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WRC2
The FIA WRC2 is a support championship of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The calendar consists of the same rallies and stages as the parent series and crews usually compete immediately after Rally1 class crews. WRC2 is limited to production-based cars homologated under Group Rally2 (or previous R5) rules. There are separate specific championship titles awarded to Teams, Drivers and Co-Drivers (including titles for Challengers in 2023, previously for Juniors under 30 years old).
WRC2 began in 2013, replacing the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) as the series performance car based championship in a rearrangement of the WRC support categories that also saw the existing Production car World Rally Championship (PWRC) and WRC Academy make way for WRC3 and Junior WRC.
In early 2012, the FIA annulled the contract in place with WRC's promotor North One Sports following its owners collapse into administration. After a tender process, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved a new promotor in September of that year, a collaboration between Sportsman Media and Red Bull, with responsibility for all commercial matters of the championship, with power to assist in forming the calendar and proposing new rallies, and suggesting altering of rules and regulations and structure of the championships. It was also announced that another WRC tenderer, Eurosport Events, then the promotor and owner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), would become the promotor of a revamped FIA European Rally Championship from 2013. The IRC was a challenger series to the WRC in global rallying and ceased at the end of 2012.
At the same September WMSC meeting, the FIA announced changes to the WRC's support championships in order "to reflect the interests and demands of the competitors", with WRC2 and WRC3 replacing SWRC and PWRC. Unlike the old, the new support championships were not world championships in their own right, beholden to FIA International Sporting Code rules applicable to championships including the word world in their titles. These rules influenced the make up of the calendar and commitment from the entrants. For this reason it is asserted that WRC2 cannot be an acronym for World Rally Championship 2 and its champions are not world champions. Indeed, in 2013 and 2014, World Rally Championship 2 was officially used only once in the sporting regulations, and since 2015 has not been used by either the FIA or its promotor.
In the new WRC2 of 2013, entrants could nominate round-by-round for the first time which rallies they would be competing in and could choose any rally included in the WRC calendar with no minimum commitment or any requirement to compete in rallies outside Europe. By the end of the first season, it was noted by the FIA that the support championships were more popular than ever. Thirteen drivers scored championship points in 2012's SWRC, compared to 36 in 2013's WRC2.
With the introduction of the R5 in Group R in 2013, the eligibility of the SWRC was extended to allow R5 and four wheel drive Group N cars into WRC2, alongside Super-2000, Regional Rally Cars (RRC) and R4. This essentially merged the four-wheel drive and performance cars of PWRC and SWRC back into one competition whilst WRC3 championship was for two wheel drive cars. Between 2013 and 2015 two additional cup titles were also contested by those driving Group N cars, WRC 2 Production Car Cup for Drivers and Co-Drivers.
Changes to the structure of the WRC support championships were made by the FIA ahead of the 2019 season, coinciding with approval and implementation of a new rally pyramid that emphasised tiers of corresponding numbers of classes, cars and competitions.
The eligibility rules of WRC 2 were changed so that only R5 cars could enter in 2019. Further, Super-2000, Group N and R4 could no longer enter the WRC at all. Simultaneously, the R5 class was renamed Rally2, which appeared in official regulations from 2020.
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WRC2
The FIA WRC2 is a support championship of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The calendar consists of the same rallies and stages as the parent series and crews usually compete immediately after Rally1 class crews. WRC2 is limited to production-based cars homologated under Group Rally2 (or previous R5) rules. There are separate specific championship titles awarded to Teams, Drivers and Co-Drivers (including titles for Challengers in 2023, previously for Juniors under 30 years old).
WRC2 began in 2013, replacing the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) as the series performance car based championship in a rearrangement of the WRC support categories that also saw the existing Production car World Rally Championship (PWRC) and WRC Academy make way for WRC3 and Junior WRC.
In early 2012, the FIA annulled the contract in place with WRC's promotor North One Sports following its owners collapse into administration. After a tender process, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved a new promotor in September of that year, a collaboration between Sportsman Media and Red Bull, with responsibility for all commercial matters of the championship, with power to assist in forming the calendar and proposing new rallies, and suggesting altering of rules and regulations and structure of the championships. It was also announced that another WRC tenderer, Eurosport Events, then the promotor and owner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), would become the promotor of a revamped FIA European Rally Championship from 2013. The IRC was a challenger series to the WRC in global rallying and ceased at the end of 2012.
At the same September WMSC meeting, the FIA announced changes to the WRC's support championships in order "to reflect the interests and demands of the competitors", with WRC2 and WRC3 replacing SWRC and PWRC. Unlike the old, the new support championships were not world championships in their own right, beholden to FIA International Sporting Code rules applicable to championships including the word world in their titles. These rules influenced the make up of the calendar and commitment from the entrants. For this reason it is asserted that WRC2 cannot be an acronym for World Rally Championship 2 and its champions are not world champions. Indeed, in 2013 and 2014, World Rally Championship 2 was officially used only once in the sporting regulations, and since 2015 has not been used by either the FIA or its promotor.
In the new WRC2 of 2013, entrants could nominate round-by-round for the first time which rallies they would be competing in and could choose any rally included in the WRC calendar with no minimum commitment or any requirement to compete in rallies outside Europe. By the end of the first season, it was noted by the FIA that the support championships were more popular than ever. Thirteen drivers scored championship points in 2012's SWRC, compared to 36 in 2013's WRC2.
With the introduction of the R5 in Group R in 2013, the eligibility of the SWRC was extended to allow R5 and four wheel drive Group N cars into WRC2, alongside Super-2000, Regional Rally Cars (RRC) and R4. This essentially merged the four-wheel drive and performance cars of PWRC and SWRC back into one competition whilst WRC3 championship was for two wheel drive cars. Between 2013 and 2015 two additional cup titles were also contested by those driving Group N cars, WRC 2 Production Car Cup for Drivers and Co-Drivers.
Changes to the structure of the WRC support championships were made by the FIA ahead of the 2019 season, coinciding with approval and implementation of a new rally pyramid that emphasised tiers of corresponding numbers of classes, cars and competitions.
The eligibility rules of WRC 2 were changed so that only R5 cars could enter in 2019. Further, Super-2000, Group N and R4 could no longer enter the WRC at all. Simultaneously, the R5 class was renamed Rally2, which appeared in official regulations from 2020.