2017 World Rally Championship

2017 World Rally Championship
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Support series: World Rally Championship-2 World Rally Championship-3 Junior World Rally Championship

Sébastien Ogier is the reigning drivers' champion.

Reigning manufacturers' champions Volkswagen Motorsport left the sport at the end of the 2016 season.

The 2017 World Rally Championship is scheduled to be the forty-fifth season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams and crews are planned to compete for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Drivers are free to compete in cars complying with World Rally Car and Group R regulations; however, only Manufacturers competing with World Rally Cars would be eligible to score points in the Manufacturers' championship. The series is scheduled to be once again be supported by the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships at every round.

The 2017 season plans to see substantial revisions to the technical regulations aimed at improving the performance of the cars and offering teams a greater degree of technical and design freedom. Toyota is expected to return to the sport as a full manufacturer team, entering the Toyota Yaris WRC, while Citroën also plans to return to full-time competition after contesting a partial campaign in 2016, while Volkswagen withdrew from the championship at the end of the 2016 season.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are the reigning World Drivers' and Co-drivers' Champions, after securing their fourth World Championship titles at the 52º Rally Catalunya.^[1] Their team, Volkswagen Motorsport, are the reigning World Manufacturers' Champions, having secured their fourth title at the 72nd Wales Rally GB.^[2][3]

List of planned events

A provisional calendar was announced in September 2016 by the FIA,^[4] with the final version published in November.^[5] The season is due to be contested over thirteen rounds in Europe, North and South America and Australia.

Nations which are scheduled to host a rally in 2017 are highlighted in green, with rally headquarters marked by a black dot.

Round	Dates		Rally name	Rally headquarters	Surface
	Start	Finish
1	20 January	22 January	85ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo	Gap, Hautes-Alpes	Mixed
2	10 February	12 February	65th Rally Sweden	Karlstad, Värmland	Snow
3	10 March	12 March	31º Rally Guanajuato México	León, Guanajuato	Gravel
4	7 April	9 April	60ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France	Bastia, Haute-Corse	Tarmac
5	28 April	30 April	37º Rally Argentina	Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba	Gravel
6	19 May	21 May	51º Rally de Portugal	Matosinhos, Porto	Gravel
7	9 June	11 June	14º Rally d'Italia Sardegna	Alghero, Sardinia	Gravel
8	30 June	2 July	74th Rally Poland	Mikołajki, Warmia-Masuria	Gravel
9	28 July	30 July	67th Rally Finland	Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi	Gravel
10	18 August	20 August	35. ADAC Rallye Deutschland	Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate	Tarmac
11	6 October	8 October	53º Rally RACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada	Salou, Tarragona	Mixed
12	27 October	29 October	73rd Wales Rally GB	Deeside, Flintshire	Gravel
13	17 November	19 November	26th Rally Australia	Coffs Harbour, New South Wales	Gravel
Source:[4][5][6]

Calendar changes

• The FIA re-organised the calendar to include a greater variation in surfaces between events, bringing the Tour de Corse forward from October to April.^[4][7] The decision was made after concerns were expressed about the 2016 calendar, which originally contained six consecutive gravel events followed by four tarmac rallies.^[8]
• The FIA put the Rallies of Argentina and Poland on notice regarding safety concerns, threatening to rescind their World Championship status for the 2017 season unless safety standards were improved in 2016.^[9][10][11] Both events were subsequently included on the calendar.^[4][5]
• Following its cancellation in 2016, the Rally of China was removed from the calendar.^[4]
• Proposals from fourteen new and established rallies across Europe, the Middle East and Asia were submitted to the FIA for accreditation as World Championship or candidature rounds with a view to expanding the calendar.^[12][13] The expansion was first touted after FIA President Jean Todt expressed concerns that the championship was too heavily focused on European events, with just three of the thirteen rallies held as part of the 2016 season being run outside Europe.^[13]

