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121-748: The ELPA Rally was a rally competition held in the Chalkidiki peninsula in Greece . The rally was organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece (ELPA) and was the second most important rally event in Greece after the Acropolis Rally . The first edition was held in 1976 under the name Chalkidiki Rally . Since 1977 the rally was regular part of the European Rally Championship . The 2011 edition of

242-569: A European Rally Championship (at first called the "Touring Championship") of eleven events; it was first won by Helmut Polensky of Germany. This was the premier international rallying championship until 1973, when the FIA created the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers . Initially, most of the major post-war rallies were fairly gentlemanly, but the organisers of the French Alpine and

363-552: A hillclimb and a speed trial, but it was marred by poor organisation and confusing regulations. One participant had been Prince Henry of Austria, who with the Imperial Automobile Club of Germany, later created the first Prinz Heinrich Fahrt (Prince Henry Trial) in 1908. Another trial was held in 1910. These were very successful, attracting top drivers and works cars from major teams – several manufacturers added "Prince Henry" models to their ranges. The first Alpine Trial

484-416: A super special stage . These are often short and for spectators or promotional purposes and may be on a different surface such as asphalt on a gravel character rally, or they may be a head-to-head running where two cars start at the same time at different points in a loop format. Since 2021 rallies must consist of only one surface type except where short super special stages are permitted that do not require

605-515: A 7th rally entered outside Europe also scoring points towards the championship tally. Power stage points are also awarded. Drivers, co-drivers and teams must all nominate if they wish to be eligible for championship points before a rally and can do so independently. For that reason the same crew pair in the same team may compete in all events in a season yet nominate and score points in different events. Crews competing in WRC2 are given Priority 2 status and run

726-497: A Championship both as a driver and as a team principal. At the end of the following year, Citroën withdrew from the championship after Ogier left the team. Ott Tänak took the driver's title breaking the French Sebastien's (Loeb and Ogier) domination of the sport since 2004. Hyundai meanwhile, took the manufacturers championship title and repeated the success in 2020. Ogier returned to championship winning ways for 2020 and 2021 in

847-815: A Toyota Yaris, though vowed that the new era of Rally1 would not be fully contested by himself. WRC said goodbye to the World Rally Car in 2021 after 25 years. Each WRC season consists of a number of rounds within the same calendar year and should ordinarily include rallies on a minimum of 3 continents. In the past the championship has visited every continent except Antarctica. Most recently there have been about 13 rallies though there have been as few as 7 such as in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The rallies are typically driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. The competitive special stages are driven on closed roads which are linked by non-competitive road sections known as liaisons. These roads are open to

968-534: A WRC rally in 2022, cars must be homologated in one of the following groups or classes: World Rally Car 1.6L, any of the Groups Rally and R3 or R-GT of Group R Eligible cars with 1.6L direct injection turbo engines and four-wheel drive built to World Rally Car regulations. The power output is limited to around 280 kW (380 hp). The 'WRC+' cars including the Ford Fiesta WRC , Toyota Yaris WRC and

1089-629: A bad accident at the Rally Argentina left him to watch compatriot and teammate Timo Salonen take the title instead. Italian Attilio Bettega had an even more severe crash with his Lancia 037 at the Tour de Corse and died instantly. The 1986 season started with impressive performances by Finns Henri Toivonen and Alén in Lancia's new turbo- and supercharged Delta S4 , which could reportedly accelerate from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.3 seconds, on

1210-481: A category of rally cars known as Group R were introduced as a rally only replacement to the Group A and Group N categories which were slowly phased out of eligibility. Cars were classified under one of six categories based on their engine capacity and type, wheelbase, and drivetrain. Group R cars still had to be homologated in Group A or N but have the relevant Group R extension approved in common with other rally formulae. As

1331-599: A certain single-minded ruthlessness. Rather gentler (and more akin to modern rallying) was the Glidden Tour , run by the American Automobile Association between 1902 and 1913, which had timed legs between control points and a marking system to determine the winners. The First World War brought a lull to motorsport. The Monte Carlo Rally was not revived until 1924, but since then, apart from World War II and its aftermath, it has been an annual event and remains

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1452-472: A change in the car's setup. In the past some rallies such as Sanremo or Rally Spain have had one day of gravel followed by another day of asphalt stages, requiring substantial changes in the setup of the car. Asphalt setups have 18" wheels compared to 13" on gravel or snow, combined with changes needed to the differentials, suspension travel and geometry. A WRC event begins with reconnaissance ( recce ) on Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing crews to drive through

1573-484: A form of motorsport. A touring assembly may have an organised route and simple passage controls but not any form of competition held or prizes given. One example, the Gumball 3000 , which calls itself ' a rally not a race ', explicitly states in its terms that no form of competition between participants must take place. The FIA defined this activity under 'rally of the touring kind' at least until 2007, though have now separated

1694-566: A gravel road. However, the season soon took a dramatic turn. At the Rally Portugal, three spectators were killed and over 30 injured after Joaquim Santos lost control of his Ford RS200 . At the Tour de Corse, championship favourite Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto died in a fireball accident after plunging down a cliff. Only hours after the crash, Jean-Marie Balestre and the FISA decided to freeze

1815-518: A minimum production requirement to achieve homologation by the FIA. This ceased to be the case when Group Rally1 cars were introduced for the 2022 season. Rally1 regulations placed them in Category II as 'Competition Cars', which are built as single examples for exclusive use in competition. The rules have changed over time to suit economic conditions, for safety reasons, to advance technology, to attract more manufacturer entrants or to better promote

