New WRC points system for 2024 revealed 

The FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers will have a new points-scoring system in 2024 following a change to the Sporting Regulations for the upcoming season. Instead of awarding points to the top 10 overall finishers at the completion of a WRC event based on 25 points going to the winner, 18 to the second placed driver, with 15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 to the next eight finishers, points will be allocated at the completion of Saturday’s leg on a descending scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1. However, these points will only be awarded if a crew finishes the entire route, including the whole of the route on Sunday. If they fail to do so, they won’t score any points on the rally. In addition, a separate classification featuring the combined results of all Sunday stages will be published with the top seven scoring as follows: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Power Stage points, which go to the fastest five drivers on a rally’s deciding test, will continue to be allocated. There will be no change to how points are awarded in other categories, such as the Rally2-based WRC2, and WRC3 for Rally3 cars.

Engine change penalty rule adjusted 

Changing engines between pre-rally scrutineering and the TC0 – the formal start of an event – will no longer be punished with a five-minute penalty. Providing the FIA Technical Delegate is informed and is given the opportunity to seal the new engine before its use, there will be no penalty to change an engine that has failed. However, each manufacturer must not use more than two engines per car per season with each engine assigned to a specific car name. For 2024, no more than two engines may be sealed per car name. The long-standing rule preventing engine changes once a WRC event has started remains unaltered.

P2 drivers to call on route note crew guidance

Priority 2 crews can, from now on, utilise the services of route note crews for sections of an FIA World Rally Championship event run entirely on asphalt during the 2024 season. The allowance was previously for Priority 1 only but has been updated to include P2 crews after extensive competitor feedback was taken into consideration. From 2024, the driver of a route note car must hold a valid International Drivers’ Competition licence. This requirement has been added to the regulations to ensure route note crew drivers adhere to the general rules of a rally concerning safety and behaviour.

Starting order tweaks for Priority 2 crews 

Two factors will be taken into account when setting the running order for Priority 2 crews competing in the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. Previously, the order for leg one was determined by the Clerk of the Course according to driver performance. For the upcoming season, the drivers’ championship position (at the end of the previous season for Rallye Monte-Carlo) will also be considered in addition to performances. As a result, it is hoped that the start order will be more straightforward to compile, more fair and easier to understand. The order for legs two and three will be unchanged compared to 2023 with P2 drivers running in rally classification order.

More scoring opportunities in WRC3 

Drivers and co-drivers competing for honours in the FIA WRC3 Championship will be able to count their best six scores from a maximum of seven rallies in 2024. Previously, competitors in the Rally3-based category could count their best four scores from five rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship. The rule change brings WRC3 into line with the FIA WRC2 Championship’s scoring regulations.