WRC Featuring Hyundai and Toyota Rivalry: What Is the Competition Format?

2024 WRC Hyundai and Toyota Win Side by Side
Hyundai Wins Driver Category, Toyota Wins Manufacturer Category

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a global car racing competition organized by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and is considered one of the two major pillars of global motorsports alongside Formula One (F1). While F1 is a race where multiple cars compete on a fixed circuit simultaneously, WRC is a competition where a single car races against the clock over various stages.

The WRC rally takes place annually from January to November across 13 countries on 4 continents. Participants must prepare for the race considering not only changes in climate such as hot summers and cold winters but also diverse terrains including muddy or rocky mountain sections, slippery icy roads, and paved circuit sections. The WRC championship is decided based on the cumulative results of 13 events throughout the season. Awards are given in two categories: driver and co-driver, and manufacturer.

Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid (left) and Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid competing in the 2024 WRC. Photo by Hyundai.

Another characteristic of the WRC is that some sections of the race are held on public roads shared with regular vehicles. Additionally, the competing cars must be rally cars modified from production vehicles, not purpose-built racing cars.

WRC rally stages include Special Stages (SS), where cars are timed for speed on controlled sections, and Road Sections (RS), which connect the SS stages. On the RS, drivers must obey local traffic laws and speed limits. Failure to arrive at the next SS within the designated time results in penalties.

The main rally usually starts on Thursday night and ends by Sunday noon. However, preparations for the race typically begin on Monday. From Monday to Wednesday, drivers and co-drivers survey the rally course in regular cars to create their own 'pace notes.' Pace notes are detailed records of the road shape and conditions, including steering angles and entry speeds for each section, which help drivers anticipate the course.

During the actual race, the co-driver acts as a kind of navigator, providing the driver with real-time information about upcoming corners, road obstacles, and other critical driving data. Cooperation between the co-driver and driver is essential for a perfect rally performance.

The WRC organizer, FIA, adopted hybrid vehicles using eco-friendly synthetic 'e-fuel' as the official specification starting from the 2022 season. This decision aims to enhance the environmental sustainability of the competition while testing the durability of eco-friendly hybrid engines and promoting the development of e-fuel technology. This season, three manufacturers participated: Hyundai with the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Toyota with the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, and Ford with the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.