WRC History

Summary

1
The Early Years: 1973 - 1981
2
Group B: 1982 - 1986
3
Group A: 1987 - 1996
4
World Rally Cars: 1997 - 2016
5
World Rally Cars: 2017 - 2021
6
The present

The Early Years: 1973 - 1981

Since the dawn of time, the human race has been a competitive one. The hunger for victory has led to races on foot, by horse and by boat. When the first automobile was invented in the late 18th century, things were no different.

Motorsport enthusiasts had been competing in rallies around the world for a number of years, but at the time there was no platform for manufacturers and teams to really test themselves under a championship.

So, after increased demand, the FIA World Rally Championship was born in 1973. Kicking off with Rallye Monte-Carlo, crews faced thirteen mammoth-length international events in a true test of man and machine.

Renault was crowned inaugural World Rally Champions after its Alpine A110 dominated at the hands of drivers including Jean-Claude Andruet, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jean-Luc Thérier.

Despite its infancy, the WRC in the 1970s was a magical spectacle for teams, drivers and fans alike. It was during this era that we saw some of the most evocative rally cars of all time.

From Italy, Lancia kicked off its illustrious association with rallying with the beautiful Stratos model which was campaigned by drivers including Sandro Munari and Markku Alén. Aside from its futuristic looks, the unforgettable scream produced by the V6-engined machine made it somewhat unique in comparison to the other saloon cars competing at the time.

Around the same time, Ford entered the sport with what has arguably gone on to become the most successful rally car of all time: the Ford Escort RS.

Rally legends including Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård Ari Vatanen and Roger Clark all helped to take the World Rally Championship to a new level with their popular ‘sideways’ driving style.

Group B: 1982 - 1986

As the World Rally Championship rolled into the 1980s, the rear-wheel-drive cars such as the Ford Escorts, Fiat 131s and Lancia Stratos were pushed aside to make way for a new era: Group B.

Group B welcomed some of the most spectacular rally cars the world had ever seen, boasting four-wheel-drive and in some cases over 500 brake horsepower. Sources at the time claimed that a Group B car could accelerate from 0-60mph (96km/h) on a gravel road in just 2.3 seconds.

Although the FIA had made four-wheel-drive legal back in 1979, many manufacturers assumed that it was simply too complicated and would not be competitive. However, in 1982, Audi wheeled out its brand-new Quattro and enjoyed immediate success.

The extra power from its turbocharged engine in addition to the traction gained from its four-wheel-drive system were clear advantages. As a result, the German firm enjoyed success with Manufacturers’ titles in ‘82 and ‘84 as well as Drivers’ titles in ‘83 and ‘84 at the hands of Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist respectively.

Audi Quattro A2, Sport Quattro S1, 1984
© WRC / Automobilist

As other manufacturers cottoned on to the Quattro’s success, the fight for the World Rally Championship became even more heated. Ari Vatanen was a force to be reckoned with during the 1985 season and looked set to take the spoils in his flame-spitting Peugeot 205 T16. However, a terrifying incident during Rally Argentina caused the Finn some serious injuries, essentially handing the victory to his teammate Timo Salonen as Vatanen recovered on the sidelines.

The battle resumed in 1986 and a long list of rallying royalty took to the stages across the globe. Names including Toivonen (Lancia), Alén (Lancia), Röhrl (Audi), Salonen (Peugeot) and Pond (MG) all set out to challenge for the title.

Lancia edged an early lead at the beginning of the season thanks to strong performances in Monte Carlo and Sweden from their drivers Toivonen & Alén. At the third round in Portugal, the Italian firm looked strong once more as they held a 1-2-3 after stage 3.

However, disaster struck when the Ford RS200 of Joaquim Santos lost control during the next speed test and collided with a crowd, killing three and injuring over 30 spectators. As a result, many of the teams withdrew from the remainder of the event.

Toivonen was victorious once again in Italy and asserted his dominance as the title favourite. But, at the following round in Corsica, the World Rally Championship was turned on its head.

During the 17th stage of the event, Toivonen’s Lancia Delta S4 left the road and plunged down a mountainside before bursting into flames. He and his co-driver Sergio Cresta were killed instantly.

Following on from the tragedy, the FIA announced that it would ban Group B cars after the end of the season, deeming them simply too fast to compete safely. At the end of the era the results from the San Remo Rally were declared void, leaving Juha Kankkunen to take the crown with his Peugeot.

Group A: 1987 - 1996

With Group B now outlawed, the FIA needed to introduce a new class structure for the 1987 season onwards. The answer? Group A.

In comparison to Group B, the Group A regulations meant that all of the vehicles competing were strictly based on their production counterparts, with limitations on aspects such as power, weight and aerodynamics. These restrictions also helped to bring down the overall cost to manufacturers and encouraged more privateer teams to enter the rallies.

Of course, with new regulations came brand-new rally cars and vehicles including the Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Ford Escort Cosworth and Toyota Celica GT-Four all graced the stages.

