all time, as well as arguably the most successful female in motor racing as a whole....
came close to winning the title in 1982, but had to settle for second place after
OpelAdam Opel GmbH, commonly known as Opel, is a German automaker. The company was founded on 21 January 1863, began making automobiles in 1899, and was acquired by General Motors in 1929...
rival Röhrl.
1985The 1985 World Rally Championship season was the 13th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship...
title seemed set to go to Vatanen and his
Peugeot 205 T16The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1997. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990.-History:The chic Pininfarina styled 205 is widely regarded as a modern classic...
but a bad accident at the
Rally ArgentinaThe Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition and a stage of the World Rally Championship. It is currently the only South American event in the World Rally Championship, and it is held in the area around Villa Carlos Paz in Córdoba Province, on narrow slope roads best known for their...
left him to watch compatriot and team-mate
Timo SalonenTimo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
take the title instead. Italian
Attilio BettegaAttilio Bettega was an Italian rally driver.Bettega was born in Molveno, province of Trento. In 1982, he joined the Lancia squad driving the Lancia 037 after some years with Fiat. In his Lancia years he gained four podium finishes in rallies counting towards the World Rally Championship...
had even a more severe crash with his
Lancia 037The Lancia Rally 037 was a mid-engine rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s purely for the FIA Group B World Rally Championship...
at the Tour de Corse and died instantly.
The
1986 seasonThe 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally...
started with impressive performances by Finns
Henri ToivonenHenri Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came with a...
and Alén in Lancia's new turbo- and supercharged
Delta S4The Lancia Delta S4 is a Group B rally car that competed in the World Rally Championship in 1985 and 1986, until Group B cars were banned from competition by the FIA. The car replaced and was an evolution of the Lancia 037 Monte Carlo. The S4 took full advantage of the Group B regulations, and...
, which could reportedly accelerate from 0-60
mphThe mile per hour is a unit of speed, measured in Imperial units expressing the number of international miles covered per hour.It is currently the unit used for speed limits, and speeds, on roads in the United Kingdom and United States...
(96
km/hThe kilometre per hour is a unit of speed or velocity, expressing the number of kilometers traveled in one hour...
) 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 RS200The Ford RS200 is a mid-engined, four-wheel drive sports car produced by Ford from 1984 through 1986. The road-going RS200 was based on Ford's Group B rally car and was designed to comply with FIA homologation regulations, which required 200 road legal versions be built...
. At the Tour de Corse, championship favourite Toivonen and his co-driver
Sergio CrestoSergio Cresto was the co-driver of Henri Toivonen at the Lancia Martini team for the 1986 World Rally Championship season...
died in a fireball accident after plunging down a cliff. Only hours after the crash,
Jean-Marie BalestreJean-Marie Balestre was a French auto racing executive, who was president of FISA from 1978 to 1991 and of the FIA from 1985 to 1993.-Biography:Balestre was born at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence....
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 KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
won the title after FIA annulled the results of the San Remo Rally, taking the title from fellow Finn Alén.
Group A era
As the planned Group S was also cancelled,
Group AIn 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 the Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight,...
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 ErikssonKenneth Eriksson is a now retired World Rally Championship rally driver. He drove for several manufacturer teams, including the Subaru World Rally Team, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Skoda...
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 Integrale, winning the constructors' title six years in a row from
1987The 1987 World Rally Championship season was the 15th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies in the same venues of the previous season...
to 1992. Kankkunen and Miki Biasion both took two drivers' titles with the Integrale.
The 1990s then saw the
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturers, Toyota,
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
and
MitsubishiThe , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
, become title favourites.
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
's
Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
driving for Toyota Team Europe took the
19901990 World Rally Championship season was the 18th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 12 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Carlos Sainz in a Toyota Celica GT-Four, ahead of Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen. The manufacturers' title was won by...
and 1992 titles with a
Toyota Celica GT-FourThe Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient...
. Kankkunen moved to Toyota for the 1993 season and won his record fourth title, with Toyota taking its first manufacturers' crown. Frenchman
Didier AuriolDidier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
brought the team further success in 1994, and soon Subaru and Mitsubishi continued the success of the Japanese constructors.
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
's
ScotsmanScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Colin McRaeColin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first Briton and the youngest to win the World...
won the drivers' world championship in 1995 and Subaru took the manufacturers' title three years in a row. Finland's
Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
driving a
Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionThe Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
won the drivers' championship four times in a row, from 1996 to 1999. Mitsubishi also won the manufacturers' title in 1998.
World Rally Car era
For the 1997 season, the
World Rally CarWorld Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
regulations were introduced as an intended replacement for Group A (only successive works Mitsubishis still conforming to the latter 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 GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
took the drivers' title in his first full year in the series and Peugeot won the manufacturers' crown.
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's
Richard BurnsRichard Burns was an English rally driver. He was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was the 2001 World Rally Champion, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world manufacturers' title in 1998, and Peugeot in 2002...
won the 2001 title with a Subaru Impreza WRC, but Grönholm and Peugeot took back both titles in the 2002 season. 2003 saw
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
's
Petter SolbergPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
become drivers' champion for Subaru and
CitroënCitroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
continue the success of the French manufacturers. Citroën's
Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
went on to control the following seasons with his Citroën Xsara WRC. Citroën took the constructors' title three times in a row and Loeb surpassed Mäkinen's record of four drivers' titles earning his fifth with the 2008 season win. After many titleless years at the top with their
Ford Focus WRCThe Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
,
FordThe BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, also known as the BP Ford World Rally Team until mid-2007 and the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's factory World Rally Championship team...
took the 2006 and
2007The 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...
manufacturers' titles with drivers
Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
and
Mikko HirvonenMikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the BP Ford World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In the 2008 season, he finished runner-up to Sébastien Loeb....
.
