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The 2011 World Rally Championship was the 39th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 10 February and ended with Wales Rally GB on 13 November.
Sébastien Loeb claimed his eighth consecutive World Championship title at the Wales Rally of Great Britain when title rival Mikko Hirvonen retired on the first day with an engine that was too damaged to restart.[1][2][3]
Changes
- The new technical regulations for the World Rally Car became effective from 2011.[4] The cars were based on the previous Super 2000 cars, fitted with a supplementary kit, which included turbo and rear-wing additions.[4] The kit must be able to be fitted or removed within a defined time limit, to be determined.[4] They will be powered by a 1600cc turbo engine instead of the previous 2000cc turbo unit.[5]
- The sporting regulations were amended to allow any tyre manufacturer to supply tyres. Regulations were implemented to control costs. The amended regulations were presented to the WMSC for a fax vote before 20 July 2010.[6]
- Michelin and British tyre firm DMACK became the two tyre suppliers for the season, following Pirelli's contract coming to an end and their announcement as the official tyre supplier for Formula One.[7]
- Additional championship points will be awarded to the top three crews on a televised stage on the final day of each rally, known as the "Power Stage". 3 points will be awarded to the stage winner, with 2 and 1 for second and third respectively.[8][9]
Calendar
The 2011 championship was contested over thirteen rounds in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Oceania.
Following a fax vote by the members of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), the following calendar had been agreed for the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.[10][11]
| Round | Dates | Rally Name | Rally Base | Surface | Support Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10–13 February |  Rally Sweden |
Karlstad | Snow | PWRC |
| 2 | 3–6 March |  Rally Mexico |
León | Gravel | SWRC |
| 3 | 24–27 March |  Rally de Portugal |
Faro | Gravel | PWRC/WRC Academy |
| 4 | 14–16 April |  Jordan Rally |
Amman | Gravel | SWRC |
| 5 | 5–8 May |  Rally Italia Sardegna |
Olbia | Gravel | SWRC/WRC Academy |
| 6 | 26–29 May |  Rally Argentina |
Villa Carlos Paz | Gravel | PWRC |
| 7 | 16–19 June |  Acropolis Rally |
Loutraki | Gravel | SWRC |
| 8 | 28–30 July |  Rally Finland |
Jyväskylä | Gravel | SWRC/PWRC/WRC Academy |
| 9 | 18–21 August |  Rallye Deutschland |
Trier | Asphalt | SWRC/WRC Academy |
| 10 | 8–11 September |  Rally Australia |
Coffs Harbour | Gravel | PWRC |
| 11 | 29 September – 2 October |  Rallye de France Alsace |
Strasbourg | Asphalt | SWRC/WRC Academy |
| 12 | 20–23 October |  Rally Catalunya |
Salou | Asphalt & Gravel | SWRC/PWRC |
| 13 | 10–13 November |  Wales Rally GB |
Cardiff | Gravel | PWRC/WRC Academy |
Calendar changes
- Rally di Sardegna and Rally Argentina returned to the WRC after one year in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, replacing Rally Bulgaria and Rally Japan.
- Acropolis Rally replaced Rally of Turkey after a sabbatical year.
- Rally Australia replaced Rally New Zealand and relocated for the second time in five years. After moving from Perth in Western Australia to Kingscliff on the east coast after the 2006 event, the event ran out of Coffs Harbour, 250 kilometres (160 mi) to the south.[12] The city has regularly hosted a round of the Australian Rally Championship for over a decade.
