2021 World Rally Championship-2

The 2021 FIA World Rally Championship-2 is the ninth season of the World Rally Championship-2, an auto racing championship for rally cars that is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the second-highest tier of international rallying. The category is open to cars entered by manufacturers and complying with Rally2 regulations.[1] The championship is due to begin in January 2021 with the Rallye Monte-Carlo and conclude in November 2021 with Rally Japan, and will run in support of the 2021 World Rally Championship.

2021 FIA World Rally Championship-2
Previous: 2020 Next: 2022
Parent series:
FIA World Rally Championship
Support series:
FIA World Rally Championship-3
FIA Junior World Rally Championship
Mads Østberg is the reigning WRC-2 drivers' champion.

Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen are the reigning drivers' and co-drivers' champions. Toksport WRT are the defending teams' champions.[2]

Calendar
A map showing the locations of the rallies in the 2021 championship. Scheduled events are in green, while cancelled events are in blue. Event headquarters are marked with a black dot.

The 2021 championship is due to be contested over twelve rounds in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America:

Round Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance Ref.
1 21 January 24 January Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Mixed[lower-alpha 1] 14 257.64 km [3]
2 26 February 28 February Arctic Rally Finland Rovaniemi, Lapland Snow 10 251.08 km [4]
3 22 April 25 April Croatia Rally Zagreb, City of Zagreb Region Tarmac TBA TBA
4 20 May 23 May Rally de Portugal Matosinhos, Porto Gravel TBA TBA
5 3 June 6 June Rally Italia Sardegna Alghero, Sardinia Gravel TBA TBA
6 24 June 27 June Safari Rally Kenya Nairobi, Nairobi County Gravel TBA TBA
7 15 July 18 July Rally Estonia Tartu, Tartu County Gravel TBA TBA
8 29 July 1 August Rally Finland Jyväskylä, Central Finland Gravel TBA TBA
9 13 August 15 August Ypres Rally Belgium Ypres, West Flanders Tarmac TBA TBA
10 9 September 12 September Rally Chile Concepción, Biobío Gravel TBA TBA
11 14 October 17 October RACC Rally Catalunya de España Salou, Catalonia Tarmac TBA TBA
12 11 November 14 November Rally Japan Nagoya, Chūbu Tarmac TBA TBA
Source:[5][6]

The following rounds were included on the original calendar published by WRC Promoter GmbH, but were later cancelled:

Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance Cancellation reason Ref.
11 February 14 February Rally Sweden Torsby, Värmland Snow 19 313.81 km COVID-19 pandemic [7][8]
19 August 22 August Rally GB N/A N/A N/A N/A Financial issues [9]

Calendar changes

With the addition of Rally Chile to the calendar in 2019, the FIA opened the tender process for new events to join the championship in 2020.[10] Three events were successful,[lower-alpha 2] but the championship was affected by a series of cancellations in 2019 and 2020 that necessitated changes to the 2021 calendar:

The Ypres Rally's début will make Belgium the 35th nation to hold a World Rally Championship event.
  • Rally GB was replaced by the Ypres Rally in Belgium.[9] Rally GB had originally planned to move from Wales to Northern Ireland, but the event was replaced when organisers were unable to come to an agreement with the government of Northern Ireland to support the rally.
  • Rally Japan is scheduled to return to the calendar for the first time since 2010.[5] It was originally included on the 2020 calendar, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]
  • The Safari Rally is scheduled to be run as a World Championship event for the first time since 2002. The event is to be based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and feature stages around Lake Naivasha.[18] The event had been planned to make its return to the championship in 2020, but was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]
The Arctic Rally is set to become the first World Rally Championship round held inside the Arctic Circle.

In light of the disruption caused by the pandemic in 2020 and in anticipation of further delays, the calendar included an additional six reserve rounds that could be included in the event of rallies being cancelled. These events include rallies in Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Monza and Latvia.[5][23] The Ypres Rally had also been included on this reserve list before it replaced Rally GB.[9]

Entries

The following teams and crews are under contract to contest the 2020 World Rally Championship-2:

Entrant Car Driver name Co-driver name Rounds
Hyundai Motorsport N Hyundai i20 R5 Oliver Solberg Aaron Johnston TBA
Ole Christian Veiby Jonas Andersson 2
M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II Adrien Fourmaux Renaud Jamoul 1
Movisport Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 Nikolay Gryazin Konstantin Aleksandrov TBA
Škoda Fabia R5 Evo Enrico Brazzoli Maurizio Barone 1
Saintéloc Citroën C3 Rally2 Sean Johnston Alex Kihurani 1
Sports & You Citroën C3 Rally2 Eric Camilli François-Xavier Buresi 1
Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia R5 Evo Marco Bulacia Wilkinson Marcelo Der Ohannesian 1
Andreas Mikkelsen Ola Fløene 1
Source:[24]

In detail

Hyundai Motorsport N plan to introduce an updated version of the Hyundai i20 R5 known as the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 during the season.[25] Oliver Solberg signed a two-year deal to drive for the team.[26] He will compete alongside Ole Christian Veiby, replacing Nikolay Gryazin.[27]

M-Sport Ford WRT will enter a Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II for Adrien Fourmaux and Renaud Jamoul.[28] Formaux and Jamoul will combine their WRC-2 campaign with appearances competing for M-Sport in the top tier of rallying.

The World Rally Championship-3 crew of Marco Bulacia Wilkinson and Marcelo Der Ohannesian joined the WRC-2 with defending champions Toksport WRT. The team will enter a second car for Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene.

