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you need a consensus, plus Chile is now cancelled
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* Rally New Zealand will return to the calendar for the first time since [[2012 World Rally Championship|2012]]. The event will return to [[Auckland]].<ref name="20 calendar"/>
* Rally New Zealand will return to the calendar for the first time since [[2012 World Rally Championship|2012]]. The event will return to [[Auckland]].<ref name="20 calendar"/>
The addition of these events saw the [[Tour de Corse]] and the [[Rally Catalunya|Rallies of Catalunya]] and [[Rally Australia|Australia]] removed from the calendar.<ref name="3 dropped">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/146258/wrc-drops-corsica-spain-and-australia-for-2020|title=WRC drops Corsica, Spain and Australia, three events return for 2020|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[Autosport|autosport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=27 September 2019|accessdate=28 September 2019}}</ref> Organisers of Rally Catalunya agreed to forfeit their place on the 2020 calendar as part of a rotation system that will see European events host rallies in two out of three calendar years. The Tour de Corse was removed in response to concerns from teams about the logistics of visiting [[Corsica]], while Rally Australia was removed as the event's base in a regional centre rather than a major metropolitan area meant that the rally struggled to attract spectators.<ref name="3 dropped"/>
The addition of these events saw the [[Tour de Corse]] and the [[Rally Catalunya|Rallies of Catalunya]] and [[Rally Australia|Australia]] removed from the calendar.<ref name="3 dropped">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/146258/wrc-drops-corsica-spain-and-australia-for-2020|title=WRC drops Corsica, Spain and Australia, three events return for 2020|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[Autosport|autosport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=27 September 2019|accessdate=28 September 2019}}</ref> Organisers of Rally Catalunya agreed to forfeit their place on the 2020 calendar as part of a rotation system that will see European events host rallies in two out of three calendar years. The Tour de Corse was removed in response to concerns from teams about the logistics of visiting [[Corsica]], while Rally Australia was removed as the event's base in a regional centre rather than a major metropolitan area meant that the rally struggled to attract spectators.<ref name="3 dropped"/>

Rally Chile is facing cancellation due to unrest in the region.<ref name="chile future">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/147389/rally-chile-2020-wrc-spot-at-risk-over-protests|title=Rally Chile's 2020 WRC spot at risk of cancellation over protests|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[Autosport|autosport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=28 November 2019|accessdate=29 November 2019}}</ref>


