Number of road types

There are four types of road surface: gravel, tarmac, snow, and ice.

• Gravel
  Gravel refers to unpaved road surfaces. Gravel comes in a wide variety of types, from sandy ground, slippery muddy roads, solid ground, dirt covered with pebbles and dead leaves, and rough roads with large rocks. Gravel roads are more slippery than paved (tarmac) roads, so you can enjoy watching cars rushing dynamically with their rear tires skidding.
• Tarmac
  Tarmac refers to paved roads. Compared with unpaved (gravel) roads, tarmac roads have a more uniform surface, which allows a lower car height. However, a tarmac road may become slippery due to snow, ice, or rain.
• Snow
  Snow refers to snow-covered roads. Rally Monte Carlo and Rally Sweden take place in snow and ice, so cars wear studded tires.
• Ice
  Ice refers to frozen roads. Rally Monte Carlo and Rally Sweden are called “rallies of snow and ice.” They are tough because conditions are completely different between snow cover and hard frozen ice. Moreover, a hard icy road is sometimes hidden under snow cover. Under such condition, “tarmac” and “gravel” do not differ much from each other.

Shift to a hybrid system

Following the trend in the automotive industry, the WRC decided in 2019 to introduce a hybrid system in 2022. For the first three years (until 2024), the WRC will offer hardware and software common to all teams, and all cars will use a standardized system.
In addition, a fossil-free hydrocarbon-based fuel, which blends synfuel and biofuel components, will be used. This fuel will be used in the World Championships series, which is held under the control of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), allowing the races to evolve into more sustainable ones.

The number of mechanics who may work directly on their cars during the service period is limited to nine for three-car teams and six for two-car teams. Due to time constrains, a driver may sometimes double as their own mechanic.
Teams also have mechanics who carry tires, prepare replacement oil and parts, take away broken parts, and do the cleaning.

Between Thursday and Sunday, 15 to 25 timed special stages (depending on the rally) take place. A single special stage can be as short as 2 km or as long as 50 km. The running distance in a rally amounts to 1,000 to 1,500 km, with liaisons* (sections of movement in between special stages) included.

Liaison:
Liaisons refer to public road sections of movement in between special stages. Once the cars start, they run along a liaison to get to a time control (TC). Unlike special stages, liaisons are not closed. So, competitors are mixed in with ordinary citizens to drive along the liaisons under local traffic regulations. Driving the liaisons is also a part of the rally, and the competitors drive in accordance with the map they receive from the organizer. This tradition dates back to the earliest days of rallying. The time of entering a TC point is specified for each car. Per minute of late arrival, a penalty of 10 seconds is added to the total time. Drivers may sometimes get arrested by the local police for speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign. If a driver is punished with license suspension, his co-driver will be at the wheel in subsequent liaisons, and the driver will serve as the navigator. In addition, a competitor who fails to meet the safety standards stipulated by local laws may sometimes be stopped from driving. Such failure may occur especially when a car is damaged due to a mishap on a special stage.

Time control (TC):
Time control refers to time-recording points installed on a rally course.

Special stage (SS):
Special stages are sections created by temporarily closing a public road. The starting point is set in a TC, and one car starts after another at regular intervals to compete on time. Some events use a super-special stage (abbreviated to “super SS” or “SSS”) instead of an SS. While an SS is a closed public road, a super SS is an artificial, circuit-course-like venue specifically set up for the purpose, where two cars on separate parallel tracks start simultaneously.

The WRC has two point systems: one for championship points and the other for power stage points.

Championship points are given to drivers, co-drivers, and manufacturers (automakers), and top-finishing teams earn more points.
The other WRC point system is for power stage points. The WRC designates the final special stage of each event as the “power stage.”
Teams finishing the power stage in high places earn power stage points in addition to championship points. In the power stage, even the cars that have retired for the day are entitled to compete for points.

Number of tire types

There used to be no restrictions on the type or number of tires to use. Various restrictions have been imposed, however, along with the introduction of a control tire system (“one-make”) intended to reduce costs. There are four types of tires: tires with a block-style tread pattern are for gravel roads; slick tires with fewer grooves are for tarmac; and snow type tires and snow type studded tires are for winter events. In accordance with the regulations, tires of one tread type in up to two compounds may be used for gravel and tarmac roads at each event. As an exception, up to four types of tires are permitted in Rally Monte Carlo. In this winter event, the roads are tarmac, but their surface condition varies in many ways.
Up to two spare tires may be mounted on a car. Replacement with new tires is allowed only when the car is in the service park, and up to four tires may be replaced. You The teams need to make better time with a limited number of tires, so tire management has become more important especially in recent years. Various strategies are taken, including well-considered selection of front, rear, left and right tires, a switch between front and rear tires, an appropriate setting of internal pressure, and saving replacement tires for specific special stages considered more important as a turning point in the rally.

Two people, a driver and a co-driver, are on board a competitive car. While the co-driver reads aloud pace notes written in advance about corners on the course, the road surface conditions, and other information, the driver drives the car accordingly. Co-drivers, too are required to have high-level driving skills so that they can grasp the driving by the drivers and convey the necessary information to the driver.
Basically, the driver is at the wheel, and the co-driver serves as the navigator, but although very rare, the two may switch their roles.

WRC race videos are televised for a total of over 13,000 hours in 155 countries and regions around the world. They are enjoyed by some 850 million people, including those who view videos distributed on SNS and live videos. Especially in Europe, WRC rallies are held in 10 countries a year, enjoying popularity as high as Formula 1.

Number of engines used per year

Three-car teams are permitted three engines per car, a total of nine engines each year. Only one extra engine per driver may be sealed per season, and in the case of engine failure before the power stage, the driver may use this extra engine. However, according to DirtFish, from 2022 on, the engine allowance will be reduced to two per car: six engines for each three-car team and four engines for each two-car team per season.
From the perspective of engine building alone, this change is estimated to save nearly 500,000 euros for a three-car team.

In a special stage, basically each car runs individually. Rally1 (the top category) cars start at intervals of three minutes.

A rally proceeds according to a time table called the “itinerary.” Normally, cars start at intervals of two minutes. However, when the road is gravel and there is no wind, a cloud of dust kicked up by a car may not settle within the two minutes, which may cause the next car to have an obstructed view. In this case, the intervals may sometimes be extended by one minute, and depending on the situation, by another minute. Because of the intervals, unlike in circuit races, cars can hardly pass each other on the course except when a car slows down or stops due to a problem.