1936-520: A mix of types. Road rallies are the original form held on public highways open to traffic. In its annually published International Sporting Code , the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) includes the following definition of rally: Rally: Road Competition with an imposed average speed run entirely or partly on roads open to normal traffic. A Rally consists either of a single itinerary..., or of several itineraries converging on

2057-855: A more southerly route before boarding a ship in Lisbon. Disembarking in Rio de Janeiro the route travelled southward into Argentina before turning northwards along the western coast of South America before arriving in Mexico City. The Ford Escort of Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm won. These were followed in 1974 by the London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally, and in 1977 by the Singapore Airlines London-Sydney Rally. The 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally followed four years later. The rally travelled southwards into Africa but

2178-516: A motoring rally. One early example of a true motor rally, the 1909 Auto Rally Day in Denison, Iowa , United States, gathered approximately 100 vehicles owned by local residents for no other real reason than to give rides to members of the public, using fuel paid for by local businessmen who hoped the event would help sell cars. In the case of the 1910 Good Roads Rally held in Charleston, South Carolina ,

2299-543: A navigational error saw most of the rally become lost in Algerian desert. Eventually only seven teams reached the southernmost point of the rally in Nigeria with five teams making it back to West Germany having driven all legs and only the winning team completing the full distance. This, coupled with the economic climate of the 1970s the heat went out of intercontinental rallying after a second London–Sydney Marathon in 1977. The concept

2420-565: A quarter hours for the 550 km (340 mi) to Bordeaux, an average of 105 km/h (65.3 mph). Speeds had now exceeded the safe limits of dusty highways thronged with spectators and open to other traffic, people and animals and there were numerous crashes, many injuries and eight deaths. The French government stopped the race and banned this style of event. From then on, racing in Europe (apart from Italy) would be on closed circuits, initially on long loops of public highway and then, in 1907, on

2541-489: A rally was organised to promote the need for better roads. The rally itself had no competition and most vehicles were expected to be parked for its duration. The programme included a visit to some ongoing roadworks, a vehicle parade, with food, drink, dancing and music also arranged. However, the Automobile Club of Columbia , who had members attending the event, independently organised their own road competition to contest on

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2662-474: A rallying-point fixed beforehand.... The route may include one or several special stages, i.e. events organised on roads closed to normal traffic, and which together determine the general classification of the Rally. The itineraries which are not used for special stages are called road sections. Speed must never constitute a factor determining the classification on these road sections. In an exclusively regularity rally,

2783-587: A regular round of the World Rally Championship. In the 1930s, helped by the tough winters, it became the premier European rally, attracting 300 or more participants. In the 1920s, numerous variations on the Alpine theme sprang up in Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany. The most important of these were Austria's Alpenfahrt , which continued into its 44th edition in 1973, Italy's Coppa delle Alpi , and

2904-447: A result, older cars could reclassify under Group R subject to meeting criteria. With R5, R4, R2 and R1 of Group R being renamed and absorbed by the new Groups Rally, as of the 2021 season R3 and R-GT cars are still currently eligible for overall entry. R3 cars however have been downgraded to RC4 sporting class from RC3, in line with Rally4 cars rather than superseding them. Neither R3 or R-GT have specific WRC support championships. When

3025-454: A series of manoeuvrability and car control tests; the latter a thinly disguised road race over some of Europe's toughest mountain roads. In Ireland, the first Ulster Motor Rally (1931) was run from multiple starting points. After several years in this format, it transitioned into the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Circuit of Ireland Rally . In Italy, Benito Mussolini 's government encouraged motorsport of all kinds and facilitated road racing, so

3146-461: A serious accident in 1957 caused it to be banned. Meanwhile, in 1981, the Tour de France was revived by the Automobile-Club de Nice as a different kind of rally, based primarily on a series of races at circuits and hillclimbs around the country. It was successful for a while and continued until 1986. It spawned similar events in a few other countries, but none survive. In countries where there

3267-423: A similar system to the classification points, where only the top two nominated from each team can be eligible. While normal Special Stages are timed with an accuracy to the tenth of a second, the "Power Stage" timing is to the thousandth of a second. Crews are permitted to restart the following day if they are forced to retire. For each stage not completed however, a ten-minute penalty plus the winning stage time in

3388-503: A social, political or religious cause. Motor car rallies were probably being arranged as motor clubs and automobile associations were beginning to form shortly after the first motor cars were being produced. "Auto Rallies" were common events in the USA in the early twentieth century for the purpose of political caucusing , however many of these rallies were coincidentally aimed at motorists who could attend in convenient fashion rather than being

3509-399: A speed limit of 25kph imposed, the competitive elements were partly based on cleanliness, condition and elegance of the cars and required a jury to choose a winner. However, getting to Monaco in winter was a challenge in itself. A second event was held in 1912. Rallying as a form of road competition can be traced back to the origins of motorsport, including the world's first known motor race;

3630-496: A total distance of at least 5000 km. Hill rallies are a type of cross-country event found in the United Kingdom and defined and governed by Motorsport UK . Assemblies of car enthusiasts and their vehicles may still colloquially be called rallies, even if they involve merely the task of getting to the location (often on a trailer). However, static assemblies that simply 'meet' (akin to a caravan or steam rally ) are not considered

3751-404: A total of 400 kilometres (250 mi) of driving. In the current era each rally usually consists of between fifteen and thirty special stages of distances ranging from under 2 km (1.2 mi) to over 50 kilometres (31 mi), not totalling more than 350 kilometres (220 mi). Any stage which deviates from the character of the rally or ordinary running of a special stage is known as

