Sami Pajari
Co-drivers' Champion:
Enni Mälkönen
Teams' Champion:
DG Sport Compétition
Challenger Drivers' Champion:
Sami Pajari
Challenger Co-drivers' Champion:
Enni Mälkönen Previous 2023 Next 2025 Parent series:
FIA World Rally Championship
Support series:
FIA WRC3 Championship
FIA Junior WRC Championship
The 2024 FIA WRC2 Championship was the twelfth season of WRC2, a rallying championship organised and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the second-highest tier of international rallying. The category was opened to crews with cars complying with Group Rally2 regulations. The championship began in January 2024 with the Monte Carlo Rally and concluded in November 2024 with the Rally Japan, and ran in support of the 2024 World Rally Championship.
Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen were the defending drivers' and co-drivers' champions. Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen became the 2024 WRC2 champions.
Calendar
class=notpageimage| A map showing the locations of the rallies in the 2024 championship. Event headquarters are marked with black dots.The 2024 season was contested over thirteen rounds crossing Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Round | Start date | Finish date | Rally | Rally headquarters | Surface | Stages | Distance | Ref. |
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1 | 25 January | 28 January | Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo | Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France | Mixed | 17 | 324.44 km | |
2 | 15 February | 18 February | Rally Sweden | Umeå, Västerbotten County, Sweden | Snow | 18 | 300.10 km | |
3 | 28 March | 31 March | Safari Rally Kenya | Nairobi, Nakuru County, Kenya | Gravel | 19 | 355.92 km | |
4 | 18 April | 21 April | Croatia Rally | Zagreb, Croatia | Tarmac | 20 | 283.28 km | |
5 | 9 May | 12 May | Rally de Portugal | Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal | Gravel | 22 | 337.04 km | |
6 | 30 May | 2 June | Rally Italia Sardegna | Alghero, Sardinia, Italy | Gravel | 16 | 266.12 km | |
7 | 27 June | 30 June | Rally Poland | Mikołajki, Warmian–Masurian, Poland | Gravel | 19 | 304.10 km | |
8 | 18 July | 21 July | Rally Latvia | Liepāja, Kurzeme Planning Region, Latvia | Gravel | 20 | 300.13 km | |
9 | 1 August | 4 August | Rally Finland | Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland | Gravel | 20 | 305.69 km | |
10 | 5 September | 8 September | Acropolis Rally Greece | Lamia, Central Greece, Greece | Gravel | 15 | 305.30 km | |
11 | 26 September | 29 September | Rally Chile | Concepción, Biobío, Chile | Gravel | 16 | 306.76 km | |
12 | 17 October | 20 October | Central European Rally | Bad Griesbach, Bavaria, Germany | Tarmac | 18 | 302.51 km | |
13 | 21 November | 24 November | Rally Japan | Toyota, Aichi, Japan | Tarmac | 21 | 302.59 km | |
Sources: |
Calendar changes
The championship was expected to be expanded to 14 rounds, however WRC Promoter GmbH retained the existing total of 13 events with the reasoning that it would aid participation of more Rally1 cars.
- Rally Liepāja stepped up from the European Rally Championship to hold a World Rally Championship event under a new name, Rally Latvia. The rally was held on gravel roads that range from the cities of Rīga and Liepāja to the regions of Talsi, Tukums, Kuldīga and Dienvidkurzeme. It replaced Rally Estonia on the calendar.
- Rally Poland returned to the championship. This marked the first time the event was held as a WRC event since 2017.
- Rally Mexico dropped off the calendar, but the organisers are seeking an opportunity for a 2025 return.
- Rally Estonia was also not featured in 2024, but the event is set to return in 2025.
The WRC Promoter GmbH was also working on the two key calendar expansions for the future.
- Progress had been made for the candidate event in the United States, a location that was also aiming to join the championship in 2024.
- The other key expansion was Rally China, which was last featured in 1999. The rally was also scheduled to be held in 2016, but it was ultimately cancelled due to the damage caused by the 2016 China floods.
In addition, the candidate list also included the event in Saudi Arabia, where it aimed at a 2025 calendar slot. The rally was a part of WRC Promoter GmbH's plan to deliver a desert event. Rally Argentina was also bidding to return to the championship.
Other changes
- The organizers of the Monte Carlo Rally relocated its headquarters back to Gap in France. The rally was previously based in Monaco.
- The Kenyan Rally, which took place in June in the previous three seasons, moved ahead to March at the weekend of Easter as the third round of the season.
- The running date of the Central European Rally was moved two weeks earlier with a headquarter change to avoid the clash with All Saints' Day.
Entries
The following teams and crews are under contract to contest WRC2 in 2024. Teams must enter two crews to be eligible for Teams' Championship points.
In detail
Citroën Racing announced three factory-supported entries in the category, retaining Yohan Rossel and signing Nikolay Gryazin and Marco Bulacia. Rossel and Gryazin's entries will be run in collaboration with Belgian outfit DG Sport Compétition, while Portuguese team Sports & You will run Bulacia's entry.
Toksport WRT will run three entries supported by Škoda Motorsport. The German team retains Oliver Solberg and Gus Greensmith from 2023, while Pierre-Louis Loubet returns to the category, moving over from the Rally1 category and M-Sport Ford.
Sami Pajari left Toksport WRT after the 2023 season. Instead, he will drive the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, his entry being run by Finnish team Printsport.
Regulation changes
Power Stage points were removed from WRC2 for the 2024 season. The FIA cited complaints about the disparity in running order – where the top-five WRC2 competitors would run out of order from the other cars in class – as the primary reason for the regulation change.