==Entries==
==Entries==
The following teams and crews are under contract to contest the 2020 championship. [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]] and [[Toyota]] are all represented by manufacturer teams and eligible to score points in the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.
The following teams and crews are under contract to contest the 2020 championship. [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]],{{cn|date=November 2019}} [[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]] and [[Toyota]] are all represented by manufacturer teams and eligible to score points in the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
!rowspan="2"|Entrant
!rowspan="2"|Car
!rowspan="2"|Tyre
!colspan="4"|Crew details
⚫
|-
!No.
!No.
!Driver name
!Driver
!Co-driver name
!Co-driver
!Entrant
!Car
!Tyre
!Ref.
!Ref.
|-
|-
⚫
|rowspan="4" |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport]]
⚫
|rowspan="4" |{{nowrap|[[Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC]]}}
⚫
|rowspan="4" align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center" id="6"|6
|align="center" id="6"|6
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Dani Sordo]]
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Dani Sordo]]
|nowrap|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Carlos del Barrio]]
|nowrap|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Carlos del Barrio]]
⚫
|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport]]
⚫
|nowrap|[[Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC]]
⚫
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="sordo">{{cite web|title=Sordo extends Hyundai contract|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/october-2019/sordo-hyundai/page/6739--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=9 October 2019|accessdate=15 October 2019}}</ref>
|align="center"|<ref name="sordo">{{cite web|title=Sordo extends Hyundai contract|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/october-2019/sordo-hyundai/page/6739--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=9 October 2019|accessdate=15 October 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
Line 198: Line 202:
|{{flagicon|EST}} [[Ott Tänak]]
|{{flagicon|EST}} [[Ott Tänak]]
|{{flagicon|EST}} [[Martin Järveoja]]
|{{flagicon|EST}} [[Martin Järveoja]]
⚫
|align="center"|<ref name="tanak hyundai">{{cite web|title=Tänak quits Toyota|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/october-2019/tanak-hyundai/page/6797--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=31 October 2019|accessdate=31 October 2019}}</ref>
|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport]]
|[[Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC]]
⚫
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="tanak hyundai">{{cite web|title=Tänak quits Toyota|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/october-2019/tanak-hyundai/page/6797--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=31 October 2019|accessdate=31 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/140990/wrc-drivers-permanent-numbers-revealed|title=WRC drivers' competition numbers revealed at Autosport International|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[Autosport|autosport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=12 January 2019|accessdate=3 November 2019}}</ref>
⚫
|-
⚫
|align="center" id="10"|10
|nowrap|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Jari-Matti Latvala]]
|{{flagicon image|Flag of None.svg}} TBA
⚫
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]
⚫
|[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
⚫
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
⚫
|align="center"|<ref name="jml katsuta"/>
|-
|-
|align="center" id="11"|11
|align="center" id="11"|11
|nowrap|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Thierry Neuville]]
|nowrap|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Thierry Neuville]]
|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Nicolas Gilsoul]]
|{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Nicolas Gilsoul]]
|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport]]
|nowrap|[[Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="neuville">{{cite news|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/september-2018/neuville-hyundai-contract/page/5722--12-12-.html|title=Neuville signs new Hyundai deal|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=12 September 2018|accessdate=12 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|<ref name="neuville">{{cite news|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/september-2018/neuville-hyundai-contract/page/5722--12-12-.html|title=Neuville signs new Hyundai deal|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=12 September 2018|accessdate=12 September 2018}}</ref>
|-
|-
Line 222: Line 212:
|nowrap|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Sébastien Loeb]]
|nowrap|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Sébastien Loeb]]
|{{flagicon|MON}} [[Daniel Elena]]
|{{flagicon|MON}} [[Daniel Elena]]
|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Hyundai Motorsport]]
|[[Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="loeb">{{cite web|title=Loeb joins Hyundai|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/december/loeb-hyundai/page/5952--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=13 December 2018|accessdate=15 October 2019}}</ref>
|align="center"|<ref name="loeb">{{cite web|title=Loeb joins Hyundai|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/december/loeb-hyundai/page/5952--12-12-.html|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=13 December 2018|accessdate=15 October 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
|rowspan=""|{{nowrap|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[M-Sport World Rally Team|M-Sport Ford WRT]]{{cn|date=November 2019}}}}
|rowspan=""|[[Ford Fiesta WRC]]{{cn|date=November 2019}}
⚫
|rowspan="" align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|colspan="4" align="center"| ''To be announced''{{cn|date=November 2019}}
⚫
|-
⚫
|rowspan="3" |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]}}
⚫
|rowspan="3" |[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
⚫
|rowspan="3" align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center" id="33"|33
|align="center" id="33"|33
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Elfyn Evans]]
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Elfyn Evans]]
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Scott Martin (co-driver)|Scott Martin]]
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Scott Martin (co-driver)|Scott Martin]]
|align="center"|<ref name="Toyota lineup">{{cite web |title=Ogier, Evans and Rovanperä: An exciting new line-up to drive the Toyota Yaris WRC in 2020 |url=https://toyotagazooracing.com/release/2019/wrc/1127-01.html |website=toyotagazooracing.com |publisher=Toyota Gazoo Racing |accessdate=27 November 2019}}</ref>
|nowrap|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]
|[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
⚫
|align="center"|<ref name="toyota 2020">{{cite news|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/november-2019/toyota-2020/page/6855--12-12-.html|title=Toyota reveals 2020 line-up|website=wrc.com|publisher=[[WRC Promoter GmbH]]|date=27 November 2019|accessdate=27 November 2019}}</ref>
⚫
|-
|align="center" id="999"|TBA
|nowrap|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Takamoto Katsuta]]
|{{flagicon image|Flag of None.svg}} TBA
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]
|[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="jml katsuta"/>
|-
|-
|align="center" id="999"|TBA
|align="center" id="999"|TBA
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Sébastien Ogier]]
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Sébastien Ogier]]
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Julien Ingrassia]]
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Julien Ingrassia]]
⚫
|align="center"|<ref name="Toyota lineup"/>
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]
|[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="toyota 2020"/>
|-
|-
|align="center" id="999"|TBA
|align="center" id="999"|TBA
|nowrap|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kalle Rovanperä]]
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kalle Rovanperä]]
|nowrap|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Jonne Halttunen]]
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Jonne Halttunen]]
⚫
|align="center"|<ref name="Toyota lineup"/>
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT]]
|[[Toyota Yaris WRC]]
|align="center"|{{Michelin}}
|align="center"|<ref name="toyota 2020"/>
|-
|}
|}