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3872-514: A truly tough event. In 1956 came Corsica's Tour de Corse , 24 hours of virtually non-stop flat out driving on some of the narrowest and twistiest mountain roads on the planet – the first major rally to be won by a woman, Belgium's Gilberte Thirion , in a Renault Dauphine . These events were road races in all but name, but in Italy such races were still allowed, and the Mille Miglia continued until

3993-544: A winner, which made it unattractive to foreign crews. In 1961, Jack Kemsley was able to persuade the Forestry Commission to open their many hundreds of miles of well surfaced and sinuous gravel roads, and the event was transformed into one of the most demanding and popular in the calendar, by 1983 having over 600 miles (970 km) of stage. It was later renamed Rally GB . Rallying also took off in Spain and Portugal and by

4114-420: Is also contested on five events of the World Rally Championship calendar. A WRC season typically consists of 13 three- to four-day rally events driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Each rally is usually split into 15–25 special stages which are run against the clock on up to 350 kilometres (220 mi) of closed roads. Manufacturers must register to be eligible to score in

4235-499: Is no age restriction for co-drivers. The Junior World Rally Championship was previously an open championship for younger drivers in S1600 cars from 2001. In 2011 it became a closed FIA sanctioned championship run by either M-Sport or Citroën in the current format. Ford Fiesta R2/Rally4 or Citroën DS3 R3 cars were provided, maintained and serviced for each entrant. Championships were awarded to drivers, co-drivers and nations. Only 5 rounds of

4356-716: Is not permitted. For the 2023 season, Rally1 entries may use a maximum 28 tyres per round. WRC Promoter GmbH owns the commercial rights to the WRC championships, responsible for all media coverage, sponsorship operations and encouraging of participants. WRC Promoter GmbH is jointly owned by Red Bull Media House and KW25 Beteiligungs GmbH. Through the Red Bull Content Pool, WRC provides news, articles and images for professional news and media outlets free of charge. The WRC.com website and mobile apps provides news, live rally times and results, championship standings and information about

4477-403: Is not unusual for a crew to finish far down the overall classification yet still score manufacturers points. A driver can win the driver's championship driving one car yet a different manufacturer can win the manufacturer's championship which has occurred on several occasions, most recently in 2018, 2019 and 2020. First introduced in 2011 , the "Power Stage" is the final stage of the rally and

4598-406: Is tested. Gimmick rallies have less of a concern on timekeeping or driving ability and include other fun and games. Examples include: These rallies are primarily amateur events. Stage rallying simply divides the route from the start to the finish of any rally into stages, not necessarily exclusively for speed tests on special stages . Each stage may have different targets or rules attached. In

4719-404: Is typically distinguished from other forms of motorsport by not running directly against other competitors over laps of a circuit , but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants leave at regular intervals from one or more start points. Rallies generally fall under two categories, road rallies and cross-country (off-road). Different types of rally are described however a rally may be

4840-444: Is typically televised live and immediately followed by the rally's podium celebrations. Additional World Championship points are available to the five fastest drivers and co-drivers through the stage regardless of where they actually finish in the rally. The fastest team receiving five points, the second-fastest receiving four points, etc. and the fifth-fastest receiving one. In 2021 manufacturers began scoring power stage points following

4961-575: The Automobile Club de France sponsored the longest race to date, a 1,710 km (1,060 mi) event from Bordeaux to Agen and back. Because it was held in ten stages, it can be considered the first stage rally. The first three places were taken by a Panhard, a Panhard, and a three-wheeler De Dion-Bouton . In the Paris–Madrid race of May 1903, the Mors of Fernand Gabriel took just under five and

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5082-454: The 1982 , and with only a few restrictions allowed almost unlimited power. Audi took the manufacturers' title in 1982 and 1984 and drivers' title in 1983 (Mikkola) and 1984 ( Stig Blomqvist ). Audi's French female driver Michèle Mouton and her co-driver Fabrizia Pons came close to winning the title in 1982, but had to settle for second place after Opel rival Röhrl. The 1985 title seemed set to go to Vatanen and his Peugeot 205 T16 but

5203-613: The 2001 title with a Subaru Impreza WRC , but Grönholm and Peugeot took back both titles in the 2002 . 2003 saw Norway 's Petter Solberg become drivers' champion for Subaru and Citroën continue the success of the French manufacturers. Citroën's Sébastien Loeb went on to control the following seasons with his Citroën Xsara WRC . Citroën took the manufacturers' title three times in a row and Loeb surpassed Mäkinen's record of four consecutive drivers' titles, earning his ninth consecutive championship in 2012. Suzuki and Subaru pulled out of

5324-500: The 2024 season which did not include results in the final classification. The driver's championship and manufacturer's championship are separate but based on a similar point system. Manufacturers must nominate up to three crews to be eligible for manufacturer championship points before an event. The two fastest nominated crews from each manufacturer form a new classification for the purpose of awarding manufacturer points. Retired crews cannot score points unless they have restarted and it

5445-762: The Coupe Internationale des Alpes (International Alpine Trial), organised jointly by the automobile clubs of Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and, latterly, France. This last event, run from 1928 to 1936, attracted strong international fields vying for an individual Glacier Cup or a team Alpine Cup, including successful Talbot , Riley , MG and Triumph teams from Britain and increasingly strong and well funded works representation from Adolf Hitler 's Germany, keen to prove its engineering and sporting prowess with successful marques like Adler , Wanderer and Trumpf. The French started their own Rallye des Alpes Françaises in 1932, which continued after World War II as

5566-566: The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cannot be driven by those who had scored manufacturer points between 2017 and 2021. Earlier WRC cars since 2011, such as the Volkswagen Polo R WRC are permitted without such restrictions. 2021 was the final season of this specification at the top of the sport, being replaced by Rally1 in the manufacturer's championship in 2022. The Groups Rally consists of six rally car specifications eligible for WRC. Starting in 2008,

