Rally Pyramid

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The FIA Rally Pyramid is the collective description and organisation of championships, car performance classes and driver aptitude in international rallying. In 2019 the FIA rally commission presented a radical overhaul to the rally pyramid to introduce common nomenclature and structure of the international championships and car classes used across the sport in a similar way to terminology used in formula racing. At the top of the pyramid, Rally1 describes elite level of driver aptitude and car performance in the World Rally Championship (WRC). At the foot of the pyramid is Rally5, designed for cost effective introductory rallying competition.[1][2]

Each of the new tiers of the pyramid align numerically with the existing FIA sporting classes introduced in 2014. Existing rally cars not in the new Groups Rally and within their homologation period are still eligible to compete and thus are still included in the rally pyramid even if not actively promoted by the FIA. It may be that a particular group or class will be removed from the pyramid when all those cars' homologation periods ends. All the car groups and classes permitted in FIA competition are described in this article under the sporting classes RC1 to RC5 as per the FIA sporting regulations.[3][4]

History

Groups A, B and N were introduced in 1982 to replace the numbered groups in existence. Each had 4 classes based on engine capacity which was corrected by x1.7 when a turbo or supercharger was used. N1 to N4, A5 to A8 and B9 to B12 were each based on less than 1400cc, 1401-1600cc, 1601-2000cc and greater than 2000cc respectively. Group B were banned from the WRC in 1986 on safety grounds, with the planned introduction of Group S abandoned. From 1987 Group A and Group N were permitted in the WRC, with a new Production Cup introduced solely for the often lower performance Group N cars. The cup was later renamed to the Production World Rally Championship.

The World Rally Car formula was introduced in 1997 for use at World Rally Championship level and not in championships elsewhere. The formula was to level the competition in the manufacturers championship by replacing the many different forms of car permitted by Group A. Two-wheel drive Group A kit cars, used in the 2-litre Cup from 1993 to 1999, could often outpace the four-wheel drive World Rally Cars, including winning two rallies outright.[5][6] The relaxed rules in the kit car category also resulted in unfair competition and high development costs with some manufacturers using it to promote their two-wheel drive models instead of entering the main WRC manufacturer class. This resulted in the ending of the cup.

In the 2000s, Super 2000 (S2000) and Super 1600 (S1600) cars became popular across motorsport and were also accepted into rallying as replacements for the kit-cars. The FIA introduced a new Junior World Rally Championship in 2001 solely for the Super 1600 cars. In 2010 a new SWRC championship was introduced for the S2000 cars which were in between Group N and the World Rally Car in terms of performance.

Group R was created to replace Groups A and N and was specifically for rally cars. It had 5 basic classes but not all were equally successful. The two wheel drive classes (R1, R2 and R3) arrived in 2008, 5 years before the four wheel drive classes (R4 and R5) and each had their regulations changed over time. At first R1, R2 and R3 (and sub-classes) were split between N and A sporting classes which did not fit the ethos of Group R being a replacement for those Groups. R3 cars, though not hugely unsuccessful, were often overlooked after R2 presumably because a driver was looking to progress to four wheel drive, or R1 and R2 were overlooked if a driver went straight to R3 which was the case when Citroën ran JWRC.

2011 Changes

In 2011 an entirely new class structure was employed with the simultaneous introduction of a new 1.6 L World Rally Car based on S2000 body-kits, and SWRC and PWRC rules were also relaxed to allow cars from Groups R, N and A to compete. There were then 11 classes, ten being numbered from 1 to 10, and WRC. The classes were based on car performance, rising from 10 to 1, then WRC. The 4 classes of Group N stepped from 10,9,8 to 3 whilst Group R rose from 10,9,6,5,2. Group A rose from 7 to 5 as the A8 group over 2000cc were banned.[lower-alpha 1] New R-GT were in their own class of 4 whilst S2000 were split between 2 and 3. Some events ran without enough entrants to justify the class competition. Class 8 was only for Group N cars which were intended to be replaced. Their names no longer apt, SWRC and PWRC became WRC2 and WRC3 in 2013.

During the years 2006 to 2012, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge ran featuring the same mix of cars as the World and European championships. The challenge was made for TV and attracted fans and top drivers alike. In 2013 it effectively merged with the European Rally Championship when promotor Eurosport took on the promotion rights for the latter.

R4 of Group R was designed around the Group N ruleset it intended to replace and was not successful for professional teams and prestige championships. The FIA abandoned this idea and no new R4 cars were homologated after 2015 as R4-Kit was the preferred path, R4 could then not be run in Europe. Privateers competing with older Group N cars were still allowed to run as an 'NR4' car. R4-Kit cars were smaller and allowed independent teams to purchase a kit to build a rally car.

