The World Rally Championship (WRC) stands on the cusp of its most significant regulatory overhaul in a generation.
From 2027, a decade-long technical framework will come into effect not only to breathe fresh life into the sport, but to broaden its appeal among manufacturers.
Since 2021, only Toyota, Hyundai and Ford have competed at the top level of WRC, with Toyota winning every manufacturers’ title in that time. Including Citroën and Volkswagen – both of which enjoyed dominant periods in the sport – brings the total to five manufacturers to have claimed a WRC championship since 2003.
By comparison, Formula One, the motorsport series perhaps most associated with prolonged eras of dominance, has produced seven manufacturers’ champions in that time. The contrast is equally stark when set against the World Endurance Championship (WEC), where 14 manufacturers currently compete at the highest level.
In that context, it is no surprise that a global championship like WRC is looking to expand its top class beyond three manufacturers. The incoming regulatory overhaul is designed to address the imbalance, offering the championship a platform to grow at a time when it is seeking widespread appeal.
New regulations for a new era
Speaking at the BlackBook Motorsport Forum in March, International Automobile Federation (FIA) road sport director Emilia Abel acknowledged that WRC “has become a bit of a niche product”.
Abel is one of the architects of the new regulations being introduced in 2027, with the new car central to attempts to shift that perception by reducing the barriers to entry of competing.
“The key pillars [of the new regulations] are to increase the affordability and accessibility, so [it] is bringing along a major cost reduction, along with the improved safety standards,” Abel continued.
“As a third, I would like to highlight the flexibility. Flexibility first of all for the manufacturers because, for the first time, we are moving away from production models, but also the new technical regulation provides a great possibility for different powertrains.”
WRC’s new regulations are set to come into play from 2027 (Image credit: WRC)
The big change is a broadening of the definition of what classifies as a manufacturer. Now, manufacturers and private teams – known as tuners – will compete under a single classification of constructor, similar to how Formula One has both big car brands like Mercedes and Ferrari competing alongside independent teams like Williams and McLaren.
A cost cap of €345,000 (US$403,000) per car has also been introduced, more than 50 per cent lower than the current formula.
WRC Promoter head of business development Marc De Jong confirmed the changes will see six manufacturers ready to commit from day one. He also said there have also been “a number of spy shots and deliberate leaks of more constructors that are working on more projects”.
Some of those have already been revealed in an early sign that the new regulations are having the desired effect. Toyota is the only OEM signed up for now, but this week saw RMC Motorsport unveil plans to develop a car in partnership with FIA member club, Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo (RFEDA). The Spanish outfit is the second tuner to commit to WRC’s new era, joining Belgian team Project Rally One.
‘We’re going back to the US for the first time in four decades’
The new regulations are set in stone for the next ten years, which provides the stability required to encourage manufacturers to join the sport. It also allows WRC to make long-term plans, with the focus now shifting to the calendar.
WRC will return to the UK for the first time since 2019 with the introduction of Rally Scotland in 2027, and next year will see WRC’s Italian round move from Sardinia to Rome.
But the championship’s primary focus is one of the two continents on which it doesn’t currently race.
“Hopefully next year we’ll be back in the US as well, subject to a candidate event which is going to be held in June,” said de Jong. “We’re going to be back there for the first time in four decades in Tennessee and Kentucky, not an easy market to crack.
“There’s a lot of homework that’s gone into that one to make sure that we don’t show up with just an event, but we show up with an event that appeals to American audiences.”
This would fulfil a long-held ambition for WRC, which has been on the cusp of introducing a US rally for some time. Event director Simon Larkin told BlackBook Motorsport that a multi-year contract was agreed last year and that the championship was “a long way down the road” with a naming rights partner.
Laying the foundation for commercial growth
The impact of the new regulations and potential events in new markets will undoubtedly be of interest to WRC’s next promoter. A tender process for the series’ commercial rights was launched last August and, according to Dirtfish, the leading candidate is an organisation called Cosmobolis, led by former Formula One executive Eric Boullier.
The potential is there. The championship claims an annual TV audience of 1.3 billion and 2.2 billion social media impressions, making WRC “the second-largest four-wheeled motorsport in the world”, according to de Jong.
That TV figure is based on aggregate exposure across highlights and global broadcasts, rather than the race-by-race data commonly used in Formula One. The ambition now will be that the new regulations lure more manufacturers to help back up that claim.
There is already evidence of the impact when WRC gets its approach right. The Safari Rally in Kenya broke the series’ social media records with 90 million views and 15 viral clips.
The signs are encouraging, but WRC will hope that its revamped regulations are the final piece of the puzzle to beckon a new era of rallying.
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