5687-524: The Lancia Delta HF . The 1990s then saw the Japanese manufacturers, Toyota , Subaru and Mitsubishi , become title favourites. Spain's Carlos Sainz driving for Toyota Team Europe took the 1990 and 1992 titles with a Toyota Celica GT-Four . Kankkunen moved to Toyota for the 1993 season and won his record fourth title, with Toyota taking its first manufacturers' crown. Frenchman Didier Auriol brought

5808-476: The Rallye International des Alpes , the name often shortened to Coupe des Alpes . Other rallies started between the wars included Britain's RAC Rally (1932) and Belgium's Liège-Rome-Liège or just Liège, officially called "Le Marathon de la Route" (1931), two events of radically different character; the former a gentle tour between cities from various start points, "rallying" at a seaside resort with

5929-434: The World Rally Championship , Regional Rally Championships; and many countries' motorsport governing bodies organise domestic rallying championships using speed competitions. The stages may vary from flat asphalt and mountain passes to rough forest tracks, from ice and snow to desert sand, each chosen to provide a challenge for the crew and a test of the car's performance and reliability. A single-venue rally takes place without

6050-447: The 1894 Paris–Rouen Horseless Carriage Competition ( Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux ). Sponsored by a Paris newspaper, Le Petit Journal , it attracted considerable public interest and entries from leading manufacturers. The official winner was Albert Lemaître driving a 3 hp Peugeot , although the Comte de Dion had finished first but his steam-powered vehicle was ineligible for

6171-559: The 1960s had spread to their colonial territories in the mid-Atlantic. By the end of the 1960s events had not only begun in Madeira and the Canary Islands , but also on the far-flung Azores . World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC ) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the FIA . Inaugurated in 1973, it is the second oldest of

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6292-415: The FIA ecoRally Cup for example, energy performance is measured on regularity stages ran in conformity with the clock. A gimmick rally may have stages with varying difficulty of the puzzle element. Also called rally racing or (special) stage rallying . Road rallies must use special stages where speed is used to determine the classification of the rally's competitors; the quickest time to complete

6413-401: The FIA's world championships after Formula One . Each season lasts one calendar year , and separate championship titles are awarded to drivers, co-drivers and manufacturers. There are also two support championships, WRC2 and WRC3 , which are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC, but with progressively lower maximum performance and running costs of the cars permitted. Junior WRC

6534-611: The German works teams shortly before their countries were overrun. This was one of five Liège wins for Trasenster; Trevoux won four Montes between 1934 and 1951. Rallying was again slow to get under way after a major war, but by the 1950s there were many long-distance road rallies. In Europe, the Monte Carlo Rally, the French and Austrian Alpines, and the Liège were joined by a host of new events that quickly established themselves as classics:

6655-808: The Lisbon Rally (Portugal, 1947), the Tulip Rally (the Netherlands, 1949), the Rally to the Midnight Sun (Sweden, 1951, now the Swedish Rally ), the Rally of the 1000 Lakes (Finland, 1951 – now the Rally Finland ), and the Acropolis Rally (Greece, 1956). The RAC Rally gained International status on its return in 1951, but for 10 years its emphasis on map-reading navigation and short manoeuvrability tests made it unpopular with foreign crews. The FIA created in 1953

6776-505: The Liège (which moved its turning point from Rome into Yugoslavia in 1956) straight away set difficult time schedules: the Automobile Club de Marseille et Provence laid on a long tough route over a succession of rugged passes, stated that cars would have to be driven flat out from start to finish, and gave a coveted Coupe des Alpes ("Alpine Cup") to anyone achieving an unpenalised run; while Belgium's Royal Motor Union made clear no car

6897-586: The PWRC from 2007 to 2009 before the Super 2000 World Rally Championship was run between 2010 and 2012. They were also accepted in WRC2 from 2013 to 2016. Super 1600 cars were only allowed to enter in JWRC and on events that the championship was held on up to 2010 before the R2 became the sole championship car. Historically, multiple brands have provided tyres to competitors. Pirelli was

7018-688: The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in 1989. Despite the PWRC ending in 2012, Group N cars were allowed to enter WRC2 until 2016 and overall rallies until the end of 2018. In 1997 , the World Rally Car specification was introduced to ease the development of new cars and bring new makes to the competition. An extension of Group A, the WRC cars were used in the manufacturer's championship, although Mitsubishi received special dispensation to run their Group A models into 1999, and won three drivers and one manufacturers championships whilst doing so. In 2011 changes were made to

7139-701: The Royal Automobile Club held its 2,000 mi (3,200 km) International Touring Car Trial, and in 1914 the Light Car Trial for manufacturers of cars up to 1400 cc, to test comparative performances. In 1924, the exercise was repeated as the Small Car Trials. In Germany , the Herkomer Trophy was first held in 1905, and again in 1906. This challenging five-day event attracted over 100 entrants to tackle its 1,000 km (620 mi) road section,

7260-601: The Royal Automobile Club) organised the Thousand Mile Trial, a 15-day event linking Britain's major cities in order to promote this novel form of transport. Seventy vehicles took part, the majority of them trade entries. They had to complete thirteen stages of route varying in length from 43 to 123 miles (69 to 198 km) at average speeds of up to the legal limit of 12 mph (19 km/h), and tackle six hillclimb or speed tests. On rest days and at lunch halts,

7381-429: The WRC already in 1986, with Sweden's Kenneth Eriksson taking the title with a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V . Lancia was quickest in adapting to the new regulations and controlled the world rally scene with Lancia Delta HF , winning the manufacturers' title six years in a row from 1987 to 1992 and remains the most successful marque in the history of the WRC. Kankkunen and Miki Biasion both took two drivers' titles with

