2021 WRC2 Championship explained

The 2021 FIA WRC2 Championship was the ninth season of WRC2, a rallying championship for organised and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the second-highest tier of international rallying. The category was open to cars entered by teams and complying with Rally2 regulations.^{[1] [2]} The championship began in January 2021 with the Rallye Monte-Carlo and concluded in November 2021 with Rally Monza, and ran in support of the 2021 World Rally Championship.

Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen were the defending 2020 drivers' and co-drivers' champions. Toksport WRT were the defending teams' champions.^[3]

Andreas Mikkelsen was crowned 2021 drivers' champion at the penultimate round despite not competing there. As he had used different co-drivers through the season a co-driver of a different crew would therefore become co-driver champion. Torstein Eriksen, consistent co-driver of Mads Østberg, was able to retain his championship title. Movisport became the teams' champion.^[4]

Entries

The following teams and crews entered 2021 WRC2:

Entrant	Car	Driver name	nowrap	Co-driver name	Rounds
M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta Rally2	nowrap	Adrien Fourmaux	Renaud Jamoul	1–2, 5, 7
		Martin Prokop	Michal Ernst	2, 9–10
			Viktor Chytka	4
			Zdeněk Jůrka	5–6
		Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	3–4, 6, 8–9
		Tom Kristensson	David Arhusiander	3–4, 7–8, 10
		Jari Huttunen	Mikko Lukka	12
Toksport WRT	Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo	nowrap	Marco Bulacia	nowrap	Marcelo Der Ohannesian	1, 3–7, 9, 12
		Andreas Mikkelsen	Ola Fløene	1–7
			Elliott Edmondson	9
			Phil Hall	12
		Eyvind Brynildsen	Veronica Engan	2
Sports & You	Citroën C3 Rally2	Eric Camilli	François-Xavier Buresi	1
			Benjamin Veillas	4
			Maxime Vilmot	11
Movisport	Škoda Fabia R5	Enrico Brazzoli	Maurizio Barone	1, 3
			Danilo Fappani	5
	Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo		Manuel Fenoli	12
		Nikolay Gryazin	Konstantin Aleksandrov	11–12
	Volkswagen Polo GTI R5			2–5, 7–8, 10
		Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	2, 4
		Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	10
	Ford Fiesta Rally2	Nikolay Gryazin	Konstantin Aleksandrov	9
		Erik Cais	Jindřiška Žáková	11
Saintéloc Junior Team	Citroën C3 Rally2	Sean Johnston	Alex Kihurani	1–2, 5, 7, 9, 11
		Leonid Urlichich	Tom Woodburn	9
Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai i20 R5	Jari Huttunen	Mikko Lukka	2, 5, 7
		Ole Christian Veiby	Jonas Andersson	2, 4–5
		Oliver Solberg	Aaron Johnston	4, 7
		Andrea Crugnola	Pietro Ometto	5
	Hyundai i20 N Rally2	Jari Huttunen	Mikko Lukka	8, 10–11
		Oliver Solberg	Aaron Johnston	8–9
			Craig Drew	10
		Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	11
ALM Motorsport	Volkswagen Polo GTI R5	Georg Linnamäe	Volodymyr Korsia	2, 4
			Tanel Kasesalu	5
			James Morgan	7, 10–12
	Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo			9
TRT World Rally Team	Citroën C3 Rally2	Mads Østberg	Torstein Eriksen	3–5, 7, 9–11
Sources:^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] ^[9] ^[10] ^[11] ^[12] ^[13] ^[14] ^[15] ^[16]

In detail

M-Sport Ford WRT entered a Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II for Adrien Fourmaux and Renaud Jamoul, the crew combining their WRC2 campaign with a drive for M-Sport's main team in the WRC.^[17] Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula joined the WRC2 effort in Croatia, alternating in the car with Fourmaux. Following Suninen leaving M-Sport before the Acropolis Rally, Fourmaux will leave WRC-2 as well to drive the rest of the season in the main category. A second Fiesta was entered for Martin Prokop and Michal Ernst in the Arctic Rally Finland. Ernst was replaced by Viktor Chytka in Portugal, having been originally meant to co-drive for Prokop in Lapland. Zdeněk Jůrka became Prokop's third co-driver of the season in Sardinia. Ernst is due to return to co-drive in Greece. The reigning JWRC champion Tom Kristensson joined the team in Croatia, co-driven by David Arhusiander.