SC Movisport will join the championship, entering a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 for Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov. The team will also enter a Škoda Fabia R5 Evo for Enrico Brazzoli and Maurizio Barone.[29]

Portuguese team Sports and You, Citroen distributor in the Iberian Peninsule, will enter the new Citroën C3 Rally2 for Eric Camilli and François-Xavier Buresi.

Changes

Technical regulations

Pirelli will replace Michelin as the sport's sole tyre supplier.[30] Under the terms of the agreement, Pirelli will supply tyres to all teams entering World Rally Cars and R5 cars.

Sporting regulations

Competitors in the WRC-2 category will be awarded Power Stage bonus points for the first time.[31]

Results and standings

Season summary
Round Event Winning driver Winning co-driver Winning entrant Winning time Report Ref.
1 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Andreas Mikkelsen Ola Fløene Toksport WRT 3:03:57.3 Report [32]
2 Arctic Rally Finland Report
3 Croatia Rally Report
4 Rallye de Portugal Report
5 Rally Italia Sardegna Report
6 Safari Rally Kenya Report
7 Rally Estonia Report
8 Rally Finland Report
9 Ypres Rally Belgium Report
10 Rally Chile Report
11 RACC Rally Catalunya de España Report
12 Rally Japan Report

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in each event. Power Stage points are also awarded in the drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers' championships.

Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

FIA World Rally Championship-2 for Drivers
Pos. Driver MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
1 Andreas Mikkelsen 11 30
2 Adrien Fourmaux 22 22
3 Eric Camilli 34 17
4 Marco Bulacia Wilkinson 43 15
5 Sean Johnston 55 11
6 Enrico Brazzoli 6 8
Pos. Driver MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
Source:[33]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

FIA World Rally Championship-2 for Co-Drivers
Pos. Co-Driver MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
1 Ola Fløene 11 30
2 Renaud Jamoul 22 22
3 François-Xavier Buresi 34 17
4 Marcelo Der Ohannesian 43 15
5 Alex Kihurani 55 11
6 Maurizio Barone 6 8
Pos. Co-Driver MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
Source:[33]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

FIA World Rally Championship-2 for Manufacturers
Pos. Manufacturer MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
1 Toksport WRT 1 40
3
2 Movisport 2 30
4
Pos. Manufacturer MON
 ARC
 CRO
 PRT
 ITA
 SAF
 EST
 FIN
 BEL
 CHI
 ESP
 JPN
 Points
Source:[33]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

Notes
  1. The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.
  2. Rally New Zealand was successful in its bid to join the championship, but was cancelled because of the pandemic.[11] It was not included on the 2021 calendar, but a separate, later bid from Rally Croatia was also successful.[5]
  3. Rally Catalunya had previously been run as a mixed-surface rally, with the first leg of the event held on tarmac roads and the final two legs on tarmac.
  4. The Arctic Rally will be held twice during the 2021 calendar year. The first running in January will be as part of the Finnish Rally Championship and the second running in February will be the World Championship round.[22]

References
  1. "2019 WRC Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  2. "Østberg triumphs to secure maiden world title". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. "Itinerary" (PDF). acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  4. "Itinerary ver 1.3" (PDF). arcticrallyfinland.fi. Arctic Rally. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. "Croatia and Estonia named in 2021 WRC calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  6. "Date finalised for Belgium WRC debut". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. "The rally". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  8. "Rally Sweden cancelled". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  9. Craig, Jason (8 January 2021). "UK loses 2021 WRC calendar slot to inaugural Belgian round". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  10. "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  11. "New Zealand's 2020 WRC return off". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. "Rally Spain". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  13. Evans, David (29 November 2019). "WRC's 2020 Rally Chile cancelled due to political and social unrest". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 December 2019. Rally Chile's Felipe Horta said: 'The decision was to wait a year to take the world championship. We have talked with the FIA and the WRC [Promoter] in Germany, where they have fortunately understood very favourably what is happening and are allowing us to cancel the 2020 date and resume the contract we have established for three years.'
  14. Craig, Jason (26 August 2020). "Rally Germany cancelled as Italian WRC round moves to avoid Imola F1 clash". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  15. "No Neste Rally Finland for 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  16. Herrero, Dan (9 June 2020). "Rally GB cancelled". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  17. Klein, Jamie (19 August 2020). "Belgium gets WRC round for the first time after Rally Japan axed". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  18. "Safari back in 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  19. Thukral, Rachit (15 May 2020). "WRC News: Kenya's Safari Rally cancelled due to coronavirus". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  20. Thukral, Rachit (15 December 2020). "WRC announces 2021 Rally Sweden cancellation". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  21. Craig, Jason (14 January 2021). "WRC adds Arctic Rally Finland to 2021 calendar as Sweden replacement". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  22. "Arctic Rally". ewrc-results.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  23. Craig, Jason (24 December 2020). "FIA "quite confident" 2021 WRC opener in Monte Carlo will go ahead". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  24. "89e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo Entry List" (PDF). acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  25. Craig, Jason (21 October 2020). "New Hyundai i20 N Rally2 machine set for mid-2021 homologation". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  26. "Oliver Solberg joins Hyundai on two-year deal, will race WRC2 in 2021". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  27. "Solberg joins Veiby in Hyundai WRC2 Squad". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  28. "Greensmith heads youthful M-Sport Ford line-up". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  29. Ramírez, Bernabé (31 December 2020). "Movisport, en WRC2 con Nikolay Gryazin y Enrico Brazzoli". Revista Scratch.
  30. Evans, David (20 December 2019). "Pirelli wins tyre tender to supply WRC top tier and R5s from 2021". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  31. "Power Stage points extended to manufacturers, WRC2 and WRC3". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  32. "WRC2: Mikkelsen's dream start in Monte-Carlo". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  33. "WRC 2 standings 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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