RC Sporting Classes

In 2014 the RC classes that exist today were introduced and these will remain into the future. RC5 to RC1 were still tiers of performance though Group R cars were mostly categorised inversely to their numbers. R1, R2 and R3 were in RC5, RC4 and RC3 respectively. R4 and R5 were both in RC2 whilst the World Rally Car occupied RC1. R5 became hugely popular as a replacement for the high performance S2000. This resulted in star drivers in R5 factory teams in the same sporting class as privateer enthusiasts who had built their own R4 car.

In 2017 the fourth iteration WRC, 'WRC+', was introduced with increased engine performance. This car could not be run by anybody other than the manufacturers registered in WRC and drivers had to receive approval by the FIA. Volkswagen left the WRC championship after their diesel emissions scandal, followed by Citroën in 2019. Lower costs and new technologies were cited in calls for a new car used in the manufacturer's championship.[7] Slower and older WRC cars were and are still permitted by privateers.

As recently as 2018 the WRC allowed S2000 cars, Group R and Group N to compete at RC2 level together. Super 1600 and Group R could also compete together at RC3 level, while Group A, Group R, Group N and kit cars could compete at RC2 level.[8] Meanwhile, the level of progression in the European Championship stepped up from 2wd R2 in ERC3, to a mix of Group N and R-GT machinery in ERC2, with Group R5 cars leading amongst others in ERC1. The other regional championships had their own structures of championships and categories too. APRC2 and ERT2 used two-wheel-drive cars, whereas ERC2, ARC2 and MERC2 used four-wheel-drive. Each of the Junior championships had different rules and the Codasur region had championships for each sporting classification, the only region to do so. The continents also have their own manufacturing industries and consumer and rallyist car preferences. Each regional championship outside Europe permits additional local cars to compete and this will likely continue with the intended goal of enhanced participation.

An example route of progression for a driver aiming to be World Champion may have been via RC4 class Group R, R2 category in ERC3, followed by a 4WD Group N car (re-homologated in R4 in Group R) in ERC2, upgrading to RC2 category Group R, R5 class in WRC2 or ERC1 then finally progressing to a WRC (car) in the WRC (championship).

2019 changes to the rally pyramid

Groups Rally

Each tier of the new pyramid includes its own specification of car known as one of the Groups Rally, with each of the groups' names synonymous with the tier of the pyramid. Groups Rally3 to Rally5 have classes within the group for minor technical or regulatory purposes but there is no difference in competitive eligibility within each group. These groups are promoted by the FIA as the new standard progression for a rally driver's international career and give clear vision to the rally car manufacturing industry of the future standards of rallying. The biggest differences between each group of cars is the performance and the costs involved to manufacture, run and maintain them.

Summary of the new groups in the FIA Rally Pyramid[2][9][10]
Group Sp. Class Drivetrain Aptitude Weight/Power (KG/HP) Formerly Introduction
Rally1 RC1 4WD Elite 3.1 WRC[lower-alpha 2] 2022
Rally2 RC2 Performance 4.2 R5 2013
Rally3 RC3 Access 5.6 Group N[lower-alpha 3] 2021
Rally4 RC4 2WD Performance 5.1 R2 2019
Rally5 RC5 Access 6.4 R1 2019

With the launch of the Rally Pyramid in 2019, three classes of Group R (including any sub-classes) were immediately renamed to new Groups Rally. R1, R2 and R5 became the technical standard for Groups Rally5, Rally4 and Rally2 respectively. Group Rally1 cars would replace the existing World Rally Car with new regulations in the 2022 WRC season. The newly created Group Rally3 introduced a brand new car in 2021.

Championships

From 2022, the support championships of the WRC and the FIA's regional rally championships will also be renamed and reconfigured to reflect the tiers of the pyramid. Thus a Group Rally3 car will run in WRC3 and ERC3, a Group Rally4 in WRC4 and ERC4. It's designed that with the number of either the championship, sporting class or Group Rally car alone an observer can better understand the level of aptitude, competition and car being used no matter which championship or region.[1][11]

Summary of FIA championship eligibility for each group from 2022[12][13]
Group WRC Regional Championships
Overall Support Championships Overall Support Championships
Open Junior (Age restriction) Open Junior (Age restriction)
Rally1 WRC N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rally2 WRC2 WRC2 (<30) reg N/A N/A
Rally3 WRC3 WRC3 (<29) reg3 ERC3 (<28)
Rally4 N/A N/A reg4 ERC4 (<27), ERT4 (<26), MERC4 (<26), NACAM4 (<?)
Rally5 N/A N/A

The regional championships represented by reg in the table above include:

These overall championships will not necessarily be restricted to cars of the rally pyramid. Junior championships in APC and APRC will continue to allow cars from any tier.