Entries

The following teams and drivers are scheduled to compete in the World Rally Championship during the 2017 season:

World Rally Car entries eligible to score manufacturer points
Constructor	Team	Tyres	No.	Drivers	Co-drivers	Rounds
Citroën (Citroën C3 WRC)	Citroën World Rally Team[14][15]	TBA	TBA	Khalid Al Qassimi[16]	TBA	TBA
			TBA	Craig Breen[16]	Scott Martin[16]	TBA
			TBA	Stéphane Lefebvre[16]	TBA	TBA
			TBA	Kris Meeke[16]	Paul Nagle[17]	TBA
Hyundai (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)	Hyundai World Rally Team[18]	TBA	TBA	Thierry Neuville[19]	Nicolas Gilsoul[20]	TBA
			TBA	Hayden Paddon[18]	John Kennard[18]	TBA
			TBA	Dani Sordo[21]	TBA	TBA
M-Sport (Ford Fiesta RS WRC)	DMACK World Rally Team[22]	D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
			TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
	M-Sport World Rally Team[23]	TBA	TBA	Eric Camilli[24]	TBA	TBA
			TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
Toyota (Toyota Yaris WRC)	Toyota GAZOO Racing[25][26][27]	M	TBA	Juho Hänninen[28]	Kaj Lindström[28]	TBA
			TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
			TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
Source:[24]

Constructor changes

Citroën plans to return to full-time competition in 2017.

• Citroën announced their intention to return to the sport with a fully factory-supported team after competing part-time in 2016 to focus on the development of their 2017-generation car.^[14] The DS3 WRC is to be retired from competition and succeeded by the C3 WRC, a brand-new car based on the Citroën C3.^[15] The decision to re-enter the World Rally Championship is scheduled to coincide with Citroën withdrawing its factory support for the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC and its World Touring Car Championship programme.^[29]
• Hyundai plan to return to entering a three-door variant of the i20 WRC, known as the i20 Coupe WRC,^[30][31] having used the five-door model in competition throughout the 2016 season.^[32] The team had previously used a three-door model in 2014 and 2015 before being forced to adopt the five-door model in 2016 for logistical reasons.^[32] However, the team considered the three-door model to be better-suited to competition, and developed the i20 Coupe WRC around it.^[30]
• Toyota announced their plans to return to the sport after eighteen years.^[25] The Japanese manufacturer is scheduled to enter the brand-new Toyota Yaris WRC under the banner of Toyota GAZOO Racing.^[26] The development and operation of the cars is overseen by four-time World Drivers' Champion Tommi Mäkinen.^[33] Toyota last competed in the sport as a factory-supported team between 1997 and 1999 with the Corolla WRC before withdrawing ahead of the 2000 season to focus on its Formula One project.
• Volkswagen withdrew from the championship at the end of the 2016 season, with the company cancelling the Polo R WRC programme in light of the emissions scandal that broke in 2015.^[3] The 2016 specification of the Polo R WRC was retired from competition, while the 2017 model was abandoned in favour of a Polo rally car built to R5 regulations and scheduled for introduction in 2018.^[3]

Team changes

• DMACK World Rally Team is scheduled to expand to enter a second car for the 2017 season.^[22]

Crew changes

• Juho Hänninen signed a deal to return to the championship, driving for Toyota.^[28] Hänninen last contested the championship on a regular basis with Hyundai in 2014 before joining Toyota as a development driver. Hänninen will switch co-drivers, with Kaj Lindström replacing Tomi Tuominen.^[28]
• Kris Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle signed for a full-time drive with Citroën.^[16] Craig Breen and Scott Martin are planned to share a car with Stéphane Lefebvre between events—as they did in 2016—but are scheduled to contest the full season once a third C3 WRC becomes available.^[16]
• As a result of Volkswagen's decision to cancel their World Rally Championship programme, Volkswagen Motorsport's three crews—Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila, and Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger—left the team.^[3]

Regulation changes

Technical regulations

Cars that competed between 2011 and 2016—such as this Mini John Cooper Works WRC—are still eligible to compete in 2017.

