2014 WRC calendar confirmed (again)

The last time the FIA WMSC met it signed off on the 2014 WRC calendar, but after its most recent meeting overnight a small change to the calendar was made by pushing back Rally d’Italia one week to 8 June.

A number of other issues relating to the WRC and minor championships were addressed as well and can be read in the notes from the meeting after the break.

Round	Date	Country	Rally
1	19 January	MCO	Rallye Monte Carlo
2	9 February	SWE	Rally Sweden
3	9 March	MEX	Rally Mexico
4	6 April	PRT	Rallye de Portugal
5	11 May	ARG	Rally Argentina
6	8 June	ITA	Rally d'Italia
7	29 June	POL	Rally Poland
8	3 August	FIN	Rally Finland
9	24 August	DEU	Rallye Deutschland
10	14 September	AUS	Rally Australia
11	5 October	FRA	Rallye de France
12	26 October	ESP	Rally de España
13	16 November	GBR	Rally of Great Britain

Note: The dates given are the Sunday and final day of each rally weekend. Itineraries are however subject to final confirmation by event organisers.

World Motor Sport Council

The final 2013 meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) took place today (4 December) in Paris, France.

Wed 04.12.13, 3:03PM

The following decisions were taken:

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

The start order for both gravel and tarmac rallies has been amended as follows, in order to increase the show for fans and reduce the use of tactics:

Day 1: Provisional Championship classification order for P1 and P2 drivers
Day 2: Reverse provisional rally classification order for P1 and P2 drivers
Day 3: Reverse provisional rally classification order for P1 and P2 drivers

Cars having retired and restarting (Rally 2) will be placed the next day after the P1 and P2 drivers group.

In order to allow greater flexibility to contract different drivers, manufacturers will no longer be required to nominate one permanent driver for the season. Instead, manufacturers will be obliged to nominate one driver for a minimum of 10 Championship events.

To bring consistency to events and thereby aid the Promoter, rallies must now follow a fixed format. There will be a ceremonial start on Thursday, with the last stage run on Sunday at approximately 12:00 hrs for European events. The final stage is defined as the Power Stage, the length of which will be set at a minimum of 10 kilometres.

All competitors registered in the Championships – WRC, WRC 2, WRC 3 and Junior WRC – will be obliged to use a colour-coded windscreen sticker to promote and identify the category in which they are competing and scoring points.

It was agreed to rename all classes of eligible cars in order to harmonise the numbering with the other FIA Championships. Therefore, the smaller number will define the most powerful cars (RC1 being World Rally Cars).

Permanent competition numbers will no longer be allocated to P3 drivers competing in the support championships. Drivers wishing to request a permanent number for marketing or promotional purposes will however be able to do so. The restriction on the number of servicing personnel has also been removed and testing during the three weeks preceding an event is now permitted for P3 drivers.

The date for the 2014 Rally d’Italia has changed to 08 June.

RALLYING

In order to increase the presence of professional teams, new titles have been created in the FIA European Rally Championship; the FIA ERC Manufacturers’ Cup, the FIA ERC Manufacturers’ Cup for 2WD Cars, and the FIA ERC Manufacturers’ Cup for Production Cars. The best two cars of each manufacturer entered in the Championship will score points in the respective classifications. The existing team titles have been deleted.

Free Practice and Qualifying will be staged on all tarmac rallies, as well as gravel events, following the same regulations concerning the definition of the rally start order for the first day.

A Junior Championship will be created within the framework of the FIA European Rally Championship to create a genuine ladder between the ERC and WRC for young talent. Designed to be an accessible and cost-effective series for drivers under 25 competing in currently named R2 cars, the Championship will run over seven events with the best four results – including one gravel or snow rally – counting towards the title.

It is confirmed that the currently named R5 cars will not be eligible for points in the FIA African Rally Championship in 2014.

A new award for Teams has been created within the framework of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, increasing promotion and interest among teams and sponsors. To increase competitor participation, drivers must participate in a minimum of three rallies for the Asia and Pacific Cups.

The European Rally Cup has been renamed the European Rally Trophy (ERT) from 2014.