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185, 1994
© WRC / Automobilist

Building on the success that they enjoyed with the Delta S4 Group B car, the Lancia marque was once again quick out of the blocks and were seemingly unbeatable with their new Delta Integrale. The team dominated the Manufacturers’ points right through until 1992, taking the prestigious title an incredible six years on the trot. Juha Kankunnen and Miki Biasion also enjoyed their share of success with the car, claiming the Drivers’ championship victory two times each during the era.

As the World Rally Championship headed into the 1990s, Japanese manufacturers Mitsubishi, Subaru and Toyota all changed up a gear and showed impressive pace.

Spanish hero Carlos Sainz topped the leaderboard in the Drivers’ championship in 1990 and 1992 in his Toyota Celica GT-Four, whilst Juha Kankunnen did the same on his debut year with the team in 1993, taking his fourth championship victory and bringing Toyota their first Manufacturers’ world title in the process.

The Group A era also saw a fresh crop of talent making their first foray into the world stage. A young Colin McRae was contracted to the Subaru team for the 1992 season and he immediately impressed onlookers with his flamboyant driving style. Despite having limited experience of rallying’s top flight, the Scot chalked up fifth position in his debut year and also claimed his maiden WRC victory at Rothmans Rally New Zealand. McRae’s hard work paid off in 1995 when he sealed the championship in Britain after an intense battle with teammate Carlos Sainz.

After working his way up the ranks on the British and European rallying scene, the late Richard Burns also made his factory WRC debut at the Network Q RAC Rally in 1993. Burns brought his Subaru Legacy RS home in seventh place and went on to enjoy several further outings before moving to Mitsubishi in 1996.

For the remainder of the 1990s, the World Rally Championship continued to be dominated by Japanese protagonists Subaru and Mitsubishi. Subaru took the Manufacturers’ title in 1996 with the Impreza 555 before a change in regulations made way for the next generation of world rally cars.

World Rally Cars: 1997 - 2016

The 1997 World Rally Championship brought with it a series of major changes. Group A cars were replaced by World Rally Cars, which took the pressure off the manufacturers as they were no longer required to mass-produce the production versions of the cars with which they competed. The revamp made it much easier for new manufacturers to join the series and the next few years saw increased interest and entries from teams such as Seat, Citroën, Peugeot and Hyundai.

In addition to new technical regulations, the new era saw an updated events system. Rallies became more compact in comparison to the long marathon-style events that crews were faced with beforehand, but the calendar was extended to include 14 rallies throughout the year across the world.

Whilst the majority of the manufacturers worked hard to build and develop their new world rally cars, Mitsubishi decided to take a different approach. Their Lancer Evolution was already a successful package and bore a close resemblance to the road-going model, which was good for sales. Because of this, the Japanese firm continued to enter its cars in Group A specification.

With Tommi Mäkinen at the wheel, Mitsubishi proved that their car was still one of the best, bringing home another Manufacturer’s’ title in 1998 whilst the Finn won the Drivers’ championship three years in a row between 1997 and 1999 following a series of hotly contested battles. Around that time, their closest challenger was British-based M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, which had employed McRae to pilot its Ford Focus.

In 2000, another Finn drove his way into the history books. Marcus Grönholm took his first world championship title driving a Peugeot 206. The French firm enjoyed a dream return to the sport’s top-flight as it also lifted the Manufacturers’ for the next three seasons.

British driver Burns took a hugely popular championship victory in 2001 with his Subaru Impreza, but Grönholm responded by taking back the title the year after.

In 2003, Norwegian legend Petter Solberg reigned victorious, but Citroën was Manufacturers’ champions thanks to some spirited performances from Sainz and a young Sébastien Loeb. Who would have known that the French hotshot would go on to dominate the series for the next decade?

Loeb was unbeatable on every surface and gave Citroën three Manufacturers’ world titles in a row. Despite Ford claiming the Manufacturers’ victories in 2006 and 2007, Loeb managed to retain control of his own titles. Along with co-driver Daniel Elena, he wrote his name into the rallying record books with a whopping nine Drivers’ World Championship wins at the wheel of the Xsara, C4 and DS3 models

Loeb’s retirement from full-time driving at the end of the 2012 season marked the end of the most successful reign in the history of the World Rally Championship.

So, who was his successor? Well, he was French, and also called Sébastien!

Sébastien Ogier had also learned his craft at the wheel of a Citroën as a teammate to Loeb in 2011. However, the Frenchman later announced a new contract with German marque Volkswagen and piloted their Polo R WRC from 2013 onwards.

In a similar way the Loeb and Citroën had dominated, Ogier took Volkswagen to consecutive Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles between 2013 and 2016. After wrapping his fourth championship victory at the end of 2016, Volkswagen announced their withdrawal from the World Rally Championship with immediate effect.

With new regulations imminent, Ogier was left to find a new seat for the 2017 season…

World Rally Cars: 2017 - 2021

The 2017 season marked the 45th anniversary of the FIA World Rally Championship, kicking off once again with the classic Rallye Monte Carlo. Revised technical regulations meant that the new generation of World Rally Cars boasted increased levels of engine power, more aggressive aerodynamics, and electronically controlled differentials.

