2023 WRC3 Championship
The 2023 FIA WRC3 Championship was the tenth season of WRC3, a rallying championship organised and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the third-highest tier of international rallying. It was open to privateers and teams using cars complying with Group Rally3 regulations.[1] The championship began in January 2023 with the Rallye Monte-Carlo and concluded in November 2023 with Rally Japan, and ran in support of the 2023 World Rally Championship.
Lauri Joona and Enni Mälkönen entered as the defending drivers' and co-drivers' champions.[2]
Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka won the 2023 drivers and codrivers championships.[3]
Calendar
[edit]The 2023 season was contested over thirteen rounds crossing Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia.
Round | Start date | Finish date | Rally | Rally headquarters | Surface | Stages | Distance | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 January | 22 January | Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Mixed[a] | 18 | 325.02 km | [4] |
2 | 9 February | 12 February | Rally Sweden | Umeå, Västerbotten County, Sweden | Snow | 18 | 301.18 km | [5] |
3 | 16 March | 19 March | Rally Guanajuato México | León, Guanajuato, Mexico | Gravel | 23 | 315.69 km | [6] |
4 | 20 April | 23 April | Croatia Rally | Zagreb, Croatia | Tarmac | 20 | 301.26 km | [7] |
5 | 11 May | 14 May | Rally de Portugal | Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal | Gravel | 19 | 329.06 km | [8] |
6 | 1 June | 4 June | Rally Italia Sardegna | Olbia, Sardinia, Italy | Gravel | 19 | 322.88 km | [9] |
7 | 22 June | 25 June | Safari Rally Kenya | Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya | Gravel | 19 | 355.92 km | [10] |
8 | 20 July | 23 July | Rally Estonia | Tartu, Estonia | Gravel | 21 | 300.41 km | [11] |
9 | 3 August | 6 August | Rally Finland | Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland | Gravel | 22 | 320.56 km | [12] |
10 | 7 September | 10 September | Acropolis Rally Greece | Lamia, Central Greece, Greece | Gravel | 15 | 270.89 km | [13] |
11 | 28 September | 1 October | Rally Chile | Concepción, Biobío, Chile | Gravel | 16 | 321.06 km | [14] |
12 | 26 October | 29 October | Central European Rally | Passau, Bavaria, Germany | Tarmac | 18 | 310.01 km | [15] |
13 | 16 November | 19 November | Rally Japan | Toyota, Aichi, Japan | Tarmac | 22 | 304.66 km | [16] |
Sources:[17][18] |
Calendar changes
[edit]The championship was expected to be expanded to fourteen rounds from the thirteen rounds in the previous season by WRC Promoter GmbH, with eight Europe-based rallies and six fly-away events covering the season.[19] However, when the calendar was released in late November following a lengthy delay, the number of the events was reduced to thirteen with the anticipated Saudi Arabian rally based at Jeddah, absent from the calendar.[20][21]
- Rally Mexico returned to championship after missing the 2021 and 2022 championships.[22] The organizers of the rally had previously held a national event in 2022 as a prelude for the 2023 return.[23]
- Rally Chile rejoined the calendar after having been ruled out in 2020 and 2021 due to the Chilean protests and COVID-19 pandemic respectively.[24][25]
- The Central European Rally, a tri-nation event held across Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, was introduced into the championship, replacing the Catalonian Rally.[26] The rally was based out of southeast Germany, in the city of Passau in Bavaria, and ran on tarmac.[27]
- Rally New Zealand, a round of the 2022 season, was not included on the calendar, but the organizers tried to seek an opportunity for a 2024 return as a part of the rotation program with Rally Australia.[28]
- Ypres Rally Belgium, which was a part of the championship for the prior two seasons, dropped off the calendar and instead formed part of the 2023 British Rally Championship.[29]
Several rally organizers also expressed their interests to return to the championship, including Rally Argentina, Rally Australia, the German Rally, and an event in Northern Ireland.[30][31][32][33] The Argentine, Australian and Northern Irish bids failed and Germany organized the Central European Rally along with Austria and the Czech Republic.[34][35] In addition to the candidate events, the WRC Promoter GmbH was also working on the calendar expansion to the Middle East and United States, but no rallies were added for the 2023 season.[36]
Location changes
[edit]- The headquarters of the Rally Italia Sardegna would be once again moved from Alghero to Olbia.[37] The 2020 event was previously headquartered in Olbia as a result of major route revisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]
- The 2023 edition of the Safari Rally was headquartered at the Lakeside town of Naivasha.[39] The rally was previously headquartered in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.[40]
Entries
[edit]The following crews are set to enter into the 2023 WRC3 Championship:
Results and standings
[edit]Season summary
[edit]Scoring system
[edit]Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
FIA WRC3 Championship for Drivers
[edit]
|
|
FIA WRC3 Championship for Co-Drivers
[edit]
|
Notes
[edit]- ^ The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.