Structure
Each season normally consists of 12 rallies driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Points from these events are calculated towards the drivers' and manufacturers' world championships. The driver's championship and manufacturer's championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. This means, for example, that
Petter SolbergPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
driving for
SubaruThe Subaru World Rally Team was Subaru's World Rally Championship team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow color scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003...
can win the driver's championship but Citroën can win the manufacturer's championship, which is what happened in 2003, and again in 2006 and
2007The 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...
when
Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
took his third and fourth WRC titles but Ford won the manufacturer's championship. In the current points system, points are awarded at the end of each rally to the top eight WRC (overall),
juniorThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
and
production carThe 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 or Super 2000 rules...
drivers that qualify as follows: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Despite how many drivers are in one team, constructors can only nominate two drivers to score points for the team as well as scoring for themselves. As only nominated drivers are counted while awarding points, even competitors placed further down than eighth overall (if preceded by
privateerIn motor sport, a privateer is usually an entrant into a racing event that is not directly supported by an automobile manufacturer. Privateers teams are often found competing in rally and circuit racing events, and often include competitors who build and maintain their own vehicles...
drivers) can score them.
In the current era, each rally usually consists of 15-35
special stagesSpecial stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
of distances ranging from under (
super specials) to over . These competitive stages driven on closed roads are linked by non-competitive
road sections which are on open roads on which all road laws of that country must be adhered to. On average a day consists of a total of of driving. A WRC event begins with reconnaissance (
recce) on Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing crews to drive through the stages and create or update their
pacenotesIn rallying, pacenotes are a commonly used method of accurately describing the route to be driven in extreme detail. As well as dictating the general route to be taken, in terms of turnings, junctions, etc, all notable features of the route which might affect the way it is driven at speed are...
. On Thursday, teams can run through the
shakedownA shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
stage to practice and test their set-ups. The competition begins on Friday and ends on Sunday. Cars start the stages at one or two minute intervals. Each day, or
legIn rallying, a leg is each day of the whole event. For example, as of 2005 each WRC event lasts over 3 legs - from Friday over Saturday to Sunday ....
, has a few designated service parks between the stages, where the teams can – within strict time limits – perform maintenance and repairs on their cars. The service park also allows spectators and the media to get close to the teams and their cars and drivers. Between the days, after a 45-minute end of day service, cars are locked away in the guarded
parc ferméParc fermé, literally meaning "closed park" in French, is a term used to describe a secure area at a Grand Prix circuit where the cars may be stored overnight...
.
Cars
The production-based 2.0 L turbocharged
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
cars are built to
World Rally CarWorld Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
regulations racing across tarmac, gravel and snow. The power output has been limited to around 300 bhp (225 kW). Current cars in the championship include the Citroën C4 and
Ford Focus RSThe Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
. Citroën, Peugeot, Škoda and Mitsubishi pulled out of the championship for 2006 and those cars, although in use by privateers, are not in further development. Citroën returned to WRC in
2007The 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...
using the C4. The
Suzuki World Rally TeamThe Suzuki World Rally Team, also known as the Suzuki WRC Challenge is Suzuki's factory backed World Rally Championship team, as part of the Suzuki Sport organization. The team debuted for the first time at the 2007 Tour de Corse in France...
joined the
2008 championshipThe 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....
for the first time with their
SX4The Suzuki SX4 is a compact car developed by Japanese and Italian automakers Suzuki and Fiat and produced since 2006.-History:Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio, the SX4 replaces the Aerio...
but they have pulled out of the
2009 championshipThe 2009 World Rally Championship season is the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consists of twelve rallies and began on 30th January, with Rally Ireland and will end with Rally GB on 25 October...
together with
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
because of the economic downturn currently affecting the automotive industry.
The WRC was formerly held for
Group AIn 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 the Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight,...
and
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
rallycars. However, due to the increasing power, lack of reliability and the fatal accidents on the
1986 seasonThe 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally...
,
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
was permanently banned. Later, in 1997, the
Group AIn 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 the Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight,...
cars evolved into the WRC car spec, to ease the development of new cars and bring new makes to the competition.
Cars in the Production car World Rally Championship are limited to production-based cars homologated under
Group NIn 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"....
or
Super 2000Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an FIA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification is split to cover both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Production World Rally Championship events alongside Group N cars...
rules. Most cars in the
Junior World Rally ChampionshipThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
are homologated under
Super 1600Super 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...
rules, but Group N and selected Group A cars can also contest the series.
Teams and drivers
20 different manufacturers have won a World Rally Championship event, and a further ten have finished on the podium.
For The 2009 season, the championship has two manufacturer teams (
Citroën Total World Rally TeamThe Citroën Total World Rally Team is the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship.-1990-2000:Assorted campaigns on the French Rally Championship together with assisting privateer entries into World Rally Championship events...
and BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) and three
semi-factory teams (Stobart VK M-Sport Ford,
Munchi's FordThe Munchi's Ford World Rally Team is a private team currently competing in the World Rally Championship. The team made its debut in the 2007 Swedish Rally. The cars are prepared and run by the Cumbria based M-Sport operation and Malcolm Wilson is the team principal.-2007 season:The Munchi's Ford...
and the
Citroën Junior TeamThe Citroën Junior Team is Citroën's second factory team in the World Rally Championship.It was formed in 2009 following the withdrawal of manufacturers Subaru and Suzuki. It runs Citroën C4s for Russian Evgeny Novikov, Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach and Junior World Rally Championship champion...
) that will be eligible for the manufacturers' championship.
SuzukiThe Suzuki World Rally Team, also known as the Suzuki WRC Challenge is Suzuki's factory backed World Rally Championship team, as part of the Suzuki Sport organization. The team debuted for the first time at the 2007 Tour de Corse in France...
and
SubaruThe Subaru World Rally Team was Subaru's World Rally Championship team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow color scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003...
pulled out of the WRC at the end of the
2008 championshipThe 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....
