World Rally Championship

Publication date: 10 Nov 2023

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is an annual rally tournament organized by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). It is an exciting and spectacular sporting event that attracts millions of fans worldwide. Every year, the championship brings together the best drivers and teams in the world to compete for the title of champion. It is also the highest level of rallying competition in the world.

The championship consists of 13 stages, which are held in different countries of the world. Each stage is made up of several special stages that cover different types of roads, including tarmac, gravel, snow and ice.

Teams from around the world participate in the World Rally Championship, including Finland, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and others.

2023 World Rally Championship

The 2023 World Rally Championship, also known as 2023 WRC, is the 51st season of the FIA World Rally Championship. This season kicked off on 19 January 2023 with the Monte Carlo Rally and will conclude on 19 November 2023 with Rally Japan.

There are 13 teams competing in the current season, each representing one or two cars.

The drivers taking part in the current season’s rally are:

• Esapekka Lappi (Finland)
• Daniel Sordo (Spain)
• Pierre Louis-Loubet (France)
• Ott Tänak (Estonia)
• Jourdan Serderidis (Greece)
• Thierry Neuville (Belgium)
• Sebastien Ogier (France)
• Takamoto Katsuta (Japan)
• Elfyn Evans (USA)
• Craig Breen (Ireland)
• Kalle Rovanperä (Finland)

Which famous drivers have competed in the WRC?

Many famous drivers have competed in the WRC, including Finnish drivers Sebastien Leb, Markku Alén and Jari-Matti Latvala, French drivers Sébastien Ogier and Daniel Sordo, Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz Sr. and Carlos Sainz Jr, German drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Michael Schumacher, Swedish drivers Stig Blomqvist and Tommi Mäkinen.

2024 World Rally Championship

The 2024 World Rally Championship, also known as 2024 WRC, is the 52nd season of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship. The championship starts in Monte Carlo on 25 January and ends in Japan on 11 November.

For the 2024 season, new rules have come into force in the WRC to make the event safer and more environmentally friendly.

Key changes include:

• Switching to hybrid cars;
• Increase in tyre size;
• Changes to safety rules relating to the protection of crews and their cars.

Interesting facts about the WRC

• The World Rally Championship is the longest running rally event in the world. It has been held since 1973.
• The Finnish driver Sébastien Loeb has had the most victories in the WRC. He won 80 stages and 9 world championship titles.
• Finnish driver Kalle Rovanperä is the youngest World Rally Champion. He won the title at the age of 21 years and 290 days.
• The oldest World Rally Champion is Finnish driver Markku Alén. He won the title at the age of 41 years and 208 days.

Keep an eye on the dates of the World Rally Championship and other events in our Sporting Events Calendar.