2022 Pyramid

RC1

Rally1

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Group Rally1 cars are due to be introduced in time for the 2022 World Rally Championship season as a replacement for the World Rally Car. The regulations, formed and approved by the existing WRC teams, were designed to ultimately reduce costs compared to the current 'WRC+' car and also reflect the growing trend of hybrid retail equivalent models. The rules surrounding the manufacture of the chassis means Rally1 will be the first real break from consumer production cars in world rallying history.

World Rally Car

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The World Rally Car (WRC) was introduced in 1997 to replace the many different forms of car permitted by Group A that entered the WRC manufacturer's championship. Initially they were 2000cc engines but this was reduced to 1600cc in 2011 with changes to dimensions made at the same time when World Rally Cars began being based on 1.6 L Super 2000 cars. The 2000cc cars were no longer permitted. In 2014 the formula was changed again to be more aligned with the then new Group R cars, which were intended to replace Super 2000 themselves. 'Super 2000' and 'Group R' World Rally Cars can still be entered by privateers as defined in 2013 and 2016 Appendices J Articles 255A.[14][15]

In 2017 the rules were changed again to make the cars faster and more aggressive with aerodynamic features. These latest 'WRC+' cars are permitted in the WRC Teams Championship but not the Manufacturers Championship and cannot be driven by any driver employed to score manufacturer points in them between 2017 and 2021. They will also run as Priority 2 group with Rally2 cars. They are defined in 2021 Appendix J Article 255A.[16]

Eligibility

Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
RC1 Rally1 Yes Yes Yes
World Rally Car (WRC+) Yes Yes
World Rally Car (Group R) Yes
World Rally Car (S2000) Yes

RC2

Rally2

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Group Rally2 regulations are carried forward from the R5 class of Group R, as outlined in Appendix J Article 261. They are defined as four-wheel drive touring or large scale production cars with a supercharged petrol engine.[17] Therefore any existing R5 homologated car can also enter into competition alongside recently homologated models in Rally2.

Rally2 is the sole formula of car in current formats of WRC2. They are also permitted in all the open regional championships, APC Junior and APRC Junior.[3][4]

Rally2 Kit

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Group Rally2 Kit is intended to be a new name for the 'R4 Kit' developed by Oreca. The FIA and Oreca had been using the new name system although the defining ruleset, 2021 Appendix J Article 260E, uses the term R4-Kit in its revision in November 2021.[18] Oreca's website also continues to use the term R4-Kit in its website.[19] It's possible the new name was found too confusing, indeed an article published on wrc.com in March 2021 promoting an Audi A1 claimed the car was both Rally2 and Rally2-Kit spec, and is eligible for WRC2 and WRC3. That was not correct at the time or evidenced by the FIA as happening in the future.[20]

Rally2-Kit (or R4-Kit) cars are, and will be, eligible for the overall world and regional championships but are not promoted as a tier of progression on the new pyramid by the FIA in their brochure and will not be eligible for any WRC or ERC support championships from 2022.[1] Popular in Africa, it's unclear why the FIA approved the pyramid-style name change in the first instance with R4 and Group N cars continuing to be permitted in those championships. MERC2 will accept the cars, the only support championship to do so.

NR4

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Group NR4 was established to allow older Group N cars to continue competing at the level of R4 of Group R when that was abandoned. They must be 4 wheel drive and have engine capacities over 2000cc. They are accepted in all the open regional championships, ARC and APRC Junior but they are not permitted in WRC. Cars must comply with 2019 Appendix J Article 254.[21]

R4

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Group R4, not to be confused with R4-Kit, NR4 or N4 are permitted in all the regional championships excluding Europe. Originally intended to be the Group R equivalent to the level Group N had assumed, R4 cars could come from Group A or N. No new R4 cars were homologated from 2015, with R4-Kit (Rally2-Kit) being preferred by the FIA. Only one R4 car remains homologated as of November 2021, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will lapse in August 2022.[22] As this particular car was first homologated in Group N it would also be accepted in NR4, making the distinction redundant in 2022 anyway.