, both citing the economic downturn currently affecting the automotive industry for their withdrawal.
| Team |
Constructor |
Car |
Tyre |
No |
Drivers |
Co-drivers |
Rounds |
FRA Citroën Total World Rally TeamThe Citroën Total World Rally Team is the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship.-1990-2000:Assorted campaigns on the French Rally Championship together with assisting privateer entries into World Rally Championship events...
|
Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
C4 WRC |
|
1 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Monaco Daniel Elena Daniel Elena is a rally co-driver from Monaco. He is currently co-driver to Sébastien Loeb. The pair have won the World Rally Championship five times, and currently compete with the Citroën C4...
|
1-12 |
| 2 |
Spain Dani SordoDaniel Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Total World Rally Team, Citroën's factory WRC team...
|
Spain Marc Marti Marc Martí Moreno is a Spanish rally co-driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship as a co-driver to Oriol Gómez in 1992. In the 1999 season, he began his partnership with Jesús Puras and the Citroën factory team. The pair took a surprise second place at the 1999 Tour de Corse, behind...
|
1-12 |
| USA BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team |
Ford |
Focus RS WRC 08 and 09The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
|
3 |
Finland Mikko HirvonenMikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the BP Ford World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In the 2008 season, he finished runner-up to Sébastien Loeb....
|
Finland Jarmo Lehtinen Jarmo Lehtinen is a Finnish sports commentator and journalist who works who works for Finland's National Broadcasting Company YLE. He commentates sports events, mainly football matches, for both radio and television. He regularly commentatos football for the Jalkapallokierros program in Radio Suomi...
|
1-12 |
| 4 |
Finland Jari-Matti LatvalaJari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland.-Career:...
|
Finland Miikka Anttila |
1-12 |
| 15 |
UAE Khalid al-QassimiSheikh Khalid al-Qassimi is a rally driver from Abu Dhabi. He won the FIA's Middle East Rally Championship in 2004.-Career:...
|
United Kingdom Michael Orr |
1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-12 |
United Kingdom Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally TeamThe Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team is a rally team competing in the World Rally Championship. The team's principal is Malcolm Wilson, whose M-Sport operation runs Stobart as well as the Ford factory team and Munchi's Ford World Rally Team.-2006:...
|
Ford |
Focus RS WRC 08The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
|
5 |
United Kingdom Matthew WilsonMatthew Wilson is a rally driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria, England. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson. Wilson currently competes in the World Rally Championship for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team...
|
United Kingdom Scott Martin |
1-12 |
| 6 |
Norway Henning SolbergHenning Solberg is a Norwegian rally driver. With co-driver Cato Menkerud, he currently competes in the World Rally Championship with Stobart M-Sport Ford...
|
Norway Cato MenkerudCato Menkerud is the co-driver to Henning Solberg. He started as a co-driver in 1992 for his father Helge Menkerud. In addition to Henning Solberg, he has co-driven for Petter Solberg, Birger Gundersen, Thomas Kolberg, Alexander Foss and Henrik Lundgaard. In addition to being a co-driver he runs a...
|
1-12 |
| - |
Estonia Urmo Aava Urmo Aava is a Estonian rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His regular co-driver is Kuldar Sikk.- Career :...
|
Estonia Kuldar Sikk |
1-2 |
| 17 |
GB Steve Perez |
GB Paul Spooner |
12 |
| - |
Poland Krzysztof Holowczyc Krzysztof Hołowczyc is a Polish rally driver. He won the Polish Rally Championship in 1995, 1996 and 1999 and the European Rally Championship in 1997....
|
Poland Lukasz Kurzeja |
8 |
| FRA Citroën Junior Team The Citroën Junior Team is Citroën's second factory team in the World Rally Championship.It was formed in 2009 following the withdrawal of manufacturers Subaru and Suzuki. It runs Citroën C4s for Russian Evgeny Novikov, Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach and Junior World Rally Championship champion...
|
Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
C4 WRC |
|
- |
Russia Evgeny Novikov Evgeny Novikov is a Russian rally driver competing for the Citroën Junior Team in the World Rally Championship.-Career:...
|
Australia Dale Moscatt |
2-4, 6-9 |
| Belgium Stephane Prevot |
11 |
| 8 |
Zimbabwe Conrad RautenbachConrad Rautenbach is a rally driver from Zimbabwe currently competing in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team along with his co-driver Daniel Barritt...
|
United Kingdom Daniel Barritt |
1-12 |
| 12 |
France Sébastien OgierSébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and currently drives in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team...
|
France Julien Ingrassia |
1-12 |
| 11 |
Norway Petter SolbergPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
|
United Kingdom Phil Mills Phil Mills is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship , as co-driver to Petter Solberg....
|
12 |
| 16 |
Germany Aaron Burkart |
Germany Michael Kölbach |
12 |
| - |
Australia Chris AtkinsonChris Atkinson is a professional rally driver in the World Rally Championship. He has driven for the Subaru World Rally Team since the 2005 season. His best finish on an individual WRC event is second, which he achieved at the 2008 Rally Mexico and Rally Argentina...
|
Belgium Stephane Prevot |
1 |
ARG Munchi's Ford World Rally TeamThe Munchi's Ford World Rally Team is a private team currently competing in the World Rally Championship. The team made its debut in the 2007 Swedish Rally. The cars are prepared and run by the Cumbria based M-Sport operation and Malcolm Wilson is the team principal.-2007 season:The Munchi's Ford...
|
Ford |
Focus RS WRC 08The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
|
- |
Argentina Federico VillagraFederico Villagra is a Argentine rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship for the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team...
|
Argentina Jorge Perez Companc |
3, 5-7, 9-11 |
| Argentina Jose Diaz |
4 |
| - |
GB Paul Bird |
GB Ian Windress |
11 |
| - |
Finland Matti Rantanen Matti Rantanen is a Finnish rally driver from Lammi.- Career :Rantanen began rallying in 2003 in his native Finland. In 2004 and 2005 he competed in the Finnish Junior Rally Championship, and the main Finnish Rally Championship in 2005 and 2006...
