FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) Categories

Featured at WRC Rally Saudi Arabia 2025

🏆 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers & Co-drivers

  • Who:

    Top-level professional rally drivers and their co-drivers.

  • Cars:

    Rally1 – the most advanced and powerful cars in the WRC, featuring cutting-edge engineering.

  • Purpose:

    Awards the world titles to the top driver and co-driver based on accumulated points across the season.

🏆 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers

  • Who:

    Officially registered manufacturer teams (e.g., Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, M-Sport Ford).

  • Cars:

    Rally1.

  • Purpose:

    Points are earned from the top two nominated drivers at each event, contributing to the manufacturers’ world title.

🏆 FIA World Rally Championship for Teams

  • Who:

    Independent or satellite teams not officially classified as manufacturers.

  • Cars:

    Rally1.

  • Purpose:

    Enables private or semi-official teams to compete at the top level with their own championship standings.

🏆 FIA WRC2 Championship for Drivers & Co-drivers

  • Who:

    Professional and semi-professional drivers aiming to progress to the top tier.

  • Cars:

    Rally2 – based on production cars, less powerful and more cost-effective than Rally1.

  • Purpose:

    Acts as a feeder series to develop the next generation of WRC talent.

🏆 FIA WRC2 Championship for Drivers & Co-drivers

  • Who:

    Privateer drivers with no previous WRC2 championship titles.

  • Cars:

    Rally2.

  • Purpose:

    Creates a fair platform for emerging drivers and private teams, distinct from top-funded WRC2 entries.

🏆 FIA WRC2 Championship for Teams

  • Who:

    Teams officially entered in WRC2 (e.g., Toksport WRT).

  • Cars:

    Rally2.

  • Purpose:

    Accumulates points from the team’s best-placed car in each rally to determine the team champion.

🏆 FIA WRC Masters Cup for Drivers & Co-drivers

  • Who:

    Competitors aged 50 and above.

  • Cars:

    Rally2, Rally3, Rally4 or Rally5 (excludes Rally1).

  • Purpose:

    Recognizes experienced competitors with a dedicated competition within the WRC structure.

🏆 FIA WRC3 Championship for Drivers & Co-drivers

  • Who:

    Up-and-coming young drivers beginning their international rally careers.

  • Cars:

    Rally3 – a cost-controlled, four-wheel-drive category suited for early career development.

  • Purpose:

    Designed as the entry-level international championship to build talent for future WRC categories.

History of the FIA World Rally Championship

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is one of the most prestigious and demanding motorsport series in the world, known for pushing the limits of both driver and machine across some of the planet’s toughest terrains.

Origins & Evolution

The roots of international rallying stretch back to the early 20th century, but it was in 1973 that the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) officially launched the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. The Drivers’ Championship was added in 1979, marking the beginning of what would become a global spectacle of speed, skill, and endurance.

The WRC was born from legendary endurance rallies like the Monte Carlo Rally, the Safari Rally in Kenya, and the Acropolis Rally in Greece, which laid the foundation for today’s championship. These events tested not only outright speed but also navigation, teamwork, and reliability over long distances and brutal conditions.

Cars & Competition

Over the decades, the WRC has been a proving ground for some of the most advanced rally cars ever built. From the brutal Group B monsters of the 1980s to the high-tech hybrid-powered Rally1 cars of today, each generation of cars has pushed engineering boundaries.

The championship has also witnessed the rise of iconic manufacturers like Lancia, Audi, Subaru, Peugeot, Citroën, and Toyota, and produced rally legends such as Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkinen, Sébastien Ogier, and Colin McRae.

Global Reach

WRC has evolved into a truly international championship, hosting events on virtually every type of surface imaginable, snowy forests in Sweden, scorching gravel in Kenya, asphalt mountain roads in Japan, and now, the vast and varied landscapes of Saudi Arabia. Each rally brings its own challenges, making consistency and adaptability essential to success.

Legacy & Impact

Now in its sixth decade, the WRC continues to inspire fans and competitors alike with its blend of speed, spectacle, and strategy. It has played a crucial role in motorsport innovation and remains a gateway for developing future talent and advancing automotive technology, particularly in sustainable mobility through hybrid and alternative-fuel development.

As it enters new markets and regions including its 2025 finale debut in Saudi Arabia, the WRC remains a symbol of global motorsport excellence, blending tradition with forward-looking evolution.

WRC

A Legacy in Motion

  • 1973

    WRC founded with the Manufacturers’ Championship, marking the birth of a global rallying spectacle.

  • 1979

    Introduction of the Drivers’ Championship, spotlighting individual brilliance in motorsport.

  • 1985

    The infamous Group B era peaks: outrageous speed, raw power, and unrivaled danger.

  • 1995

    Subaru and Mitsubishi dominate, as legends like Colin McRae and Tommi Mäkinen rise to fame.

  • 2004

    Sébastien Loeb and Citroën begin a record-breaking run of dominance.

  • 2017

    A new technical era begins with faster, more aggressive WRC cars under new regulations.

  • 2022

    Introduction of the hybrid-powered Rally1 cars—ushering WRC into a sustainable future.

  • 2025

    Saudi Arabia hosts the WRC finale for the first time in history, marking a new frontier for the sport.
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