There are also two support championships, WRC2 and WRC3, which are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC, but with progressively lower maximum performance and running costs of the cars permitted.

[1][2][3][4] A WRC season typically consists of 13 three- to four-day rally events driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice.

Designed for privateer drivers, WRC3 has lower entry costs than WRC2 and there are restrictions on who can enter, testing and professional support received.

Audi's French female driver Michèle Mouton and her co-driver Fabrizia Pons came close to winning the title in 1982, but had to settle for second place after Opel rival Röhrl.

Italian Attilio Bettega had an even more severe crash with his Lancia 037 at the Tour de Corse and died instantly.

The 1986 season started with impressive performances by Finns Henri Toivonen and Alén in Lancia's new turbo- and supercharged Delta S4, which could reportedly accelerate from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.3 seconds, on a gravel road.

At the Tour de Corse, championship favourite Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto died in a fireball accident after plunging down a cliff.

Only hours after the crash, Jean-Marie Balestre and the FISA decided to freeze the development of the Group B cars and ban them from competing in 1987.

A separate Group A championship had been organized as part of the WRC already in 1986, with Sweden's Kenneth Eriksson taking the title with a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V.

Scotsman Colin McRae won the drivers' world championship in 1995 and Subaru took the manufacturers' title three years in a row.

Finland's Tommi Mäkinen driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution won the drivers' championship four times in a row, from 1996 to 1999.

Finn Marcus Grönholm took the drivers' title in his first full year in the series and Peugeot won the manufacturers' crown.

Suzuki and Subaru pulled out of the WRC at the end of the 2008 championship, both citing the economic downturn then affecting the automotive industry for their withdrawal.

Each WRC season consists of a number of rounds within the same calendar year and should ordinarily include rallies on a minimum of 3 continents.

Since 2021 rallies must consist of only one surface type except where short super special stages are permitted that do not require a change in the car's setup.

Asphalt setups have 18" wheels compared to 13" on gravel or snow, combined with changes needed to the differentials, suspension travel and geometry.

A WRC event begins with reconnaissance (recce) on Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing crews to drive through the stages and create or update their pace notes.

Originally known as SuperRally when introduced and later renamed Rally 2, the rules allow for a better return on investment for competitors and more action for spectators.

The rules have changed over time to suit economic conditions, for safety reasons, to advance technology, to attract more manufacturer entrants or to better promote the series.

Due to the increasing power, lack of reliability and a series of fatal accidents during the 1986 season, Group B was permanently banned.

In 2011 changes were made to the World Rally Car, the engine capacity was restricted to 1.6L and the minimum length requirement removed to allow for smaller and cost-effective models.

Commercial rights to the championship were first sold in 1996 to International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), a company owned by Bernie Ecclestone who also held an FIA presidential position at the time.

[32] The contract with North One Sports (renamed from ISC) was cancelled by the FIA ahead of the 2012 season after the company entered into administration the previous year.

[34][35] With the introduction of WRC+ All Live in 2018, for the first time in the championship's history, every special stage from each round was shown for selected cars with commentary available in English.

[45] 21 different manufacturers have won a World Rally Championship event: Citroën, Ford, Lancia, Toyota, Peugeot, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Audi, Fiat, Hyundai, Datsun/Nissan, Opel, Renault, Renault-Alpine, Saab, Mazda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Talbot.

[46] With a further 11 having finished on the podium: Seat, Mini, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Ferrari, MG, Polski Fiat, Škoda, Triumph and Wartburg.

Rally Trophy, released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows by Bugbear, concentrated on historic cars such as Alpine A110 and Lancia Stratos.

The first fully FIA licensed WRC: World Rally Championship was released in 2001 for PlayStation 2 by Evolution Studios.

Racing simulator Richard Burns Rally, released in 2004 for several platforms, has gathered recognition for its realism.

Previous eSports WRC champion Jon Armstrong is also a physical rally driver, and racehouse Williams run a team.