2017 World Rally Championship
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| 2017 World Rally Championship | |||
| Previous: | 2016 | Next: | 2018 |
| Support series: World Rally Championship-2 World Rally Championship-3 Junior World Rally Championship |
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The 2017 World Rally Championship will be the forty-fifth season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams and drivers will compete for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Drivers will be free to compete in cars complying with World Rally Car and Group R regulations; however, only Manufacturers competing with World Rally Cars will be eligible to score points in the Manufacturers' championship.
The 2017 season will see substantial revisions to the technical regulations aimed at improving the performance of the cars and offering a greater degree of technical freedom. Toyota will return to the sport as a full manufacturer team, entering the Toyota Yaris WRC, while Citroën will return to full-time competition after contesting a partial campaign in 2016.
Contents
List of planned events
The following events are scheduled to be run as part of the 2017 championship:
| Rally name | Rally headquarters | Surface |
|---|---|---|
 26th Rally Australia[1] |
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | Gravel |
 35. ADAC Rallye Deutschland[2] |
Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate | Tarmac |
 31º Rally Guanajuato México[3] |
León, Guanajuato | Gravel |
 65th Rally Sweden[4] |
Karlstad, Värmland | Snow |
 73rd Wales Rally GB[5] |
Deeside, Flintshire | Gravel |
Calendar changes
- The FIA put Rally Argentina on notice regarding safety concerns following the 2015 event, threatening to rescind the event's World Championship status for the 2017 season unless safety standards were improved in 2016.[6][7]
- The Circuit of Ireland Rally will submit a bid to be accredited as a round of the World Championship.[8] Ireland had previously hosted the opening round of the 2007 and 2009 seasons when the event was known as Rally Ireland.
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers are scheduled to compete in the World Rally Championship during the 2017 season:
| World Rally Car entries eligible to score manufacturer points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Team | Tyres | Drivers | Co-drivers |
| Citroën (Citroën C3 WRC) |
 Citroën World Rally Team[9][10] |
TBA | Kris Meeke[11] |
 TBA |
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
| Hyundai (Hyundai i20 WRC) |
Hyundai World Rally Team[12] |
TBA |  Hayden Paddon[12] |
John Kennard[12] |
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
| M-Sport (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) |
M-Sport World Rally Team[13] |
TBA | TBA |
TBA |
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
| Toyota (Toyota Yaris WRC) |
 Toyota GAZOO Racing[14][15][16] |
M | TBA |
TBA |
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
| Volkswagen (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) |
Volkswagen Motorsport[17][18] |
TBA |  Andreas Mikkelsen[19] |
TBA |
| TBA |
TBA |
|||
Constructor changes
- Citroën will return to the sport with a fully factory-supported team after competing part-time in 2016 to focus on the development of their 2017-generation car.[9] The DS3 WRC will be retired from competition and succeeded by the C3 WRC, a brand-new car based on the Citroën C3.[10] The decision to re-enter the World Rally Championship will see Citroën withdraw its factory support for the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC and its World Touring Car Championship programme.[20]
- Toyota will return to the sport after eighteen years.[14] The Japanese manufacturer will enter the brand-new Toyota Yaris WRC under the banner of Toyota GAZOO Racing.[15] The development and operation of the cars will be overseen by four-time World Drivers' Champion Tommi Mäkinen.[21] Toyota last competed in the sport as a factory-supported team between 1997 and 1999 with the Corolla WRC before withdrawing ahead of the 2000 season to focus on its Formula One project.
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
- The sport will undergo a revision of the technical regulations, introducing a variety of changes aimed at improving aerodynamic and mechanical grip,[22] with modelling suggesting that average stage speeds will increase to the point where stage records could be broken by up to thirty seconds and drawing comparisons to the defunct Group B regulations.[23][24]
- An increase in the engine's power output from 300 bhp (223.7 kW) to 380 bhp (283.4 kW), the equivalent of a TC1-specification World Touring Car Championship engine.[24][25]
- The introduction of a larger turbo restrictor, increasing from 33mm in 2016 to 36mm in 2017; however, the maximum allowable turbo pressure will remain fixed at 2.5 bar absolute.[26]
- A reduction in the overall weight of the car, cutting 25 kg (55.1 lb) from the monocoque.[22][24]
- An increase in the overhang of the front and rear bumpers, and increases in the size of the door sills and the fixed rear wing, allowing for the inclusion of additional aerodynamic aids.[22]
- Deregulation of the rear diffuser to allow manufacturers to develop a wider range of aerodynamic shapes.[22]
- The reintroduction of an active centre differential for the first time since the 2010 season.[23]
- Homologation requirements will be relaxed to allow any production car that is at least 3.9 m (12.8 ft) long to be eligible for recognition as a World Rally Car.[26]
- World Rally Cars used between 2011 and 2016 will continue to remain legal under the 2017 regulations and will therefore be eligible to compete.[27]
Sporting regulations
- The FIA will exercise stricter controls over which drivers are eligible to compete in 2017-specification cars. The rule will be introduced as a response to concerns over inexperienced drivers and drivers paying for the opportunity to race from being able to compete in the more powerful 2017 cars without oversight. The controls will stop short of a licencing system similar to the one used in Formula One to allow experienced guest drivers to compete part-time.[28]
References
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