R4 (the Mitsubishi Lancer) are also permitted in MERC2. Group R4 cars are defined in 2018 Appendix J Article 260.[23]

S2000

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Super 2000-Rallye cars are permitted in all the open regional championships, APC and APRC Junior championships. They are not permitted in WRC. Cars must comply with 2013 Appendix J Article 254A.[24] From January 2022 only one car remains homologated, the Citroën DS3 which will lapse by the end of the year.[25]

Eligibility

Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
RC2 Rally2 Yes Yes Yes
Rally2-Kit Yes Yes Yes
NR4 Yes Yes Yes Yes[lower-alpha 4]
R4 Yes[lower-alpha 5] Yes
S2000-Rally Yes

RC3

Rally3

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Group Rally3 contains a brand new specification of car introduced in 2021 and defined as a four-wheel drive touring or large scale production car with a petrol engine. It has multiple technical classes based on engine cylinder capacity, allowing for possibility of upgrade or use of common components with Groups Rally4 or Rally5 cars.[3] The group is designed to be entry level and the most cost-efficient way to go rallying with four wheel drive. The FIA have included a rally-ready price cap of €100,000 in the homologation requirements.[1] The cars have been described as a modern day Group N and a 4WD version of the R2.[26] Rally3 cars are defined in 2021 Appendix J Article 260.[27] Group Rally3 is the only car at RC3.

Eligibility

Group Rally3 will be the sole car allowed in WRC3, split between Open and Junior categories and tier 3 titles in all the regional championships.[12] Despite promising an ERC3 Junior Championship in March 2021, this did not materialise.

Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
RC3 Rally3 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

RC4

Rally4

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Group Rally4 regulations are carried forward from the R2 class of Group R as defined in 2021 Appendix J Article 260, or 2018 Appendix J Article 260.[27][23] Therefore any existing R2 car can also enter into competition alongside recently homologated models in Rally4.

R3

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Group R3 (and R3T) cars were the only class of car of Group R not to be renamed as a Group Rally. They are two-wheel-drive cars that were classified as RC3 until that tier became four-wheel-drive. Only Citroën DS3, Renault Clio and Toyota GT86 cars remain homologated as of 2021. Group R3 cars are defined in 2019 Appendix J Articles 260 and 260D.[28][29]

Group A

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Two wheel drive cars of Group A up to 2000cc engine capacity are eligible for the regional championships but not WRC. Their ruleset is standard Group A, the latest publication is 2019 Appendix J Article 255.[30] Around 30 models remain homologated as of February 2021.[1]

Eligibility

From 2022 there will be no two wheel drive support championships at world level. There will be Open tier 4 categories in all regional championships with Junior categories in ERC4, ERT4, MERC4 and NACAM4.[11] ERC4 and ERT4 will only accept Group Rally4 cars.


Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
RC4 Rally4 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
R3 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Group A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

RC5

Rally5

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Group Rally5 regulations are carried forward from the R1 class of Group R as defined in 2021 Appendix J Article 260 or 2018 Appendix J Article 260.[27][23] The sub-classes of R1 have effectively merged and capacity of turbocharged engines has increased to 1333cc, therefore existing R1A or R1B cars can enter into competition amongst cars homologated in Rally5. They are the only specification of car used in RC5.[3][4]

Eligibility

No specific competitions at world level but they are eligible for all tier 4 championships alongside Rally4 cars.[4]

Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
RC5 Rally5 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

RGT

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Group RGT specification cars are within their own unique sporting class of the same name. Though not promoted as a tier on the pyramid they are being promoted as a Group Rally.[1] Prior to 2021 RGT cars were approved with technical passports as defined in 2019 Appendix J Article 256.[31] From 2021 cars were homologated as per 2021 Appendix J Article 256.[32][3]

Eligibility

RGT cars are eligible for WRC driver's and co-driver's, and all regional open championships including ARC and APRC Junior. The FIA also runs the FIA R-GT Cup with rules specified under the Regional Sporting Regulations though with rounds on and off the WRC and ERC calendar.[3]

Eligibility in FIA Championships 2022
Class Group WRC R-GT
Cup
Regional Championships
ALL ERC ERT ARC MERC APRC NACAM CODASUR
Open M T WRC2 WRC3 RGT Open ERC3 ERC4 ERT3 ERT4 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4 MERC2 MERC3 MERC4 APRC3 APRC4 NAC3 NAC4 COD2 COD3 COD4
R-GT Yes Yes Yes

Notes

  1. The new World Rally Car at 1600cc multiplied by 1.7 for turbo correction is still considered 2720cc by the FIA. They were put in new class 'WRC'. All other A8 cars were banned.
  2. Although the information in this table was gathered from the FIA, the specifications of the new Rally1 are radically different from the outgoing World Rally Car.
  3. Group N regulations are not involved in Rally3, this cell is populated only to describe the purpose of the class/tier as in FIA releases.[2]
  4. NR4 are RC2N class in Codasur Championships
  5. Excluding ERC and ERT

References

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