|
Finland Mikko Lukka |
9 |
| - |
Finland Mattias Therman |
Finland Janne Perälä |
9 |
| Major Entries Not Registered as Manufacturers |
| NOR Adapta World Rally Team |
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Impreza WRC 2008 |
|
14 |
Norway Mads ØstbergMads Østberg is a Norwegian rally driver. His co-driver is Ole Kristian Unnerud.Østberg competed in his first rally in 2004. His first World Rally Championship event was the 2006 Swedish Rally, in which he finished 31st in his Subaru Impreza WRC...
|
Norway Ole Kristian Unnerud |
2, 4 |
| Norway Veronica Engan |
6 |
| Sweden Jonas Andersson Jonas Andersson may refer to:* Jonas Andersson * Jonas Andersson * Jonas Andersson * Jonas Andersson * Jonas Andersson...
|
7-9, 12 |
NOR Petter Solberg World Rally TeamPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
|
Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Xsara WRC and C4 WRC |
|
- |
Norway Petter SolbergPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
|
United Kingdom Phil Mills Phil Mills is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship , as co-driver to Petter Solberg....
|
2-9, 11 |
NOR Andreas MikkelsenAndreas Mikkelsen is a Norwegian rally driver. His co-driver is Ola Fløene.Mikkelsen has a broad background in sports. He has competed in slalom and giant slalom, and was a member of the national juniors' alpine skiing team...
|
ŠkodaŠkoda Auto , also known as Skoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic, Škoda became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 1991, which also contains the car brands Volkswagen, Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd., Automobiles Bugatti SA, Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., SEAT,...
and CitroënCitroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Fabia WRC The Škoda Fabia is a supermini produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It was the successor to the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001...
and C4 WRC |
|
- |
NOR Andreas MikkelsenAndreas Mikkelsen is a Norwegian rally driver. His co-driver is Ola Fløene.Mikkelsen has a broad background in sports. He has competed in slalom and giant slalom, and was a member of the national juniors' alpine skiing team...
|
NOR Ola Floene |
6, 8 |
| Finland Ketomaa WRT |
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Impreza WRC 2008 |
|
- |
Finland Jari Ketomaa |
Finland Mika Stenberg |
9 |
GBR ProdriveProdrive Ltd. is a motorsport and automotive engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Subaru and Aston Martin...
|
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Impreza WRC 2008 |
|
- |
Finland Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
|
Finland Timo Rautiainen Timo Rautiainen is a Finnish former rally co-driver. He is best known for co-driving for Marcus Grönholm from 1995 to 2007. Rautiainen and Grönholm drove for Peugeot and the BP Ford World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship, and won 30 world rallies and two drivers' world championship...
|
4 |
| NED van Merksteijn Motorsport |
Ford |
Focus RS WRC 07The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
|
- |
Netherlands Peter van Merksteijn |
Netherlands Erwin Mombaerts |
2,4 |
| - |
Netherlands Peter van Merksteijn, Jr. |
Belgium Eddy Chevaillier |
2,4 |
- All of the car numbers on the table above are based on the entry list for the forthcoming Rally GREAT BRITAIN.- indicates they were absent from entry list.
A typical WRC team will consist of about 40 people on the events, with a further 60-100 at the team base.
Manufacturers and manufacturer-backed teams usually have two or three drivers participating in each rally and eligible to score points. The total number of crews (driver and his
co-driverCo-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...
) in the rallies varied from 47 (
Monte CarloThe 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo , the first round of the 2007 World Rally Championship season took place between January 19th and 21st, 2007.- Pre-event :...
and
MexicoThe 21º Corona Rally México, the fourth round of the 2007 World Rally Championship season, took place between March 9–11, 2007. The rally consisted of 20 special stages, of which five were super specials...
) to 108 (
Great BritainResults of Rally GB , 16th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on November 30 - December 2:- Results :...
) during the
2007 seasonThe 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...
.
J-WRC Entries
| No |
Driver |
Co-driver |
Car |
| 31 |
Germany Aaron Burkart |
Germany Michael Kölbach |
Suzuki Swift S1600The Suzuki Swift is nameplate marketed by Suzuki carried by vehicles of three distinct derivations:* First, second and third generations: a supermini that began as an export nameplate of the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Cultus. See: Suzuki Cultus....
|
| 32 |
Poland Michal Kosciuszko |
Poland Maciek Szczepaniak |
Suzuki Swift S1600The Suzuki Swift is nameplate marketed by Suzuki carried by vehicles of three distinct derivations:* First, second and third generations: a supermini that began as an export nameplate of the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Cultus. See: Suzuki Cultus....
|
| 33 |
Italy Simone Bertolotti |
Italy Luca Celestini |
Suzuki Swift S1600The Suzuki Swift is nameplate marketed by Suzuki carried by vehicles of three distinct derivations:* First, second and third generations: a supermini that began as an export nameplate of the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Cultus. See: Suzuki Cultus....
|
| 34 |
Italy Luca Griotti |
Italy Corrado Bonato |
Renault Clio R3The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
|
| 35 |
France Yoann Bonato |
France Benjamin Boulloud |
Suzuki Swift SportThe Suzuki Swift is nameplate marketed by Suzuki carried by vehicles of three distinct derivations:* First, second and third generations: a supermini that began as an export nameplate of the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Cultus. See: Suzuki Cultus....
|
| 36 |
Netherlands Hans Weijs Jr. |
Belgium Bjorn Degandt |
Citroën C2 S1600The Citroën C2 is a supermini-class car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since autumn of 2003, replacing the Citroën Saxo. A different model, based on the Peugeot 206, is sold in China as the C2...
|
| 37 |
Netherlands Kevin Abbring |
Netherlands Erwin Mombaerts |
Renault Clio R3The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
|
| 38 |
Czech Republic Martin Prokop Martin Prokop is a Czech rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in the 2009 season.-Career:After competing in the Czech Rally Championship for four years, Prokop debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2005 Monte Carlo Rally, finishing ninth in the Junior World Rally...
|
Czech Republic Jan Tománek |
Citroën C2 S1600The Citroën C2 is a supermini-class car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since autumn of 2003, replacing the Citroën Saxo. A different model, based on the Peugeot 206, is sold in China as the C2...