Hyundai Motorsport N signed Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston signed for a two-year deal, the pair joining to compete alongside the crew of Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson.^[18] Veiby was however suspended from competing in the WRC for the rest of the year for breaching COVID-19 protocols in Portugal.^[19] Reigning WRC-3 champions Jari Huttunen and Mikko Lukka entered driving a third car for the team.^[20] Italian driver Andrea Crugnola was meant to drive in Sardinia with co-driver Pietro Ometto, but had to withdraw due to most of the Hyundai WRC-2 team having to quarantine following Portugal.^[21] Hyundai introduced a successor to the Hyundai i20 R5 known as the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in Belgium.^[22] Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula will join Hyundai WRC-2 ranks for the penultimate round in Spain.^[23]

The reigning teams' champions Toksport WRT signed former WRC works driver Andreas Mikkelsen and 2020 WRC-3 runner-up Marco Bulacia Wilkinson, with Ola Fløene and Marcelo Der Ohannesian respectively as co-drivers.^{[24] [25]} Eyvind Brynildsen and Veronica Engan replaced Bulacia Wilkinson and Der Ohannesian for the round in Lapland following the latter crew being prevented from entering the event by visa issues.^[26] Elliott Edmondson will replace Fløene as Mikkelsen's co-driver starting from the Acropolis Rally.

Italian team Movisport joined the championship, entering a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 for Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov, who left Hyundai after 2020. The team also entered a Škoda Fabia R5 for Enrico Brazzoli and Maurizio Barone in selected events.^[27] Barone was replaced by Danilo Fappani in Sardinia. Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm returned to the category, driving a second Volkswagen for Movisport in Lapland and Portugal.^[28] Gryazin and Aleksandrov will switch to a Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II for the Acropolis Rally. After leaving M-Sport Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula will drive a Volkswagen for Movisport in Finland.

Portuguese team Sports & You entered a Citroën C3 Rally2 for the French crew of Eric Camilli and François-Xavier Buresi. Camilli was co-driven by Benjamin Veillas in Portugal.

Saintéloc Junior Team joined the championship, entering a Citroën C3 Rally2 for Sean Johnston and Alex Kihurani. The team will enter a second C3 in Greece for Canadian driver Leonid "Crazy Leo" Urlichich and British co-driver Tom Woodburn.

ALM Motorsport entered a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 for Estonian Georg Linnamäe and Ukrainian Volodymyr Korsia. After being suspended due to breaching COVID-19 protocols, Korsia was replaced with Tanel Kasesalu for one round, before James Morgan became Linnamäe's permanent co-driver. Linnamäe will drive a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo in Greece.

2020 WRC-2 champion Mads Østberg entered the 2021 season in Croatia driving a Citroën C3 Rally2 for TRT World Rally Team. He was co-driven by Torstein Eriksen.

