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JUNIOR WRC FUTURE SECURED FOR THREE YEARS WITH EXCITING UPDATES

The 2022 Junior WRC heralds the arrival of a new four-wheel drive chapter for the championship with the M-Sport Poland-built Fiesta Rally3.

• Prize package revised to ensure future champions build mileage and experience with Rally2 machinery as testing is added to the biggest prize package in rallying.
• The championship’s future is secured with M-Sport Poland continuing its current format using the Fiesta Rally3 until the end of 2024.

The cost-effective four-wheel drive Fiesta Rally3 was designed and developed in M-Sport Poland’s state of the art facility in Krakow, Poland. The EcoBoost powered Fiesta Rally3 marks a new era for Junior WRC, Rally3 is a new category of rally car created to provide a more accessible and affordable first step on the four-wheel drive ladder.

The use of the Fiesta Rally3 in 2022 marks the biggest step the Junior WRC Championship has made since its inception in 2001. Becoming a Rally3 category championship offers the opportunity to access four-wheel drive rallying at a world level for a much lower cost than ever before, while making Junior WRC a much more relevant championship.

The prize package for the 2022 Junior WRC Champion has been updated and aligned with a desire to ensure future Junior WRC Champions gain valuable event mileage and testing experience in Rally2 machinery. From 2022 the biggest prize package in rallying will include four arrive and drive rallies on European WRC events as well as a Monday test before each event. Should the Junior WRC Champion be able to provide supplementary budget, two additional rounds will be available as a cost-capped option that has been agreed and set by the FIA which also includes a Monday test.

The 2022 FIA Junior WRC Championship will be the most cost-effective way to compete in four-wheel drive machinery at a world-championship level, with the championship continuing to operate as an arrive and drive service with M-Sport Poland. The total cost of the championship for all-five rounds is €199,999 excluding VAT.

Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager: “This is the biggest and most exciting change for Junior WRC in the entire history of the championship! We are now in the fortunate position, thanks to the FIA Rally Car Pyramid and M-Sport’s ‘Ladder of Opportunity’, to offer an affordable route into four-wheel drive rallying at a world-championship level. This has been a crucial element missing from the championship in recent years as the top-level of rallying has become so advanced, it is the perfect way to make Junior WRC the best entry-level championship in international rallying. We have been developing our prize package over the last couple of years to ensure our champion goes on to progress in the World Rally Championship. The prize package now offers guaranteed testing and events giving the winning crew peace of mind and the opportunity to really put their head down and focus on each round they enter.”

Malcolm Wilson OBE, managing director, M-Sport: “The Junior WRC Championship is a very important part of M-Sport’s rallying activities and this latest development underlines our commitment to nurturing young talent on the world stage. We have been very keen to highlight the new Fiesta Rally3 and we think the Junior WRC Championship is where this car will truly shine. It allows crews to start building road knowledge of the WRC stages while learning and understanding how WRC events work. Most importantly though, they will now be able to build their road-knowledge in a four-wheel drive car which will really help them for their future rallying careers and help make the transition to a Rally2 car much smoother. The Junior WRC Championship is a fantastic opportunity for any young driver that has ambitions to drive in the WRC and is the perfect next step from a national-level two-wheel drive championship.”

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