Line 268: Line 245:
The [[Citroën World Rally Team]] had committed to entering two full-time entries instead of three, continuing the policy they introduced in [[2019 World Rally Championship|2019]]. Sébastien Ogier and [[Esapekka Lappi]] were under contract to lead the team's crews until the team announced that they would withdraw from the championship with immediate effect. Citroën cited Ogier's decision to leave the team as the reason for withdrawing,<ref name="citroen out">{{cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/citroen-exit-announcement-ogier/4600477/|title=Citroen ends WRC programme, cites Ogier's exit as reason|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=20 November 2019|accessdate=20 November 2019}}</ref>{{efn|Citroën had previously announced that they would withdraw at the end of the 2021 championship, co-inciding with the planned introduction of hybrid powertrains. The planned withdrawal was attributed to Citroën's existing partnership with [[Formula E]] team [[Techeetah]].<ref name="c3 r5 ok">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/147172/citroen-wont-be-part-of-wrc-hybrid-era-in-2022|title=Citroen won't be part of World Rally Championship hybrid era in 2022|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=15 November 2019|accessdate=15 November 2019}}</ref>}} but pledged support for independent teams competing with the [[Citroën C3 R5|R5 variant]] of the [[Citroën C3 WRC]] in the championship's support categories.<ref name="c3 r5 ok"/>
The [[Citroën World Rally Team]] had committed to entering two full-time entries instead of three, continuing the policy they introduced in [[2019 World Rally Championship|2019]]. Sébastien Ogier and [[Esapekka Lappi]] were under contract to lead the team's crews until the team announced that they would withdraw from the championship with immediate effect. Citroën cited Ogier's decision to leave the team as the reason for withdrawing,<ref name="citroen out">{{cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/citroen-exit-announcement-ogier/4600477/|title=Citroen ends WRC programme, cites Ogier's exit as reason|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=20 November 2019|accessdate=20 November 2019}}</ref>{{efn|Citroën had previously announced that they would withdraw at the end of the 2021 championship, co-inciding with the planned introduction of hybrid powertrains. The planned withdrawal was attributed to Citroën's existing partnership with [[Formula E]] team [[Techeetah]].<ref name="c3 r5 ok">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/147172/citroen-wont-be-part-of-wrc-hybrid-era-in-2022|title=Citroen won't be part of World Rally Championship hybrid era in 2022|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=15 November 2019|accessdate=15 November 2019}}</ref>}} but pledged support for independent teams competing with the [[Citroën C3 R5|R5 variant]] of the [[Citroën C3 WRC]] in the championship's support categories.<ref name="c3 r5 ok"/>


Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT will feature an entirely new line-up in 2020.<ref name="toyota 2020"/> Sébastien Ogier and [[Julien Ingrassia]] will replace Ott Tänak and Martin Jarveojä, while [[Elfyn Evans]] and [[Scott Martin (co-driver)|Scott Martin]] were recruited from [[M-Sport World Rally Team|M-Sport Ford WRT]]. Reigning [[World Rally Championship-2 Pro]] champions [[Kalle Rovanperä]] and [[Jonne Halttunen]] will make their competitive début in Toyota's third car. Toyota will enter an additional two cars for [[Jari-Matti Latvala]] and [[Takamoto Katsuta]] on a part-time basis.<ref name="jml katsuta">{{cite news|url=https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/147402/latvala-could-get-fiveround-2020-wrc-deal|title=Latvala could get five-round 2020 WRC deal in a Toyota Yaris|first=David|last=Evans|work=[[motorsport.com]]|publisher=[[Motorsport Network]]|date=29 November 2019|accessdate=29 November 2019}}</ref> [[Kris Meeke]] and [[Sebastian Marshall (co-driver)|Sebastian Marshall]] were released from the team.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT will feature an entirely new line-up in 2020.<ref name="Toyota lineup"/> Sébastien Ogier and [[Julien Ingrassia]] joined Toyota from Citroën, while [[Elfyn Evans]] and [[Scott Martin (co-driver)|Scott Martin]] were recruited from [[M-Sport World Rally Team|M-Sport Ford WRT]]. Reigning [[World Rally Championship-2 Pro]] champions [[Kalle Rovanperä]] and [[Jonne Halttunen]] will make their competitive début in Toyota's third car. Crews led by [[Jari-Matti Latvala]] and [[Kris Meeke]] were released from the team.


==Regulation changes==
==Regulation changes==

Revision as of 18:21, 29 November 2019

Ott Tänak (left) and Martin Järveoja (right) are the reigning Drivers' and Co-drivers' Champions.
Hyundai (i20 Coupe WRC pictured) are the reigning Manufacturers' Champions.