|
| 39 |
Italy Alessandro Bettega |
Italy Simone Scattolin |
Renault Clio R3The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
|
| 39 |
Germany Mark Wallenwein |
Germany Stefan Kopyczyk |
Renault Clio R3The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
|
P-WRC Entries
| No |
Driver |
Co-driver |
Car |
| 31 |
Czech Republic Martin Prokop Martin Prokop is a Czech rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in the 2009 season.-Career:After competing in the Czech Rally Championship for four years, Prokop debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2005 Monte Carlo Rally, finishing ninth in the Junior World Rally...
|
Czech Republic Jan Tománek |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 32 |
Portugal Bernardo Sousa |
Portugal Jorge Carvalho |
Abarth Grande Punto S2000 |
| 33 |
Japan Toshi Araiis a Japanese rally driver and team owner. He made his debut in 1987, and drove for the Subaru World Rally Team in the Group N World Rally Championship from 1997–2000 and 2002–2003, and the Group A Championship in 2000–2001....
|
Australia Glenn Macneal |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 34 |
Italy Gianluca Linari |
Italy Andrea Cecchi |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 35 |
Czech Republic Martin Semerád |
Czech Republic Bohuslav Ceplecha |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 36 |
Spain Egoi Eder Valdés López |
Spain Daniel Lucas |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 37 |
France Frederic Sauvan |
France Thibault Gorczyca |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 38 |
Hungary Gabor Mayer |
Hungary Róbert Tagai |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 39 |
Italy Ricardo Errani |
Italy Stefano Casadio |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 40 |
Latvia Andis Neiksans |
Latvia Peteris Dzirkals |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 43 |
New Zealand Mark Tapper |
New Zealand Jeff Rudd |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X |
| 44 |
Cyprus Spyros Pavlides |
France Denis Giraudet |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 44 |
Czech Republic Jaromir Tarabus |
Czech Republic Daniel Trunkat |
Abarth Grande Punto S2000 |
| 45 |
Sweden Patrik Flodin Patrik Flodin is a rally driver from Sweden. Flodin won the Swedish Championship in 2006. In 2009, Flodin contests in the Production World Rally Championship with the URT-team driving a Subaru Impreza....
|
Sweden Göran Bergsten |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 46 |
Sweden 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. In 2008, Sandell contests both the JWRC and the Production World Rally...
|
Sweden Emil Axelsson |
Skoda Fabia RS S2000 The Škoda Fabia is a supermini produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It was the successor to the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001...
|
| 47 |
Portugal Armindo Araujo |
Portugal Miguel Ramalho |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 48 |
India Gaurav Gill |
United Kingdom David Senior |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
| 49 |
Norway Eyvind Brynildsen |
France Denis Giraudet |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 50 |
Qatar Nasser Al-AttiyahNasser Al-Attiyah is a Qatari driver in the Production World Rally Championship . He came in fourth place in the 2004 Olympic Games in clay pigeon shooting and won the PWRC in 2006, his third year in the championship, with co-driver Chris Patterson.In the 2006 season Al-Attiyah entered with a...
|
Italy Giovanni Bernacchini |
Subaru Impreza WRX STiThe Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
|
2009 Calendar
The 2009 season includes twelve rallies, which is three fewer than the
2008 seasonThe 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....
, because the FIA imposed a "Round Rotation" System in order to attract candidate rallies to have a chance to be a WRC event. Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico, Jordan, Turkey, Germany, New Zealand, France and Japan are dropped from the calendar for 2009, but will return at the
2010 WRC SeasonThe 2010 World Rally Championship season will be the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consists of 13 rallies and will begin with the Swedish Rally.-Rule changes:...
. Ireland, Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Poland and Australia return to the 2009 season .
The eight events also part of the
Production World Rally ChampionshipThe 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 or Super 2000 rules...
are Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Australia and Rally GB. The eight rallies also on the
Junior World Rally ChampionshipThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
schedule are Ireland, Cyprus, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Poland, Finland and Spain.
| Round |
Dates |
Rally Name |
Rally HQ |
Support Category |
Surface |
| 01 |
30 January-1 February |
Rally IrelandRally Ireland was a new addition to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2007. It was not part of the 2008 schedule, but returned as the First round of the championship in 2009...
|
Ireland SligoSligo , is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is the second largest urban area in Connacht . It is home to the Sligo Institute of Technology and St...
|
JWRC |
Wintry asphalt |
| 02 |
12-15 February |
Rally Norway Rally Norway is the Norwegian rally which, as of the 2007 season onwards, is part of the World Rally Championship organised by the FIA. Previously, it had long only been the case of the Swedish Rally where a WRC event was held on snow...
|
Norway Hamaris a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
|
PWRC |
Ice and snow covered gravel |
| 03 |
13-15 March |
FxPro Cyprus Rally The Cyprus Rally is a rallying competition held yearly in Cyprus since 1970. The event is run by the Cyprus Automobile Association and is based in the city of Limassol . It is run on the winding gravel roads of the nearby mountains of Troodos. It was part of the FIA's World Rally Championship from...
|
Cyprus LimassolLimassol or Lemesos is the second-largest city on Cyprus, with a population of 176,900 , the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island...
|
JWRC/PWRC |
Asphalt and gravel |
| 04 |
3-5 April |
Vodafone Vodafone is a British mobile network operator, with its headquarters in Newbury, Berkshire, England, UK. It is the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover, and has a market value of about £75 billion...