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7502-496: The WRC at the end of the 2008 championship , both citing the economic downturn then affecting the automotive industry for their withdrawal. Mini and Ford both pulled out of the WRC at the end of the 2012 championship , due to a similar economic downturn affecting the European market, although Ford continued to give technical support to M-Sport . Volkswagen Motorsport entered the championship in 2013 and Sebastien Ogier dominated

7623-464: The WRC began in 1973, FISA allowed cars from its Group 1 (series-production touring cars), Group 2 (touring cars), Group 3 (series-production grand touring cars) and Group 4 (modified grand touring cars) amongst national classes. These FISA classes were also used in circuit racing and other motorsport championships. The groups formed the basis of new groups in 1982, Group N replaced Group 1, Group A replaced Group 2, and Group B replaced Group 4. Due to

7744-628: The WRC calendar were competed with the best 4 results counting towards championship points, although the final round was worth double points. The highest scoring driver from each country registered points for the nations championship. Uniquely for this series, points were also awarded for stage wins. In 2023 the FIA WRC Masters Cup will run for the first time. The cup is open to drivers and co-drivers over 50 years of age and may enter in any WRC eligible car except Rally1. The cup effectively replaces WRC2 Masters Cup which ran in 2022 for WRC2 entrants of

7865-440: The World Rally Car, the engine capacity was restricted to 1.6L and the minimum length requirement removed to allow for smaller and cost-effective models. Further changes in 2017 allowed for more aero-dynamics, increased safety requirements and a larger air intake restrictor, which increased the effective power from 300 to 380 hp. Super 2000 cars were allowed to enter the overall rallies from 2007 to 2018. They were eligible in

7986-417: The World Rally Championship for Manufacturers and must compete in every rally of the season with Group Rally1 specification cars ( World Rally Car between 1997 and 2021). As the manufacturers use the highest performance car and usually employ the best drivers it is usually the case that these crews and cars take the majority of drivers/co-drivers championship points. Thus, combined with the money invested by

8107-432: The aim is to adhere to the itinerary by following the route and arriving and departing at checkpoints at the prescribed time, with penalties applied to entrants who arrive early, late or who deviate from the route. The entrants with the fewest penalties at the end of the rally are the winners. In trying to maintain the set average speed/s, the reliability of the vehicle, and the ability of the crew to drive, navigate and follow

8228-505: The cars are prepared and repaired if needed at the end of each loop and leg , however some rallies may organise a remote service and/or tyre fitting zone nearer to the stages during a leg. How much time can be spent working on the car once the rally has started is outlined in the rally's itinerary. Between the days, after a final end of day service, cars are locked away in parc fermé , a quarantine environment where teams are not permitted to access or work on their cars. Points are awarded at

8349-563: The cars were shown to the public in exhibition halls. This event was followed in 1901 by a five-day trial based in Glasgow The Scottish Automobile Club organised an annual Glasgow–London non-stop trial from 1902 to 1904, then the Scottish Reliability Trial from 1905. The Motor Cycling Club allowed cars to enter its trials and runs from 1904 (London– Edinburgh , London– Land's End , London– Exeter ). In 1908

8470-574: The championship was contested using two wheel drive cars from R1, R2 and R3 classes of Group R . No championship ran in 2019 but was reinstated in its current format in 2020 . Crews competing in WRC3 are given Priority 3 status to run after the WRC2 crews. Junior WRC is an arrive-and-drive format championship run over 5 events of the WRC calendar using Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars provided by M-Sport . Drivers have to be under 29 and must register. Championship titles are awarded to drivers and co-drivers, though there

8591-425: The clerk of the course. The name was also dropped to avoid confusion with the new Rally2 group of car. Restarting is still at the discretion of the organisers, such as meeting safety standards after a heavy accident. The rules surrounding which cars are used in WRC are governed and approved by the FIA . From the WRC's inception, cars had always followed a basic rule of being Category I, 'Series Production Cars' with

8712-455: The completion of each rally and contribute towards the world championship classifications, and those with the most points at the end of the season are given the championship titles. Up to the 2023 season, points were awarded to the top positions in the overall final classification of each rally, and from 2011, extra points for the Power Stage were introduced. A new points system was introduced for

8833-457: The cost – financial, social and environmental – of putting them on in an increasingly complex and developed world, although smaller road races continued long after, and a few still do in countries like Bolivia . In Africa, 1950 saw the first French-run Algiers-Cape Town Rally , a 10,000-mile (16,000 km) rally from the Mediterranean to South Africa ; it was run on and off until 1961, when

8954-479: The development of the Group B cars and ban them from competing in 1987. More controversy followed when Peugeot's Juha Kankkunen won the title after FIA annulled the results of the San Remo Rally , taking the title from fellow Finn Markku Alén . As the planned Group S was also cancelled, Group A regulations became the standard in the WRC until 1997. A separate Group A championship had been organized as part of

9075-643: The final push across Australia to Sydney. It attracted over 100 crews including a number of works teams and top drivers; it was won by the Hillman Hunter of Andrew Cowan/Brian Coyle/Colin Malkin. The huge success of this event saw the creation of the World Cup Rallies, linked to Association Football's FIFA World Cup. The first was the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally which saw competitors travel from London eastwards across to Bulgaria before turning westwards on

