World Rally Championship for Beginners: All You Need To Know About the Sport

Rallying is a type of motorsport where drivers compete against the clock. And it's unlike anything you've seen before. One of the main points in which it's different from Formula 1 is that drivers don't race against each other directly; instead, they race against the clock. Fiercely competitive, the World Rally Championship (WRC) features some of the world's leading manufacturers. And of course, the finest drivers on the planet. But behind the racing is always a high-tech sophisticated operation overseen by each team. Here´s a full overview of the WRC.

The cars

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Only four teams race in the WRC, namely Hyundai Shell Mobis, Hyundai 2C Competition, M-Sport Ford, and Toyota Gazoo Racing. Every team has multiple driver partnerships, and the cars these racers drive are all specially modified versions of street vehicles. While Hyundai races i20s, Toyota Gazoo races the Yaris. They are all overhauled as per rally specifications. The basic rules include having 380 horsepower, a six-speed gearbox, four-wheel drive, and a minimum weight of 1,190kgs. 2022 will be the first year in which hybrid drivetrains will be fitted to the 1.6L turbocharged engines of these cars. Bespoke aerodynamic packages also form part of the rally setup.

The tracks

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A wide variety of racing venues are part of the World Rally Championship. The fact that drivers get to test their skills on all kinds of terrain and weather from all over the world makes the competition all the more interesting. While some races take place on dirt tracks, some happen on the tarmac and some even require driving in snowy conditions.

The actual racing

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At every event, multiple routes are set up in the local area. These can vary anywhere from 3km to 35km in length. The main thing you need to understand about rally racing is that it happens in stages. A stage is a single time trial that every team runs throughout the weekend. Every car will take on each route at least twice in different stages. They can run a route twice in a single day. Each day is referred to as a ‘leg.'

The winning criteria

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The time in which a driver completes a stage is recorded. And each time is added to that of the previous stage. At the end of a weekend, you get every driver's cumulative time. However, things are not always this simple. As it happens often, different penalties lead to changes in those times. These can be applied for cutting corners, making certain repairs, etc. The one with the shortest time afterwards is the winner. Like Formula 1, points are awarded in WRC every race weekend, and these decide the annual champion.

The co-driver

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If you've watched the World Rally Championship, you'll definitely be wondering about the job of co-drivers. They exist because rally drivers can't memorize every twist and turn in the track. A co-driver sits in the passenger seat, directing the driver throughout the rally, so the driver can prepare the speed of the car and find the right gears. The co-driver reads from “pace notes” that are made during practice sessions before the race.

Those are all the things you need to know in order to start understanding the World Rally Championship. You can start watching it now and the finer details will become clearer to you as you experience more races.