• The sport underwent a revision of the technical regulations for 2017, introducing a variety of changes aimed at improving aerodynamic and mechanical grip,^[34] with modelling suggesting that average stage speeds is expected to increase to the point where stage records could be broken by up to thirty seconds and drawing comparisons to the defunct Group B regulations.^[35][36]
  • An increase in the engine's power output from 300 bhp (223.7 kW) to 380 bhp (283.4 kW), the equivalent of a TC1-specification World Touring Car Championship engine.^[36][37]
  • The introduction of a larger turbo restrictor, increasing from 33mm in 2016 to 36mm in 2017; however, the maximum allowable turbo pressure will remain fixed at 2.5 bar absolute.^[38]
  • A reduction in the overall weight of the car, cutting 25 kg (55.1 lb) from the monocoque.^[34][36]
  • An increase in the overhang of the front and rear bumpers, and increases in the size of the door sills, door pillars and the fixed rear wing, allowing for the inclusion of additional aerodynamic aids.^[34] However, the bodywork of the 2017 model must be able to cover the bodywork of the 2016 model of car.^[39]
  • Deregulation of the rules governing the rear diffuser to allow manufacturers to develop a wider range of aerodynamic shapes.^[34]
  • Deregulation of the rules governing the wheel arches, allowing the introduction of additional brake cooling ducts.^[39]
  • The reintroduction of an active centre differential for the first time since the 2010 season.^[35]
  • The introduction of an electronic differential for the first time in the sport.^[40]
• Homologation requirements were relaxed to allow any production car that is at least 3.9 m (12.8 ft) long to be eligible for recognition as a World Rally Car.^[38] The design of the car was finalised by September 2016 and submitted for homologation by 1 November 2016.^[41]

Sporting regulations

• The points-scoring system for the World Championship for Manufacturers was changed, with manufacturers permitted to enter at least two and as many as three crews in each round, with the best two results being awarded points.^[4]
• A new privateers' championship to be known as the WRC Trophy is scheduled to be contested for crews entering World Rally Cars used between 2011 and 2016.^[4][42][43] Crews competing in the WRC Trophy will nominate seven rounds at which they will be eligible to score points, with their six best results counting towards their final points tally.^[43]
• The FIA plans to exercise stricter controls over which drivers are eligible to compete in 2017-specification cars by only permitting registered manufacturers to enter 2017-specification cars.^[4][6] The rule is planned to be introduced as a response to concerns over inexperienced drivers and drivers paying for the opportunity to race from being able to compete in the more powerful 2017 cars without oversight.^[44] The controls stop short of a licensing system similar to the one used in Formula One to allow experienced guest drivers to compete part-time.^[45]
• The rules governing the running order—the order in which crews enter a stage—will revert back to the system used in 2014 to address concerns over road sweeping,^[46] whereby championship leaders were forced to clear the roads of loose gravel, costing them time and exposing the harder-packed and faster road base for following drivers to take advantage of. Under the reintroduced rules, the crews will enter a stage in championship order for the first day of competition, and then in reverse championship order for the remaining legs of the event.^[47]