Rally de PortugalThe 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...
|
Portugal Vilamoura 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 Lisbon. The resort was begun in 1974 and is still expanding outwards from...
|
JWRC/PWRC |
Gravel |
| 05 |
24-26 April |
Rally Argentina The Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition and a stage of the World Rally Championship. It is currently the only South American event in the World Rally Championship, and it is held in the area around Villa Carlos Paz in Córdoba Province, on narrow slope roads best known for their...
|
Argentina Villa Carlos PazVilla Carlos Paz is a city in the center-north of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, in the south of the Punilla Valley, lying on the western slope of the Sierras Chicas. It has a population of about 56,000 as per the...
|
JWRC/PWRC |
Gravel |
| 06 |
22-24 May |
Rally d'Italia Sardegna The Rally d'Italia Sardegna is a rally competition in the World Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on narrow, twisty, sandy and bumpy mountain roads around the glamorous town of Porto Cervo...
|
Italy Olbia Olbia , is a town of approximately 54,000 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region....
|
JWRC/PWRC |
Gravel |
| 07 |
12-14 June |
Acropolis Rally of Greece |
Greece Loutraki Loutraki is a seaside town located 4 km NE of Corinth in the Prefecture of Corinthia, Greece. Loutraki is the seat of the municipality Loutraki-Perachora. It is largely a tourist town, and is well-known in Greece for its vast natural springs. The name itself, Loutraki, derives from the Greek word...
|
PWRC |
Gravel |
| 08 |
26-28 June |
ORLEN PlatinumPKN Orlen is a major European oil refiner, and petrol retailer. The company is Poland's and Central Europe's largest publicly traded firm with major operations in Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, and the Baltic States. In 2009, it was ranked in the Fortune Global 500 as the world's 31st largest...
Rally Poland |
Poland Mikołajki |
JWRC |
Gravel |
| 09 |
31 July-2 August |
Neste Oil Neste Oil is a Finnish oil refining and marketing company producing mainly transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products. Neste Oil shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.- History :...
Rally FinlandThe Neste Oil Rally Finland is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year....
|
Finland JyväskyläJyväskylä is a city and municipality located in Central Finland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, near the lakes Päijänne and Keitele. It is the center of the Jyväskylä sub-region...
|
JWRC |
Gravel |
| 10 |
4-6 September |
Repco Repco is an Australian engineering company. Its name is derived from 'Replacement Parts Company', referring to one of its major lines of work....
Rally AustraliaRally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in and around Perth, Western Australia from 1988 until 2006, when that state's tourism commission severed its collaboration with the event. The rally was part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and the World Rally Championship...
|
Australia Kingscliff |
PWRC |
Gravel |
| 11 |
2-4 October |
Movistar Movistar is a major mobile phone operator owned by Telefónica Móviles. It operates in Spain and in many Latin American countries. Many Movistar networks were acquired from BellSouth....
RACC Rally CatalunyaThe 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...
|
Spain SalouSalou is a seaside resort and tourist centre in Catalonia, about 10 km from Tarragona on the Costa Daurada, and little over 92km to central Barcelona...
|
JWRC |
Asphalt |
| 12 |
23-25 October |
Rally of Great Britain |
GBR CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the...
|
PWRC |
Gravel |
TV
ISCInternational Sportsworld Communicators is a United Kingdom based company which owns the commercial rights to the World Rally Championship.-History:...
TV produce daily updates of each event after the day's stages have finished and the TV coverage has been processed. These daily highlight programs are around 30 minutes in duration and cover in depth the day's stages, with in-car footage as well as driver interviews. Before the rally there is also a
Rally Preview that normally incorporates special driver, technical and team features as well as providing an overview of the upcoming rally's route. There is also a review program, which lasts approximately an hour, that summarises the rally and the big events that took place during the duration; the stages are not in such detail as the daily updates as it is a review program.
This is then shown in 186 different countries in multiple languages, each day of the event. The make up and format for the telecast can change from country to country depending on the local broadcaster but it all uses ISC TV feeds. ISC TV also provides coverage of all of the events in the
Junior World Rally ChampionshipThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
and the
Production World Rally ChampionshipThe 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 or Super 2000 rules...
in a 26-minute highlights package.
Also produced after each event is the lifestyle entertainment programme called
WRC All Access, focused on a behind the scenes experience of WRC life, both on and off the road. These programmes focus on all elements of each country visited including culture, food, people, attractions as well as the WRC event itself.
Rally World, a weekly rally programme reviews events from all around the planet, including the WRC, the PWRC, the JWRC as well as Asia Pacific Rally Championship, the
Australian Rally ChampionshipThe Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:...
and the
Middle East Rally ChampionshipThe Middle East Rally Championship is one of the official annual rally championships run by the FIA. In 2007 the circuit rotated through the following venues:-Past champions:-External links:* *...
among others.
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, coverage of the three-day event is shown on Dave on Sundays after the event is completed. Dave also shows different programmes on rallying – for example about WRC cars or crashes – before showing coverage of the event.
During the
2007 seasonThe 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...
, the cumulative worldwide TV audience for ISC's WRC programming was 816 million. The programming was available in over 180 countries, and was broadcast on over 250 different TV channels. The total number of dedicated broadcasts was 12,445, and the total number of hours of coverage was 5,457.
Radio
Live radio coverage is provided in English by
World Rally RadioWorld Rally Radio is the official radio station of the FIA World Rally Championship, broadcasting live on the Internet.- General :World Rally Radio follows the teams and drivers around all fifteen rounds of the championship. The radio is broadcast live at each event. Content includes the latest...
via the Internet, featuring end of stage reports direct from the drivers and teams plus service park news. It also features contemporary music during breaks in rally coverage. This coverage can even simulcast on local radio or via a temporary licence, pending on the event and its organisers. They are also responsible for producing podcasts for each day of each event available for download.