References
[edit]- ^ "2022 FIA World Rally Championship – Sporting regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Joona soars to WRC3 glory". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Korhonen crowned WRC3 champion as Dominguez times out in Chile". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Sweden 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Guanajuato México 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Croatia Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Italia Sardegna 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Safari Rally Kenya 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Estonia 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Secto Rally Finland 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary EKO Acropolis Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Chile BIOBÍO 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Central European Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Itinerary Rally Japan 2023". eWRC-results.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "WRC poewrs into 2023 with exciting new-look calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "FIA World Rally Championship calendar for 2023 gets green light". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (30 June 2022). "Time running out for UK 2023 WRC calendar bid". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Evans, David (25 November 2022). "Saudi Arabia confirms its WRC ambitions". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ Ramírez, Luis (12 July 2022). "Mexico set to re-join the WRC calendar in 2023". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ Evans, David (10 February 2022). "Rally Mexico to host nations rally in WRC return bid". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Evans, David (29 November 2019). "WRC's 2020 Rally Chile cancelled due to political and social unrest". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Craig, Jason (26 March 2021). "Acropolis Rally returns to WRC for the first time since 2013". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Evans, David (25 November 2022). "2023 WRC calendar revealed". dirtfish.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (25 November 2022). "Mexico, Chile and new European rally join 2023 WRC calendar". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (29 September 2022). "Rally New Zealand to miss out on 2023 WRC slot". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Lindroos, Pontus (24 October 2022). "Ypres Rally to host BRC round instead of WRC in 2023". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom; Lillo, Sergio (4 January 2022). "WRC investigating possible return to Argentina in 2023". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew; Howard, Tom (6 July 2022). "Rally Australia targeting WRC return in 2023". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (28 January 2022). "WRC supporting Rally Northern Ireland bid for 2023". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Lindroos, Pontus (16 May 2022). "Rallye Deutschland plans a return to 2023 WRC calendar". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Siriatou, Sofia (22 September 2022). "Rally Argentina stays out of the 2023 WRC calendar". wrcfanatix.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (31 August 2022). "UK set to miss out as expanded 2023 WRC calendar progresses". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Howard, Tom (28 July 2022). "WRC eyeing 2023 Middle East round, USA expansion plans continue". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "L'edizione 2023 del Rally Italia Sardegna si svolgerà dall'1 al 4 giugno" [The 2023 edition of Rally Italia Sardegna will take place from 1 to 4 June]. paradisola.it (in Italian). 26 November 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ "Olibia suburb test to launch Sardinia event". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Oyugi, Ochieng (26 November 2022). "Rally: WRC Safari Rally 2023 dates announced". Standardmedia.co.ke. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Safari back in 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Entry List Rallye Sweden 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Rally Guanajuato México 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Croatia Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Rally Italia Sardegna 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Safari Rally Kenya 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Entry List WRC Rally Estonia 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Entry List WRC Secto Rally Finland 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Korhonen conquers WRC3 in Sweden". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ "Greenasmith spearheads WRC2 Škoda sweep". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Kelly profits from Pellier's late misfortune in WRC3". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "Comeback kid Korhonen scores WRC3 hat-trick". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Safari joy for WRC3 winner Dominguez". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Korhonen puts one hand on the WRC3 crown". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Hotshot Korhola secures WRC3 win at home". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Perfect Dominguez keeps WRC3 title fight alive". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ a b "WRC 3 standings 2023". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Standings". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in English, French, and Spanish)
- FIA WRC3 Championship 2023 at eWRC-results.com