The 2020 FIA World Rally Championship will be the forty-eighth season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing competition recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams and crews are due to compete in fourteen rallies for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Crews are free to compete in cars complying with World Rally Car and Group R regulations; however, only manufacturers competing with World Rally Cars homologated under regulations introduced in 2017 are eligible to score points in the Manufacturers' championship. The championship is due to begin in January 2020 with the Rallye Monte Carlo and conclude in November 2020 with Rally Japan.[1][2] The series will be supported by the World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship categories at selected events.[3]

Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja are the reigning Drivers' and Co-drivers' Champions, having secured their maiden titles at the 2019 Rally Catalunya.[4] Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, the team Tänak and Järveoja will compete for, are the reigning Manufacturers' Champions.[5][a] Hyundai won their maiden manufacturers' title when the final round of the 2019 championship was cancelled.[7]

Calendar

A map showing the locations of the rallies in the 2020 championship. Event headquarters are marked with a black dot.

The 2020 championship is due to be contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America and Oceania.[1][2]

Round Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance
1 23 January 26 January Monaco Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Mixed[b] 16 305.47 km
2 13 February 16 February Sweden Rally Sweden Torsby, Värmland Snow 19 301.26 km
3 12 March 15 March Mexico Rally Guanajuato México León, Guanajuato Gravel TBA TBA
4 16 April 19 April Chile Rally Chile Concepción, Biobío Gravel TBA TBA
5 30 April 3 May Argentina Rally Argentina Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba Gravel TBA TBA
6 21 May 24 May Portugal Rally de Portugal Matosinhos, Porto Gravel TBA TBA
7 4 June 7 June Italy Rally Italia Sardegna Alghero, Sardinia Gravel TBA TBA
8 16 July 19 July Kenya Safari Rally Kenya Nairobi, Nairobi County Gravel TBA TBA
9 6 August 9 August Finland Rally Finland Jyväskylä, Central Finland Gravel TBA TBA
10 3 September 6 September New Zealand Rally New Zealand Auckland, Auckland Region Gravel TBA TBA
11 24 September 27 September Turkey Rally of Turkey Marmaris, Muğla Gravel TBA TBA
12 15 October 18 October Germany ADAC Rallye Deutschland Bostalsee, Saarland Tarmac TBA TBA
13 29 October 1 November United Kingdom Wales Rally GB Llandudno, Conwy Gravel TBA TBA
14 19 November 22 November Japan Rally Japan Nagoya, Chūbu Tarmac TBA TBA
Source:[1][2][8][9][10][11]

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.[12] Bids to revive Rally Japan and the Safari Rally were received, and candidate events were run in 2019.[13][14] Both events were accepted to the 2020 calendar, as was a proposal to revive Rally New Zealand.[1]

  • The Safari Rally will be run as a World Championship event for the first time since 2002. The event will be based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and feature stages around Lake Naivasha.[9] In contrast to the event's traditional endurance format, which featured stages hundreds of kilometres long, the 2020 Safari Rally will follow a compact route to comply with FIA regulations mandating the maximum route distance.
  • Rally Japan returns to the calendar for the first time since 2010, replacing Rally Australia as the final round of the championship. The rally will move away from its original headquarters in Hokkaidō to a new base in Nagoya and will be run on tarmac rather than gravel.[8]
  • Rally New Zealand will return to the calendar for the first time since 2012. The event will return to Auckland.[1]

The addition of these events saw the Tour de Corse and the Rallies of Catalunya and Australia removed from the calendar.[2] Organisers of Rally Catalunya agreed to forfeit their place on the 2020 calendar as part of a rotation system that will see European events host rallies in two out of three calendar years. The Tour de Corse was removed in response to concerns from teams about the logistics of visiting Corsica, while Rally Australia was removed as the event's base in a regional centre rather than a major metropolitan area meant that the rally struggled to attract spectators.[2]

Rally Chile is facing cancellation due to unrest in the region.[15]

Entries

The following teams and crews are under contract to contest the 2020 championship. Ford,[citation needed] Hyundai and Toyota are all represented by manufacturer teams and eligible to score points in the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.