Champions
_(2949x1965)_(300dpi).jpg)
| Season |
Championship for Drivers |
Championship for Manufacturers |
| Driver |
Car |
Manufacturer |
Car |
| 2009 The 2009 World Rally Championship season is the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consists of twelve rallies and began on 30th January, with Rally Ireland and will end with Rally GB on 25 October...
|
|
|
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Citroën C4 WRC |
2008The 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....
|
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Citroën C4 WRC |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Citroën C4 WRC |
| 2007 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...
|
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Citroën C4 WRC |
USA Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
Ford Focus WRCThe Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
| 2006 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
USA Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
Ford Focus WRCThe Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the BP Ford World Rally Team by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2 litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship...
|
| 2005 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| 2004 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| 2003 |
Norway Petter SolbergPetter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
|
Subaru Impreza WRC |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| 2002 |
Finland Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
|
Peugeot 206 WRC |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
Peugeot 206 WRC |
| 2001 |
GBR Richard BurnsRichard Burns was an English rally driver. He was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was the 2001 World Rally Champion, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world manufacturers' title in 1998, and Peugeot in 2002...
|
Subaru Impreza WRC |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
Peugeot 206 WRC |
| 2000 |
Finland Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
|
Peugeot 206 WRC |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
Peugeot 206 WRC |
| 1999 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
|
Japan Toyota |
Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 1998 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
|
Japan MitsubishiThe , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
|
| 1997 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
|
Japan Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 1996 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo ,is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral. All of them share a two litre, turbocharged engine and...
|
Japan Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1995 |
GBR Colin McRaeColin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first Briton and the youngest to win the World...
|
Subaru Impreza 555 |
Japan Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1994 |
France Didier AuriolDidier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD |
Japan Toyota |
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD |
| 1993 |
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD |
Japan Toyota |
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD |
| 1992 |
Spain Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
|
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta HF Integrale |
| 1991 The 1991 World Rally Championship season was the 19th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 14 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Juha Kankkunen in a Lancia Delta Integrale 16V, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Didier...
|
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale 16V |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale 16V |
| 1990 1990 World Rally Championship season was the 18th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 12 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Carlos Sainz in a Toyota Celica GT-Four, ahead of Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen. The manufacturers' title was won by...
|
Spain Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
|
Toyota Celica GT-Four The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient...
|
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale 16V |
1989The 1989 World Rally Championship season was the 17th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, with some adjustments to the schedule versus the previous season...
|
Italy Miki BiasionMassimo 'Miki' Biasion is an Italian rally driver, two times world rally champion.-Career:Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale |
1988The 1988 World Rally Championship season was the 16th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship...
|
Italy Miki BiasionMassimo 'Miki' Biasion is an Italian rally driver, two times world rally champion.-Career:Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta Integrale |
| 1987 The 1987 World Rally Championship season was the 15th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies in the same venues of the previous season...
|
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
Lancia Delta HF 4WD |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Delta HF 4WD |
| 1986 The 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally...
|
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |
1985The 1985 World Rally Championship season was the 13th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship...
|
Finland Timo Salonen Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
|
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |
1984The 1984 World Rally Championship season was the 12th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship...
|
Sweden Stig Blomqvist"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. Blomqvist won the Swedish Rally several times, and was the 1984 World Rally Champion....
|
Audi QuattroThe Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March....
|
Germany Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
|
Audi QuattroThe Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March....
|
| 1983 |
Finland Hannu MikkolaHannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
|
Audi QuattroThe Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March....
|
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Rally 037 |
1982The 1982 World Rally Championship season was the tenth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies. By this time, the schedule format had become generally stable, with only one or two changes to venues year to year...
|
Germany Walter RöhrlWalter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
|
Opel Ascona 400 |
Germany Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
|
Audi QuattroThe Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March....
|
1981The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies...
|
Finland Ari Vatanen Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
|
Ford Escort RS1800 |
GBR Talbot Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industry's most complex.-Inception of the British Talbot:Talbot was originally the British brand name used to sell imported French Clément-Bayard cars. Founded in 1903, this business venture was financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th...
|
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus |
1980The 1980 World Rally Championship season was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies...
|
Germany Walter RöhrlWalter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
|
Fiat 131 Abarth |
Italy FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
|
Fiat 131 Abarth |
| 1979 |
Sweden Björn WaldegårdBjörn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979...
|
Ford Escort RS1800* |
USA Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 1978 |
Finland Markku Alén Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and still holds the record for most stage wins in the series...
*** |
Fiat 131 Abarth** |
Italy FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
|
Fiat 131 Abarth |
| 1977 |
Italy Sandro MunariSandro Munari is a former motor racing and rally driver from Italy.-Career:Born at Cavarzere, Veneto, Sandro Munari began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Rally Championship in 1967 and 1969, adding the European Rally Championship title in 1973. In 1972 he won the Targa Florio sports car...
*** |
Lancia Stratos HF |
Italy FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
|
Fiat 131 Abarth |
| 1976 |
No drivers' championship |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 1975 |
No drivers' championship |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 1974 |
No drivers' championship |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 1973 |
No drivers' championship |
France Alpine-RenaultAlpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars that used rear mounted Renault engines.Jean Rédélé, the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor, who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War...
|
Alpine A110The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
|
* - Björn WaldegårdBjörn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979...
drove a Mercedes 450 SLCThe Mercedes-Benz C107 coupe was built from 1973 to 1981 and was always badged as the 'SLC.' It was an elongated version of the R107, most commonly known as the '450SL.' It was also Mercedes-Benz's most expensive and top-of-the-line offering in the years it was produced, barring the custom order...
in two rallies in 1979 |
| ** - Markku Alén Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and still holds the record for most stage wins in the series...
drove a Lancia Stratos HF in two rallies in 1978 |
| *** - In 1977 and 1978, the drivers championship was the FIA Cup for Rally Drivers |
| No drivers title 1973-1976 |
Records
| Driver championships |
Driver rally wins |
Manufacturer championships |
Manufacturer rally wins |
| Place |
Driver |
Titles |
Place |
Driver |
Wins |
Place |
Manufacturer |
Titles |
Place |
Manufacturer |
Wins |
| 1 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
5 |
1 |
France Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb, Légion d'honneur is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
|
53 |
1 |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
10 |
1 |
Italy LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
|
73 |
| 2 |
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
4 |
2 |
Finland Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
|
30 |
2 |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
5 |
USA Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
73 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
4 |
3 |
Spain Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
|
26 |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
5 |
3 |
France Citroën Citroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
|
59 |
| 4 |
Germany Walter RöhrlWalter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
|
2 |
4 |
Great Britain Colin McRaeColin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first Briton and the youngest to win the World...
