If you like the world of rallying, you have had to hear about the World Rally Championship or WRC. It is organized by the International Automobile Federation and experienced drivers usually attend this event every year. But, if you have no idea what the WRC is, there is no need to worry. here you will learn what is WRC and some relevant aspects.
What is WRC?
WRC is the English abbreviation for World Rally Championshipwhich in Spanish means World Rally Championship. This becomes the world’s highest level competition in the category of motor sports in the rally category. It is under the coordination and supervision of the FIA.
This competition has been held every year since 1973, usually lasts about 3 or 4 days and it is not held on a racetrack as other motor competitions are usually held. These are usually scheduled around roads that are close to the city chosen as the venue for that year.
this competition it is divided into a total of 13 tests and can be divided between 15 and 24 sections, which are scheduled by the FIA in different locations around the world. They can be done in terrain with snow, dirt or asphalt conditions and all participating cars have a driver and a co-driver.
How many championships are usually held in the World Rally Championship?
Every year in the World Rally Championship two championships are usually held simultaneously, in the same way as in the Formula 1 championship:
- drivers championship: The participants participate individually to try to become champion.
- constructors championship: This is a team championship in which it is sought to see which team ranks first in the standings.
The same scoring system is used for scoring in both championships.
How were the first years of the WRC?
The The first years of the WRC began in 1973 and ended in 1981, and the rally proved to be a worldwide sensation popular with the public. But it was in the following era, known as Group B, that the WRC became very popular.
Rally racing and Group B
This was started in 1982 and ended in 1986 and it was really in this year that the WRC gained a lot of strength. Group B rally cars introduced 4-wheel drive and cars were highly modified and much more powerful. Safety was put aside and a series of accidents and fatalities brought this era to an end.
Rally racing and Group A
The group A era began in 1987 and ended in 1996. It placed tighter restrictions on manufacturers, generally stipulating that competing cars had to be based on standard production cars. Group B cars could no longer participate. It helped diversify the sport and the competition became much more even.
The era of World Rally Cars
The WRC era began in 1997 and has seen many changes over the years. I know they changed the Group A cars for the World Rally Cars. Regulations were changed to take pressure off manufacturers, which was positive for the WRC, attracting new manufacturers.
The 50th edition of the 2022 World Rally Championship
With this edition there are new rules of the game and goodbye to the way things were done in World Rally Car. The WRC now has cars with 1.6-litre turbocharged engines, but now they are combined with a 100 kW engine powered through regenerative braking.
Namely, the FIA is fully committed to a sustainable future. These cars are powered by high-efficiency hybrid technology, while all competitors entered in the WRC use fossil-free fuel
Under the premise that hybrid cars will account for a third of car sales globally by 2030, WRC chose this technological development for its new three-year regulation cycle. What does this mean? That the FIA reduces carbon emissions through the WRC, according to the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.