9196-549: The first manufacturer's world championship with its Alpine A110 , after which Lancia took the title three years in a row with the Ferrari V6 -powered Lancia Stratos HF , the first car designed and manufactured specifically for rallying. The first drivers' world championship was not awarded until 1979 , although 1977 and 1978 seasons included an FIA Cup for Drivers , won by Italy 's Sandro Munari and Finland 's Markku Alén respectively. Sweden 's Björn Waldegård became

9317-465: The first official world champion, edging out Finland's Hannu Mikkola by one point. Fiat took the manufacturers' title with the Fiat 131 Abarth in 1977, 1978 and 1980 , Ford with its Escort RS1800 in 1979 and Talbot with its Sunbeam Lotus in 1981 . Waldegård was followed by German Walter Röhrl and Finn Ari Vatanen as drivers' world champions. The 1980s saw the rear-wheel-drive Group 2 and

9438-468: The first purpose-built track, England's Brooklands . Italy had been running road competitions since 1895, when a reliability trial was run from Turin to Asti and back. The country's first true motor race was held in 1897 along the shore of Lake Maggiore, from Arona to Stresa and back. This led to a long tradition of road racing, including events like Sicily's Targa Florio (from 1906 ) and Giro di Sicilia (Tour of Sicily, 1914), which went right round

9559-481: The increasing power, lack of reliability and a series of fatal accidents during the 1986 season, Group B was permanently banned. In 1987 Group A became the highest performance car and the choice for manufacturers whilst privateers opted for the budget friendly Group N for use in the newly created Production Car World Rally Championship . A Group N car has won a WRC rally only once - a Renault 5 driven by Alain Oreille won

9680-535: The island, both of which continued on and off until after World War II. The first Alpine event was held in 1898, the Austrian Touring Club's three-day Automobile Run through South Tyrol, which included the infamous Stelvio Pass . In Britain , the legal maximum speed of 12 mph (19 km/h) precluded road racing, but in April and May 1900, the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland (the forerunner of

9801-474: The itinerary is tested. Most non-regularity rally itineraries follow this base structure even where driving tests or special stages are used, however these would not then be described as a regularity rally. Similar to a regularity rally, the itinerary may advise a time and/or distance, or may only advise a target average speed with no indication where the checkpoints may be. The ability of the crew to follow road signs or directions of varying depth of information

9922-427: The journey between the two cities. A prize of $ 10 was awarded to the motorist "approximating the most ideal schedule" between two secret points along the route and who had "the most nearly correct idea of a pleasant and sensible pleasure tour" between the two cities. Though this format of competition itself would later become known as a regularity 'rally', it wasn't at the time, however the trophy and prize were awarded at

10043-452: 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 Grönholm took the drivers' title in his first full year in the series and Peugeot won the manufacturers' crown. England's Richard Burns won

10164-485: The manufacturer teams, promotion of the WRC only tends to include the manufacturer crews and privateers in the Rally1 car or World Rally Car. These crews are given Priority 1 (P1) status on rallies and contest the stages before other crews. However it is not unusual for competitors in lower performance cars to take points in the drivers or co-driver's championships. Any crew entering any WRC rally are eligible to score points in

10285-465: The manufacturers' title in 1998 . Another notable car was the Ford Escort RS Cosworth , which was specifically designed for rallying. It was the first production car to produce downforce both at front and rear. For the 1997 World Rally Championship , the World Rally Car regulations were introduced as an intended replacement for Group A (only successive works Mitsubishis still conforming to

10406-447: The more popular Group 4 cars be replaced by more powerful four-wheel-drive Group B cars. FISA legalized all-wheel-drive in 1979, but most manufacturers believed it was too complex to be successful. However, after Audi started entering Mikkola and the new four-wheel-drive Quattro in rallies for testing purposes with immediate success, other manufacturers started their all-wheel-drive projects. Group B regulations were introduced in

10527-419: The need for public road sections though the format and rules remain. In the wake of the ever more advanced rally cars of the late 20th and 21st century is a trend towards historic rallying (also known as classic rallying ), in which older cars can continue to rally. Historic rallies are usually regularity rallies with no speed tests arranged. This discipline attracts some former professional drivers back into

10648-581: The new political situation hastened its demise. In 1953 East Africa saw the demanding Coronation Safari, which went on to become the Safari Rally and a World Championship round, to be followed in due course by the Rallye du Maroc and the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire . Australia's Redex Round Australia Trial also dates from 1953, although this remained isolated from the rest of the rallying world. Canada hosted one of

10769-534: The official competition. The event led to a period of city-to-city road races being organised in Europe and the USA, which introduced many of the features found in later rallies: individual start times with cars running against the clock rather than head to head; time controls at the entry and exit points of towns along the way; road books and route notes; and driving over long distances on ordinary, mainly gravel, roads, facing hazards such as dust, traffic, pedestrians and farm animals. From 24 September-3 October 1895,

10890-481: The overall World Rally Championship for Drivers and World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers. This is regardless of car technical class, number of rallies entered or if they are also entered into the support championships. Although co-drivers are permitted to drive the cars at any point during the rally, they must only do so under a 'force majeure'. The World Rally Championship also features support championships called WRC2 and WRC3 . These championships are contested on

11011-419: The public and all road laws of that country must be adhered to. The liaison routes are detailed in a road book given to each crew and must also be adhered to within a specified time limit to arrive at the next stage or time control point or else they face penalties. To help organise this, crews carry a timecard which is filled in at each time control or special stage by an official. An average day consists of

11132-402: The rallies and championships. Commercial rights to the championship were first sold in 1996 to International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), a company owned by Bernie Ecclestone who also held an FIA presidential position at the time. ISC was sold in 2000 to a group led by the then Subaru team boss David Richards , who later sold the company to North One Television in 2007. In 2009, ISC