|
25 |
4 |
Japan Toyota |
3 |
4 |
France Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest European carmaker.Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and...
|
48 |
Italy Massimo BiasionMassimo 'Miki' Biasion is an Italian rally driver, two times world rally champion.-Career:Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037...
|
2 |
5 |
Finland Tommi Mäkinen"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen ( is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä on 26 June 1964. As of 1999 he lived in both Monaco and Jyväskylä, married, with two children...
|
24 |
Japan Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
3 |
5 |
Japan Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
|
47 |
Spain Carlos SainzCarlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
|
2 |
6 |
Finland Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
|
23 |
Italy FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
|
3 |
6 |
Japan Toyota |
43 |
Finland Marcus GrönholmMarcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
|
2 |
7 |
Finland Markku Alén Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and still holds the record for most stage wins in the series...
|
20 |
USA Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
3 |
7 |
Japan MitsubishiThe , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
|
34 |
| 8 |
11 drivers are tied with a single championship each. |
France Didier AuriolDidier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
|
20 |
8 |
Germany Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
|
2 |
8 |
Germany Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
|
24 |
| 9 |
Finland Hannu MikkolaHannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
|
18 |
9 |
3 manufacturers tied with a single championship each |
9 |
Italy FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
|
21 |
| 10 |
Italy Massimo BiasionMassimo 'Miki' Biasion is an Italian rally driver, two times world rally champion.-Career:Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037...
|
17 |
10 |
Japan DatsunDatsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd...
/ Nissan |
9 |
- Note: bold text indicates active drivers and teams.
Other classes
The World Rally Championship also features support championships called the Production car World Rally Championship (PWRC) and the
Junior World Rally ChampionshipThe FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship . 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...
(JWRC). These championships are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC. In 2008, The PWRC includes eight and the JWRC seven events. In 2007, the junior championship had no events outside Europe so it was known simply as the Junior Rally Championship (JRC).
The Production car World Rally Championship began in 2002, replacing the FIA
Group NIn 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"....
Cup which had been contested from 1987. Cars in the championship are production-based and homologated under Group N or
Super 2000Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an FIA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification is split to cover both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Production World Rally Championship events alongside Group N cars...
rules. The Junior World Rally Championship was started in 2001, and can be contested with
Super 1600Super 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...
, Group N and selected
Group AIn 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 the Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight,...
cars. Drivers in the championship have to be 28 years or younger. There is no age limit for
co-driverCo-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.
Video games
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 was released in 1995,
V-Rally and
Top Gear RallyTop Gear Rally is a rally game for the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. It features five tracks. It has a feature that allows the user to give their virtual cars custom paint jobs. Although the name stayed the same, the developers changed between consoles...
in 1997 and the first game in the very popular
Colin McRae RallyColin McRae Rally is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters.Started in 1998, the franchise has been a critical and commercial success and is generally acknowledged as a pioneer of realistic rally sports racing games. However, the car handling in the most recent games is...
series in 1998.
Rally TrophyRally Trophy is a historic PC rally simulation, created by Bugbear Entertainment and JoWood Productions. The cars modelled are Mini Cooper 1275S, Saab 96 V4, Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA, Fiat 600 Abarth, Opel Kadett, Lancia Fulvia, Ford Cortina, Ford Escort MK1 RS2000, Volvo Amazon, Alpine A110 and...
, released in 2001 for
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
by
BugbearBugbear Entertainment Ltd. is a Finnish video game company. It was established in March, 2000 and currently employs 40 people . The company solely focuses on various kinds of racing games.- Released games :- See also :...
, concentrated on historic cars such as
Alpine A110The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
and
Lancia StratosThe Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.-History:...
.
RalliSport ChallengeRalliSport Challenge is a 2002 video game of rallying for the Microsoft Windows and the Xbox. It allows a career with up to 25 cars including the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Four races that are included in the game are Rally, Hillclimb, Ice Racing, and Rallycross...
, released in 2002 for Windows and
XboxThe Xbox is a video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's GameCube...
by
Digital Illusions CEEA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment AB is a Swedish video game developer, wholly owned by Electronic Arts, best known for the Battlefield video game series and the recently-released Mirror's Edge.-History:...
, featured classic
Group BThe Group B referred to a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rally racing regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents,...
cars and hillclimb models along with modern WRC cars.
Fully FIA licensed
WRC: World Rally Championship was released in 2001 for
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
by
Evolution StudiosEvolution Studios Ltd. is a British video game developer. The company was founded in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington . The company is headquartered in Runcorn, Cheshire as well as having a satellite studio, Bigbig Studios, in Warwickshire.Both Evolution and Bigbig studios were...
. The video game series had its fifth game,
WRC: Rally EvolvedWRC: Rally Evolved is the latest World Rally Championship video game in the series...
, in 2005.
Racing simulatorSim Racing is the collective term for computer software that attempts to simulate accurately auto racing , complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings...
Richard Burns RallyRichard Burns Rally is a sim racing game, published by SCi and developed by Warthog with advice of WRC driver Richard Burns.It simulates both classic and modern rallying, and is best known for its realistic physics engine....
, released in 2004 for several platforms, has gathered recognition for its realism. Recent top-selling games include
Colin McRae: DirtColin McRae: DiRT is the sixth racing game in the Colin McRae Rally series, developed by Codemasters, and the last of the series to be published before Colin McRae's death. It features new graphics, audio, physics engine, new vehicles and a new game engine which was co-developed between...
and
Sega Rally RevoSega Rally Revo is an offroad racing video game, the 4th installment of the Sega Rally series. The game is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP from 28 September 2007 in Europe. The game's title is "REVO" as Sega intends it to be a revolution in rally racing games...
.
Gran Turismo 5Gran Turismo 5 is to be the fifth edition of the highly acclaimed Gran Turismo racing video game series, scheduled for release in March 2010. It is currently under development by Polyphony Digital and is to be published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3...
will include the WRC totally licensed.
External links
News and information
Results