WRC cars are primed to be more aggressive in 2017
© Hyundai

Of course, more power results in faster cars, but the improved aerodynamics and suspension make a current generation World Rally Car much safer to drive than a Group B equivalent from the 1980s.

The biggest news, aside from the newly-implemented technical changes, was that Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia signed a new contract with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. The French pair teamed up with Estonia’s Ott Tänak and Welsh wizard Elfyn Evans in the new Ford Fiesta.

Hyundai entered its New Generation i20 Coupe model at the hands of title favourite Thierry Neuville, the ever-reliable Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon, whilst Toyota made a welcome return to the championship after an 18-year sabbatical. Under the Tommi Mäkinen managed Toyota Gazoo Racing banner, it fielded Jari-Matti Latvala, Juha Hänninen and Esapekka Lappi in its Yaris.

Citroën also opted for a full championship assault following a part-time campaign the previous year. Kris Meeke, Craig Breen, Stefane Lefebvre and Andreas Mikkelsen throughout the year in their C3 model.

Ogier and Ingrassia immediately picked up from where they left off at Volkswagen, taking another world title and scoring another Manufacturers’ victory for the M-Sport outfit. Tänak was third and moved to Toyota for 2018.

An intense battle in 2018 saw Ogier, Neuville and Tänak head to the final round in Australia with a mathematical chance of championship victory.

Neuville’s hopes were dashed when his Hyundai clipped a bank on the final day and lost a wheel. Elsewhere, Tänak’s Toyota succumbed to transmission failure which inevitably handed Ogier and the M-Sport Ford Team yet another World Championship victory.

So, as the 2019 season kicked off, the World Rally Championship had yet to see a non-French driver lift the coveted title in over a decade.

Despite a successful two years at M-Sport, Sébastien Ogier’s contract with the team had run out. Citroën were quick to snap him up with hopes of taking back the Manufacturers’ title once again. Esapekka Lappi drove the second C3 for the French team.

However, Citroën’s dreams of success didn’t come to fruition. Whilst Ogier was able to bring home victories in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Turkey, the reigning champ struggled throughout the year with the handling characteristics of his C3.

Neuville topped the timesheets in Corsica, Argentina and Spain in his Hyundai, but there was one man that nobody could catch.

Tänak was unassailable in his Toyota Yaris, taking 73 stage wins throughout the year and six rally victories across all surfaces. He and Martin Järveoja sealed the deal in Spain and finally took their maiden World Rally Championship title - ending the ‘Seb’ domination. Neuville was a distant second and Ogier had to settle for the final step on the podium.

Ott Tanak (EST) of team Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT celebrates the world title on day 4 during the World Rally Championship Spain in Salou, Spain on October 27, 2019. — Newly crowned WRC champ Ott Tänak is switching from Toyota to Hyundai
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

But it wasn't long before Ogier was back on top. The Frenchman came out on top of a season-long battle with his Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to clinch his seventh title in 2020. The following year, Ogier repeated his success by adding an eighth championship victory to his name.

The present

The 2021 World Rally Championship marked the end of an era for the current generation of WRC cars before the introduction of new hybrid regulations.

Sébastien Ogier, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, claimed his eighth drivers' title, demonstrating exceptional skill and consistency across diverse and challenging terrains. Toyota also clinched the manufacturers' championship.

The 50th WRC season! 2022 was a historic and transformative year for the sport, introducing the hybrid Rally1 regulations. This new era brought a fresh challenge to teams and drivers as they adapted to the advanced technological integration.

Finnish Kalle Rovanperä demonstrated remarkable talent and consistency to clinch his first WRC Drivers' Championship, becoming the youngest ever champion in the history. Toyota continued its dominance by securing the Manufacturers' Championship.

2023 showed the hybrid-powered Rally1 cars in their second year and Kalle Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen did it gaian, they won the WRC Drivers' Championship and Toyota secured again the Manufacturers' Championship.

One of the most intriguing aspects of 2024 wasHyundai Motorsport’s reinforced squad, with 2019 world champion Ott Tänak lining up alongside Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo. The Korean manufacturer had its sights set on relieving rival team Toyota of some - and they succeeded in part.

After finishing as runner-up on five occasions, Thierry Neuville - partnered by co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe - led the championship from the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo onwards to secure a long-awaited drivers' title - the first for both himself and for Hyundai Motorsport.

The battle for the crown went down to the season's final day at FORUM8 Rally Japan when Neuville's team-mate Ott Tänak - the only other driver in contention - crashed heavily. The Estonian's retirement opened the door for Toyota to clinch the manufacturers' title on the Wolf Power Stage, edging Hyundai by three points in what was the closest finish in four decades.

Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe - World Rally Champions 2024
© WRC

From 2025 onwards, top-level Rally1 cars are powered solely by 1.6 litre turbocharged internal combustion engines - utilising 100 per cent sustainable fuel.