11253-471: The rally was cancelled due to financial reasons and was never revived since. Sourced from Notes: Rallying Depending on the format, rallies may be organised on private or public roads, open or closed to traffic, or off-road in the form of cross country or rally-raid. Competitors can use production vehicles which must be road-legal if being used on open roads or specially built competition vehicles suited to crossing specific terrain. Rallying

11374-496: The rally. The first known use of the word rally to include a road competition was the 1911 Monaco Rally (later Monte Carlo Rally ). It was organised by a group of wealthy locals who formed the "Sport Automobile Vélocipédique Monégasque" and bankrolled by the "Société des Bains de Mer" (the "sea bathing company"), the operators of the famous casino who were keen to attract wealthy and adventurous motorists to their 'rallying point'. Competitors could start at various locations but with

11495-493: The same criteria. One-make series tournaments have also run on select rounds of the WRC calendar. They were privately administered rally tournaments but permitted to run on the rallies alongside the WRC. Examples include the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy (2006, 2007 and 2009) and DMACK Fiesta Trophy (2014–2016), both run by M-Sport, and Citroën Top Driver (2013) run by Citroën. Neither team held these tournaments in

11616-446: The same events and stages as the WRC calendar and have tighter restrictions on eligible car criteria. WRC2 is contested using only Rally2 cars with championships for drivers, co-drivers and teams. Drivers and co-drivers can enter a maximum of 7 events and their best 6 results will count towards their championship tally. Teams must enter two cars into a maximum of 7 events, only 5 of 6 events entered in Europe will score, with points from

11737-403: The same priority group is added to the overall time. Originally known as SuperRally when introduced and later renamed Rally 2 , the rules allow for a better return on investment for competitors and more action for spectators. The Rally 2 name was dropped in 2019 as restarting became the norm, indeed crews are expected and assumed to be restarting unless they register a permanent retirement with

11858-424: The series with six consecutive titles. Hyundai also returned to the series in 2014. New World Rally Car rules were introduced for 2017 which generated faster and more aggressive cars. In 2018, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT won the World Rally Championship earning Toyota their first manufacturers' title since 1999 . With Tommi Mäkinen heading the team, he became the first person in the history of rally driving to win

11979-413: The series. Specifications of cars used can be for just one type, such as the World Rally Car, or a Group of similar specifications that differ in performance such as Group R. In 2014, the FIA introduced the current sporting classes to help further categorise the different classes and groups based on performance. RC1 has the highest performance cars whilst RC5 has the lowest permitted at WRC level. To enter

12100-411: The single tyre supplier for the top class from 2008 to 2010 , then Michelin from 2019 to 2020 , and Pirelli again from 2021 to 2024 . Hankook was announced as the exclusive tyre supplier from 2025 to 2027 . WRC competitors use different tyres for dry and wet asphalt, gravel, snow and ice with studs or no studs, with different compound hardness also available. Hand cutting a tread pattern

12221-455: The solution to the conflict inherent in the notion of driving as fast as possible on ordinary roads. The idea spread to other countries, albeit more slowly to the most demanding events. The RAC Rally had formally become an International event in 1951, but Britain's laws precluded the closure of public highways for special stages. This meant it had to rely on short manoeuvrability tests, regularity sections and night map-reading navigation to find

12342-489: The special stages wins the rally. These are sections of road closed to traffic and authorised to be used for speed tests. Special stages are linked by open roads where navigation, timekeeping, and road traffic law rules must be followed. These open road sections are sometimes called transport stages, somewhat complementing special stages in the make-up of a stage rally. These are the most common format of professional and commercial rallies and rally championships. The FIA organises

12463-469: The sport quickly restarted after World War I. In 1927 the Mille Miglia (Thousand Mile) was founded, run over a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) loop of highways from Brescia to Rome and back. It continued in this form until 1938. The Liège of August 1939 was the last major event before World War II. Belgium's Jean Trasenster ( Bugatti ) and France's Jean Trevoux ( Hotchkiss ) tied for first place, denying

12584-423: The sport. Other drivers started their competition careers in historic rallying. Also commonly known by its types rally-raid or baja ; cross-country rallies take place mostly off-road using similar competitive elements to road and special stage rallying competitions. When off-road, waypoints and markers are set using GPS systems, although competitors cannot use GPS for navigation. Crews must choose how best to cross

12705-470: The stages and create or update their pace notes . On Thursday, teams can run through the shakedown stage to practice and test their set-ups. The competition typically begins on either Thursday evening or Friday morning and ends on Sunday with the Power Stage. Cars start the stages at two-minute intervals in clear weather, or three-minute intervals if it is decided that visibility may be a problem for competitors. Each rally has one central service park where

12826-790: The stages immediately after P1 crews. WRC2 replaced SWRC when Group R was introduced in 2013 and the eligibility rules relaxed. In 2023, WRC2 Challenger Driver and Co-Driver Championships will run for WRC2 drivers who have not won the series before, or who have not driven for a manufacturer entry in the previous 5 years. WRC3 is contested using only Group Rally3 cars (Group Rally2 in 2020 and 2021), with championships for drivers and co-drivers. Designed for privateer drivers, WRC3 has lower entry costs than WRC2 and there are restrictions on who can enter, testing and professional support received. Drivers and co-drivers can enter up to 5 rallies with their best 4 scoring championship points, and scoring rounds must also be nominated beforehand. Between 2013 and 2018,

12947-463: The team further success in 1994 , and soon Subaru and Mitsubishi continued the success of the Japanese manufacturers. Scotsman Colin McRae won the drivers' world championship in 1995 and Subaru took the manufacturers' title three years in a row. Finland's Tommi Mäkinen driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution won the drivers' championship four times in a row, from 1996 to 1999 . Mitsubishi also won

