World Rally Championship

The World Rally Championship, or WRC, is an international rallying series owned and governed by the FIA. It was inaugurated in 1973 and is the third oldest FIA world championship, after the Karting World Championship and Formula One. Each season lasts one calendar year and usually has thirteen rallies of three to four days on surfaces from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Every rally is divided into 15 to 25 special stages run against the clock on closed roads totalling up to 350 kilometres. Separate titles go to drivers, co-drivers and manufacturers. The WRC2 and WRC3 support championships run on the same events with slower, cheaper cars, and Junior WRC is contested by younger drivers on five rallies of the calendar.