Results and standings
Season summary
Scoring system
A team has to enter two cars to score points in an event. Drivers and teams must nominate a scoring rally when they enter the event and the best six scores from seven nominated rallies will count towards the final classification. Registered drivers are able to enter additional rallies with Priority 2 status without scoring points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
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Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
FIA WRC2 Championship for Drivers
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FIA WRC2 Championship for Co-drivers
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FIA WRC2 Championship for Teams
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FIA WRC2 Challenger Championship for Drivers
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FIA WRC2 Challenger Championship for Co-drivers
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Notes
- The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.
- Konstantin Aleksandrov is a Russian national, but competes as an Authorised Neutral Athlete in accordance with recommendations made by the International Olympic Committee, following a decision by the FIA to ban all connections with Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
References
- "2022 FIA World Rally Championship – Sporting regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- "Mikkelsen claims WRC2 title in last-gasp Central European Rally push". wrc.com. WRC Promotor GmbH. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- "Pajari and Mälkönen crowned 2024 WRC2 Champions". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- "Itinerary Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- "Itinerary Rally Sweden 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- "Itinerary Safari Rally Kenya 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- "Itinerary Croatia Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- "Itinerary Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- "Itinerary Rally Italia Sardegna 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- "Itinerary ORLEN Rally Poland 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- "Itinerary Tet Rally Latvia 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- "Itinerary Secto Rally Finland 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- "Itinerary EKO Acropolis Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- "Itinerary Rally Chile BIOBÍO 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- "Itinerary Central European Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- "Itinerary FORUM8 Rally Japan 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- "Revealed: 2024 WRC Calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- "FIA WRC 2024 set for lift-off following calendar reveal". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- Howard, Tom (19 May 2023). "WRC closing in on 14-round 2024 calendar". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- Barry, Luke (15 August 2023). "WRC to unveil 13-round 2024 calendar before Greece". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- "FIA World Rally Championship adds Latvia to 2024 calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Howard, Tom (17 February 2023). "Latvia joins WRC calendar from 2024". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Barry, Luke (24 July 2023). "WRC would be "stupid" to lose Rally Estonia – Tänak". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- Howard, Tom (9 October 2023). "Poland to rejoin WRC calendar in 2024". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- Barry, Luke (9 October 2023). "Rally Poland returns to WRC for 2024". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- Evans, David (27 September 2023). "Rally of nations returns as Mexico prepares WRC 2025 bid". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- "Rally Estonia to return to WRC calendar in 2025". balticnews.com. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- Howard, Tom (28 September 2023). "WRC lists China and USA as key expansion targets". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- Howard, Tom (26 January 2023). "Rally USA a potential contender to join WRC in 2024". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Evans, David (16 August 2016). "Rally China cancelled due to storm damage after organisers' request". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- Lindroos, Pontus (22 October 2022). "2023 WRC calendar to be presented later than expected". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- Howard, Tom (8 August 2023). "WRC set for 13-round 2024 calendar, Saudi Arabia to miss out". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- Howard, Tom (26 November 2022). "WRC pushes Middle East event plans to 2024 following calendar reveal". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Howard, Tom (29 July 2023). "UK "unlikely" to secure 2024 WRC round, Argentina vying for Americas spot". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- Barry, Luke (6 June 2022). "Monte Carlo Rally returns to Gap for 2024". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- "Monaco base for new-look Rallye Monte-Carlo". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- "WRC Safari Rally 2024 Moved To March". 98.4 Capital FM. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- Howard, Tom (15 February 2024). "WRC Central European Rally set for date change". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions in relation to the situation in Ukraine". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- "Emergency measures due to Russian invasion of Ukraine" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Entry List Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Rally Sweden 2024". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Safari Rally Kenya 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Croatia Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Rally Italia Sardegna 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Orlen Rally Poland 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Tet Rally Latvia 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Secto Rally Finland 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Entry list EKO Acropolis Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Rally Chile BIOBÍO 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "Entry list Central European Rally 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Entry list FORUM8 Rally Japan 2024". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- "Rossel, Gryazin to lead Citroën's WRC2 charge in 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- "Bulacia switches to Citroën for WRC2 victory bid". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- "Solberg goes for WRC2 glory in 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- "Greensmith commits to Škoda for WRC2 title bid". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- "Hotshot Loubet confirms WRC2 return". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- "Pajari confirms WRC2 tilt in Toyota". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- Barry, Luke (14 November 2023). "WRC2 Powerstage axed for 2024". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- "Flying Rossel goes back-to-back in Monte-Carlo". wrc.com. WRC Promotor GmbH. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- "Super Solberg scores home WRC2 success". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- "Greensmith's determination bears fruit with Safari WRC2 triumph". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- "Triumphant Gryazin maintains Citroën's perfect Croatia WRC2 record". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- "Solans shades McErlean to net Portugal WRC2 win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- "Pajari basks in WRC2 glory at Rally Italia Sardegna". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- "Pajari romps to WRC2 Poland triumph". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- "Solberg leads WRC2 championship after triumphing in Latvia". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- "Solberg strengthens WRC2 bid with Rally Finland win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- "Pajari prevails on countback for Acropolis WRC2 victory". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- "Rossel and Gryazin's Chilean double secures WRC2 title for Citroën". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- "WRC2 Gold for Gryazin at Central European Rally". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- "Pajari and Mälkönen crowned 2024 WRC2 Champions". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- "WRC2 Driver's standings 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- "WRC2 Co-Driver's standings 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- "WRC2 Team's standings 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- "WRC2 Challenger Driver's standings 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- "WRC2 Challenger Co-Driver's standings 2024". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
External links
- Official website (in English, French, and Spanish)
- FIA WRC2 2024 at eWRC-results.com
- FIA WRC2 Challenger 2024 at eWRC-results.com
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