Entrant Car Tyre Crew details
No. Driver Co-driver Ref.
South Korea Hyundai Motorsport Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC M 6 Spain Dani Sordo Spain Carlos del Barrio [16]
8[c] Estonia Ott Tänak Estonia Martin Järveoja [6]
11 Belgium Thierry Neuville Belgium Nicolas Gilsoul [18]
19 France Sébastien Loeb Monaco Daniel Elena [19]
United Kingdom M-Sport Ford WRT[citation needed] Ford Fiesta WRC[citation needed] M To be announced[citation needed]
Japan Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC M 33 United Kingdom Elfyn Evans United Kingdom Scott Martin [20]
TBA France Sébastien Ogier France Julien Ingrassia [20]
TBA Finland Kalle Rovanperä Finland Jonne Halttunen [20]

In detail

File:Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi - WRC Rally Finland 2017.jpg
Citroën (C3 WRC pictured) withdrew from the championship.

Reigning World Champions Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja left Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT and moved to Hyundai Motorsport.[6] Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul remained with Hyundai, marking their seventh season with the team.[18] Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena also renewed their contracts with the team.[19] Loeb and Elena will contest the championship on a part-time basis, sharing their car with the crew of Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio.[16]

The Citroën World Rally Team had committed to entering two full-time entries instead of three, continuing the policy they introduced in 2019. Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi were under contract to lead the team's crews until the team announced that they would withdraw from the championship with immediate effect. Citroën cited Ogier's decision to leave the team as the reason for withdrawing,[21][d] but pledged support for independent teams competing with the R5 variant of the Citroën C3 WRC in the championship's support categories.[22]

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT will feature an entirely new line-up in 2020.[20] Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia joined Toyota from Citroën, while Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were recruited from M-Sport Ford WRT. Reigning World Rally Championship-2 Pro champions Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen will make their competitive début in Toyota's third car. Crews led by Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke were released from the team.

Regulation changes

Sporting regulations

The eligibility requirements for crews entering events will be simplified and streamlined until a system called the "FIA Rally Pyramid".[3] The top tier of the sport, known as "Rally 1" will be for World Rally Cars built to regulations introduced in 2017. The second tier, "Rally 2", will be for manufacturer teams and professional independent teams entering R5 cars in the World Rally Championship-2. This will be followed by "Rally 3" for privately-entered and "gentlemen driver" crews competing with R5 cars in the World Rally Championship-3. "Rally 4" entries will not contest their own dedicated championship, but will instead serve as a bridging category aimed at making the step from R2 to R5 more managable by allowing R2 entries to be equipped with four-wheel drive. The final tier, "Rally 5", will be for crews entering R2 cars in the Junior World Rally Championship.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Tänak and Järveoja won their titles with Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT but left the team to join Hyundai for the 2020 championship.[6]
  2. ^ The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.
  3. ^ The defending champion can choose to use number 1.[17]
  4. ^ Citroën had previously announced that they would withdraw at the end of the 2021 championship, co-inciding with the planned introduction of hybrid powertrains. The planned withdrawal was attributed to Citroën's existing partnership with Formula E team Techeetah.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Evans, David (27 September 2019). "WRC drops Corsica, Spain and Australia, three events return for 2020". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Evans, David (8 October 2019). "FIA steps up plan to simplify WRC into five-tier career ladder". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ^ Barry, Luke (27 October 2019). "WRC Spain: Toyota's Tanak takes '19 title, Neuville wins for Hyundai". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Hyundai celebrates title". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Tänak quits Toyota". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  7. ^ Howard, Tom (12 November 2019). "UPDATE: Rally Australia cancelled due to bushfires". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Three new rounds in 2020 WRC calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Safari back in 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  10. ^ "88th Rallye Monte-Carlo". acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  11. ^ "The race". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  12. ^ "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  13. ^ Evans, David (8 April 2019). "FIA visits Japan and Kenya in next step for WRC returns in 2020". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  14. ^ Evans, David (2 July 2019). "Safari Rally could officially return in WRC calendar vote this week". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  15. ^ Evans, David (28 November 2019). "Rally Chile's 2020 WRC spot at risk of cancellation over protests". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Sordo extends Hyundai contract". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  17. ^ "2019 FIA World Rally Championship Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2018. p. 22. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Neuville signs new Hyundai deal". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Loeb joins Hyundai". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  20. ^ a b c d "Ogier, Evans and Rovanperä: An exciting new line-up to drive the Toyota Yaris WRC in 2020". toyotagazooracing.com. Toyota Gazoo Racing. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  21. ^ Evans, David (20 November 2019). "Citroen ends WRC programme, cites Ogier's exit as reason". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  22. ^ a b Evans, David (15 November 2019). "Citroen won't be part of World Rally Championship hybrid era in 2022". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
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