References

1. Evans, David (16 October 2016). "Ogier takes fourth WRC title with Spain win". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
2. Evans, David (30 October 2016). "Rally GB: Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier claims fourth win in Wales". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
3. Evans, David (2 November 2016). "Volkswagen confirms it will leave the WRC at the end of 2016". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
4. "2017 WRC dates confirmed". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
5. "FIA Announces World Motorsport Council Decisions". FIA.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
6. Evans, David; Beer, Matt (28 September 2016). "World Rally Championship only confirms partial 2017 calendar". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
7. Evans, David (20 September 2016). "Tour of Corsica set to get April slot in 2017 WRC schedule". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
8. "Rally China cancelled due to weather damage". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
9. Evans, David (2 March 2016). "FIA taking hard line on WRC Rally Argentina safety". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
10. Evans, David. "Rally Argentina under FIA observation after 2015 safety failings". autosport.com. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
11. Evans, David (30 June 2016). "Rally Poland under pressure to prove safety to ensure WRC future". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
12. Evans, David (7 April 2016). "Circuit of Ireland renews push for World Rally Championship slot". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
13. Evans, David (2 June 2016). "Thirteen new events chasing World Rally Championship calendar slots". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
14. "Citroën commits to WRC future". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
15. Evans, David (5 April 2016). "Citroën in race against time to develop all-new WRC C3 for 2017". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
16. Evans, David (5 October 2016). "Citroen announces Breen and Lefebvre as Meeke's 2017 WRC team-mates". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
17. "Citroen finalises 2017 WRC line-up". speedcafe.com. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
18. "Hayden Paddon secures Hyundai WRC future". speedcafe.com. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
19. Evans, David (5 October 2016). "Hyundai retains Neuville alongside Paddon and Sordo for 2017 WRC". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
20. "Neuville signs two-year extension with Hyundai". speedcafe.com. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
21. Evans, David (22 August 2016). "Hyundai keeps Dani Sordo for 2017 and '18 World Rally Championships". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
22. Evans, David (13 July 2016). "DMACK wants M-Sports works team deal or Tanak/Evans for 2017 WRC". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
23. "Østberg and Camili join M-Sport". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
24. Evans, David (5 August 2016). "Craig Breen deserves 2017 WRC drive - Citroen boss Yves Matton". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
25. "Toyota announces WRC return in 2017". Toyota GB Blog. Toyota GB. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
26. "Toyota GAZOO Racing Outlines 2016 Motorsports Activities". Toyota. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
27. "Hänninen "very likely" for Toyota drive". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
28. Evans, David (18 October 2016). "WRC 2017: Juho Hanninen gets first seat in Toyota's new Yaris". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
29. Abbott, Andrew (19 November 2015). "Citroën to end WTCC programme after 2016". TouringCars.Net. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
30. Evans, David (23 September 2016). "Hyundai close to final specification of its 2017 World Rally Car". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
31. "Hyundai uncovers 2017 i20 at Monza rally show". speedcafe.com. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
32. Evans, David (22 June 2016). "Hyundai to switch its i20 World Rally Championship model for 2017". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
33. "Tommi Mäkinen to head up Toyota's WRC bid". speedcafe.com. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
34. "WRC cars to become more aggressive in 2017". speedcafe.com. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
35. Evans, David (11 April 2016). "Concerns over speed and spectacle of 2017 WRC cars growing". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
36. "Meeke: 2017 Citroën has Group B spirit". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
37. "Citroën uncovers new C3 WRC car". speedcafe.com. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
38. "New regulations coming for the 2017 World Rally Car". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
39. "Citroen successfully tests 2017 WRC aero kit". speedcafe.com. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
40. "Citroen previews its 2017 WRC challenger". speedcafe.com. Citroën. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
41. Evans, David (21 July 2016). "Volkswagen close to finalising 2017 World Rally Car design". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
42. Evans, David (10 May 2016). "Future of existing WRC cars being evaluated by FIA". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
43. Evans, David (30 November 2016). "WRC approves running order rule revamp and 2017 calendar". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
44. Evans, David (24 June 2016). "No privateer 2017 World Rally Car entries to be permitted by FIA". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
45. Evans, David (5 May 2016). "Drivers of 2017 World Rally Cars must be approved by FIA". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
46. Evans, David (14 July 2016). "VW WRC boss warns Ogier could quit over 2017 running order rules". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
47. Evans, David (5 November 2016). "Controversial WRC running order rules changed for 2017". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 November 2016.

External links

• Official website of the World Rally Championship