A Look At The World Rally Championship
3rd Feb, 2017
Topping the leaderboard as the biggest motorsports event of the year, 2017’s World Rally Championship lasts for eleven months and takes place in locations across the globe, promising to draw staggering crowds each time. We take a brief look at what this colossal event involves, as well as what kind of cars end up hurtling along its tracks.
What’s All The Fuss About When It Comes To The World Rally Championship?
Image Credit: WRC Report
As people in the scrap car market, we see a lot of cars written off or done in by otherwise irreparable damage. So we’re always impressed at the engineering of the cars in the WRC, as well as the resolve of the drivers behind the wheel – both can take a lot of punishment! The FIFA World Rally Championship is the very top level of international rally driving, hosting only the most skilled of drivers, steering extensively modified legends of automotive engineering. A big draw of the WRC is the variety – because it’s spread out in so many places in so many countries, it sees drivers attack all types of terrain across all climates and weathers, from snow-driven peaks to wind-ravaged deserts.
How Does The World Rally Championship Work?
Basically, the championship is divided into thirteen rounds, which each take place in a different country between January and November of 2017. Each of these rounds is then divided into stages – each ‘stage’ is an individually closed off section of the whole track. There’s generally anywhere between 15 to 25 stages in each round, and drivers often have to make use of public highways when travelling in between each one. This means that it’s not unheard of for spectators and drivers to pass each other on the way to the same event. There are strict rules in place to make sure that all rally cars are road-legal, even after all their modifications, and their drivers have to respect the rules and regulations of these public highways when travelling between stages to ensure responsible driving. It’s just as well – being totalled by an off-duty rally vehicle would be an interesting way to scrap your car!
The rallies themselves involve both a driver and a co-driver, the latter of whom consults his own extensive notes and diagrams – drawn up prior to the event – to guide his partner through the unpredictable sprawl to the finish line in an attempt to complete it in the shortest time possible. Like many professional sportspeople, it’s not uncommon for the crews to have worked with each other for many years, sharing a bond both inside and outside the car.
What About The Cars Themselves?
Each manufacturer enters the World Rally Championship with their own vehicles, so it stands to reason that they extensively, passionately and creatively modify the very best models to represent their brand. WRC cars are typically lighter, more powerful and even – in a lot of cases – safer than their consumer counterparts on the road. This is a lot to do with the mandatory safety measures they’re outfitted with, like their roll cages and full-harness seatbelts. Thanks to a recent revision of the rules, entrants this year also have more downforce and a small leap in power from 300 to 380 brake horsepower – so we can expect almost an entire year of exciting rally car spectacles!
We’re big car fans at Scrap Car Network, but we’re only interested as spectators – our primary mission is to help you scrap your car for the best possible price, with the absolute minimum of hassle. You can find our service in your area today, or simply enter your car reg and postcode onto our website to get started right away!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @ScrapCarNetwork
