ERC rule tweaks explained

The changes, which resulted from proposals developed by ERC promoter WRC Promoter GmbH, submitted to the FIA Rally Commission and approved during last month’s FIA Word Motor Sport Council meeting are summarised below.  

Qualifying Stage gaps: To assist the live streaming of the Qualifying Stage, the gap between each car will be increased to two minutes on asphalt events, which is the same interval time as on gravel events.  

Start order selection changes: Rather than selecting their road order for leg one, the eligible drivers will start an asphalt round according to the results of the Qualifying Stage. For gravel events, the starting order will be a reverse of the Qualifying Stage classification. The Start Order Selection event will no longer take place.   

New ERC1 intervals: All ERC1 crews will start at two-minute intervals on leg one of an event with the top 15 starting two minutes apart on the subsequent leg with all other cars running at one- minute intervals.  

Power Stage regroup tweaks: The regroup time prior to the Power Stage has been increased from 40 to 50 minutes to allow for the possibility for the leading FIA Junior ERC crews to run first on the road as part of efforts to further increase the championship’s visibility and profile.   

Event duration extension now possible: Events will continue to run over four days from the start of reconnaissance to the finish of the Power Stage. However, new rules for 2024 approved by the WMSC will allow event organisers to schedule an additional day for reconnaissance providing they seek and receive FIA approval.