World Rally-Raid Championship

The World Rally-Raid Championship (officially abbreviated as W2RC) is a rally raid series co-sanctioned by the FIA and FIM and promoted by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).^[1][2] The championship's seasons culminate with world championship titles in both automobile and motorcycle categories.

Beginning in 2022, the series replaced both the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship as the top echelon of the sport of rally raid.^[3] ASO will serve as series promoter for a period of five years.^[1]

History

The combined World Championship series was conceived as a result of efforts by the ASO, FIA and FIM to harmonize regulations.^[4] After a vote by the World Motorsport Council to officially make rally raid the seventh world championship under the FIA in 2021, they joined with the FIM to combine their respective international cross-country rallying series into a single World Rally-Raid Championship. The ASO, promoter of the Dakar Rally, was chosen by both world-governing bodies as the sole promoter of the series for a period of five years.^[1]

The inaugural World Championship officially kicked off with the 2022 Dakar Rally^[3] and ended in Morocco following revisions to the schedule due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, forcing the cancellation of that year's Rally Kazakhstan,^[5] and environmental concerns that forced the Andalucia Rally to be rescheduled.^[6] The inaugural winners of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship were Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel with Toyota Gazoo Racing as the winning manufacturer;^[7] while Sam Sunderland did likewise in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship with Monster Energy Honda.^[8][9]

Format

The championship consists primarily of two forms of cross-country rallying:

• Cross-Country Rally: Between four and six timed stages; total distance of 1200km.
• Cross-Country Marathon: More than six timed stages; total distance of 2500km.

The cross-country baja format continues to be contested in the international FIA World Baja Cup and FIM Bajas World Cup competitions, separate from the world championship.

Categories and awards

The series covers various categories under both the FIA and FIM.^[10][11]

FIA categories

• T1 "Ultimate": Prototype Cross-Country Cars
  • FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for drivers, navigators, and manufacturers
• T2 "Stock": Series Production Cross-Country Cars
  • FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for drivers and navigators
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Stock drivers, navigators, and manufacturers
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Teams
• T3 "Challenger": Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country Vehicles
  • FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for drivers and navigators
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Challenger drivers and navigators
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Teams
• T4 "SSV": Modified Production Cross-Country Side-by-Side Vehicles
  • FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for drivers and navigators
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for SSV drivers, navigators, and manufacturers
  • FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Teams
• T5 "Truck": Prototype and Production Cross-Country Trucks

The FIA Rally-Raid Championship for Master Drivers is awarded to drivers over the age of 50.

Groups T1, T2, T3 and T4 are eligible for the overall FIA Rally-Raid World Championship titles for drivers and navigators, while only manufacturers in T1 are eligible. Additional Group-specific championships are awarded in Groups T2, T3, and T4. While T5 vehicles can participate no championship is awarded.

FIM categories

• RallyGP
  • FIM RallyGP World Championship for riders and manufacturers
• Rally2
  • FIM Rally2 World Cup for riders and teams
  • FIM Rally2 Junior Trophy
  • FIM Rally2 Women Trophy
  • FIM Rally2 Veteran Trophy
• Rally3
  • FIM Rally3 World Cup for riders and teams
  • FIM Rally3 Junior Trophy
• Quad
  • FIM Quad World Cup

Only riders competing in the RallyGP category are eligible for the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship. World Cup titles are available for champions of the Rally2, Rally3, and Quad categories.

Champions

FIA Rally-Raid World Champions

FIM Rally-Raid World Champions

FIA Rally-Raid Champions

FIM Rally-Raid World Cup

FIM Rally-Raid Trophies

See also

• FIA World Baja Cup
• FIM Bajas World Cup

References

1. ^ "FIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS FOR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLYING, WITH DAKAR RALLY AS ITS CORNERSTONE; A.S.O. APPOINTED GLOBAL PROMOTER". World Rally-Raid Championship
2. ^ "A.S.O. ANNOUNCED AS THE FIRST EVER FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP PROMOTER". World Rally-Raid Championship
3. ^ "🇬🇧 The new FIA & FIM World Rally Raid Championships - #Dakar2022". Retrieved 2021-12-17. – via YouTube
4. ^ "FIA, ASO launch new Cross-Country World Championship around Dakar". Motorsport.com
5. ^ Brunsdon, Stephen (17 March 2022). "Kazakhstan World Rally-Raid event canceled due to war". DirtFish. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
6. ^ "W2RC - Revised dates for Rallye du Maroc and Andalucía Rally*". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
7. ^ "W2RC - LOEB WINS IN ANDALUCIA BUT AL-ATTIYAH SECURES INAUGURAL W2RC DRIVERS' TITLE". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
8. ^ "A DREAM SEASON FOR AL-ATTIYAH AND SUNDERLAND". World Rally-Raid Championship. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
9. ^ "W2RC: A DREAM SEASON FOR SUNDERLAND". Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
10. ^ "FIA CROSS COUNTRY RALLIES". fia.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
11. ^ "FIM Documents". fim-moto.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.

External links

• Official website (in English, French, Spanish)
• Official website - FIA W2RC
• Official website - FIM W2RC