13068-492: The term 'Touring Assembly' without using the word rally in its definition. The word ' rally' comes from the French verb ' rallier ', meaning to reunite or regroup urgently during a battle. It was in use since at least the seventeenth century and continues to mean to synergise with haste for a purpose. By the time of the invention of the motor car, it was in use as a noun to define the organised mass gathering of people, not to protest or demonstrate, but to promote or celebrate

13189-633: The terrain to the next waypoint whilst respecting the navigational instructions provided in the roadbook. The challenge is mostly navigational and endurance. The World Rally-Raid Championship was inaugurated in 2022, including the annual Dakar Rally in its calendar, with joint sanctioning by the FIA and FIM . Cross-Country Rally : Competition with a total distance between 1200 and 3000 km. Baja Cross-Country Rally : Cross-Country Rally which must be run over one day (max: 600 km) or two days (max: 1000 km). A Super Special Stage may be run on an extra day. Marathon Cross-Country Rally : Cross-Country Rally with

13310-776: The world's longest and most gruelling rallies in the 1960s, the Shell 4000 Rally. It was the only one sanctioned by the FIA in North America. The quest for longer and tougher events saw the re-establishment of the intercontinental rallies beginning with the London–Sydney Marathon held in 1968. The rally trekked across Europe, the Middle-East and the sub-continent before boarding a ship in Bombay to arrive in Fremantle eight days later before

13431-561: The years they had the rights to manage the JWRC on the FIA's behalf. The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies, nine of which were previously part of the International Championship for Manufacturers (IMC), which was contested from 1970 to 1972. The 1973 World Rally Championship was the inaugural season of the WRC and began with the Monte Carlo Rally on 19 January. Alpine-Renault won

13552-473: Was 'won' by Prince Scipione Borghese , Luigi Barzini , and Ettore Guizzardi in an Itala . The New York–Paris of the following year, which went via Japan and Siberia , was won by George Schuster and others in a Thomas Flyer . Each event attracted only a handful of adventurous souls, but in both cases the successful drivers exhibited characteristics modern rally drivers would recognise: meticulous preparation, mechanical skill, resourcefulness, perseverance and

13673-428: Was announced as the new promoter from the 2013 season. In 2014, a digital subscription service named WRC+ was launched providing video clips and live transmission of some stages each rally, including the power stage , as well as onboard footage and live map tracking of competitors. With the introduction of WRC+ All Live in 2018, for the first time in the championship's history, every special stage from each round

13794-433: Was awarded a 10-year contract to act as the first promoter for the championship from 2010. This new relationship included the FIA handing over responsibilities such as proposing new events and recruiting new sponsors. The contract with North One Sports (renamed from ISC) was cancelled by the FIA ahead of the 2012 season after the company entered into administration the previous year. The current promoter, WRC Promoter GmbH ,

13915-485: Was expected to finish the Liège unpenalised – when one did (1951 winner Johnny Claes in a Jaguar XK120 ) they tightened the timing to make sure it never happened again. These two events became the ones for "the men" to do. The Monte, because of its glamour, got the media coverage and the biggest entries (and in snowy years was also a genuine challenge); while the Acropolis took advantage of Greece's appalling roads to become

14036-536: Was held in 1909, in Austria, and by 1914 this was the toughest event of its kind, producing a star performance from Britain's James Radley in his Rolls-Royce Alpine Eagle . In Estonia and Latvia , The Last Race of the Empire was held in the days prior to the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914. This period was later called the July Crisis . A 706 mile car race of six stages through what is now Estonia and Latvia. The race

14157-490: Was no shortage of demanding roads across remote terrain, other events sprang up. In South America, the biggest of these took the form of long distance city to city races, each around 5,000 to 6,000 miles (8,000 to 9,700 km), divided into daily legs. The first was the Gran Premio del Norte of 1940, run from Buenos Aires to Lima and back; it was won by Juan Manuel Fangio in a much modified Chevrolet coupé . This event

14278-546: Was repeated in 1947, and in 1948 an even more ambitious one was held, the Gran Premio de la América del Sur from Buenos Aires to Caracas , Venezuela —Fangio had an accident in which his co-driver was killed. Then in 1950 came the fast and dangerous Carrera Panamericana , a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) road race in stages across Mexico to celebrate the opening of the asphalt highway between the Guatemala and United States borders, which ran until 1954. All these events fell victim to

14399-709: Was revived in 1979 for the inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally . The success of the Dakar would eventually see intercontinental rallying recognised as its own discipline; the Rally Raid . Rallying became very popular in Sweden and Finland in the 1950s, thanks in part to the invention there of the specialsträcka (Swedish) or erikoiskoe (Finnish), or special stage. These were shorter sections of route, usually on minor or private roads—predominantly gravel in these countries—away from habitation and traffic, which were separately timed. These provided

14520-656: Was shown for selected cars with commentary available in English. For the 2019 season, commentary in Spanish was available for all stages. German and Japanese were available since the 2021 Croatia Rally . During the 2023 season, the WRC+ All Live service was replaced by a new service, Rally.TV , which amalgamated the service with a similar offer covering the FIA World Rallycross Championship . As well as offering

14641-562: Was the third Baltic Automobile and Aero Club competition for the Grand Duchess Victoria Feodrovna Prize. The participants were mainly of Tsarist Russian and German Nobility. Two ultra-long distance challenges took place at this time. The Peking-Paris of 1907 was not officially a competition, but a "raid", the French term for an expedition or collective endeavour whose promoters, the newspaper "Le Matin", rather optimistically expected participants to help each other; it

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