Changes

Technical regulations

Pirelli alone supplied tyres to all teams entering WRC-2 with the removal of Michelin and Yokohama as FIA approved tyre suppliers.^[29]

Sporting regulations

Competitors in the WRC-2 category were awarded Power Stage bonus points for the first time.^[30]

Results and standings

Season summary

Round	Event	nowrap	Winning driver	nowrap	Winning co-driver	nowrap	Winning entrant	nowrap	Winning time	nowrap	Report	Ref.
1	nowrap	Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo	nowrap	Andreas Mikkelsen	nowrap	Ola Fløene	nowrap	Toksport WRT	3:03:57.3	Report	^[31]
2	Arctic Rally Finland	nowrap	Esapekka Lappi	nowrap	Janne Ferm	nowrap	Movisport	2:09:56.6	Report	^[32]
3	Croatia Rally	nowrap	Mads Østberg	nowrap	Torstein Eriksen	nowrap	TRT World Rally Team	3:01:23.7	Report	^[33]
4	Rally de Portugal	nowrap	Esapekka Lappi	nowrap	Janne Ferm	nowrap	Movisport	3:48:03.4	Report	^[34]
5	Rally Italia Sardegna	nowrap		nowrap	Mikko Lukka	nowrap	Hyundai Motorsport N	3:28:58.1	Report	^[35]
6	Safari Rally Kenya	No classified finishers				Report	^[36]
7	Rally Estonia	nowrap	Andreas Mikkelsen	nowrap	Ola Fløene	nowrap	Toksport WRT	3:01:59.0	Report	^[37]
8	Ypres Rally Belgium	nowrap		nowrap	Mikko Lukka	nowrap	Hyundai Motorsport N	2:51:32.9	Report	^[38]
9	Acropolis Rally Greece	nowrap	Andreas Mikkelsen	nowrap	Elliott Edmondson	nowrap	Toksport WRT	3:37:27.1	Report	^[39]
10	Rally Finland	nowrap	Teemu Suninen	nowrap	Mikko Markkula	nowrap	Movisport	2:29:05.8	Report	^[40]
11	nowrap	RACC Rally Catalunya de España	nowrap	Eric Camilli	nowrap	Maxime Vilmot	nowrap	Sports & You	2:44:01.2	Report	^[41]
12	Rally Monza	nowrap		nowrap	Mikko Lukka	nowrap	M-Sport Ford WRT	2:49:28.6	Report	^[42]

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in each event. Power Stage points are also awarded in the drivers' and co-drivers' championships.^[30] 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.^[43]

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Points	25	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

FIA WRC2 Championship for Drivers

Driver MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points 1 Andreas Mikkelsen 1^1 2^1 5^1 WD Ret WD 1^1 1^3 2^1 0 149 2 Mads Østberg 1^4 3^4 2^2 2^3 8^1 2^2 4^1 9 126 3 Jari Huttunen Ret 1^1 Ret 1^1 3^3 Ret 1^2 0 107 4 Marco Bulacia 4^3 3^3 6^2 3^3 WD 3^2 2^2 4^3 12 107 5 Teemu Suninen 2^2 2^5 WD Ret WD 1^1 2^2 0 93 6 Nikolay Gryazin 3^4 Ret 4 Ret 2^2 3^5 6^4 NC NC 0 77 7 Esapekka Lappi 1^2 1^1 0 59 8 Eric Camilli 3^4 8^3 1^4 0 51 9 Martin Prokop 6 7 4^4 Ret 5 4^5 0 51 10 Adrien Fourmaux 2^2 9^5 6^5 4^4 0 48 11 Enrico Brazzoli 6 4^5 5 3^4 0 48 12 Georg Linnamäe 8 WD Ret 6 4^4 5 6^5 NC 0 45 13 Sean Johnston 5^5 7 Ret Ret 6 5 0 35 14 Erik Cais 3^3 0 18 15 Tom Kristensson Ret 9 5^5 Ret Ret 0 13 16 Ole Christian Veiby 5^3 DNS WD 0 13 17 Eyvind Brynildsen 4 0 12 18 Oliver Solberg 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 10 19 Leonid Urlichich 7 0 6 Driver MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points Source:^[44]

Notes: ^1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

FIA WRC2 Championship for Co-Drivers

Co-Driver MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points 1 Torstein Eriksen 1^4 3^4 2^2 2^3 8^1 2^2 4^1 9 126 2 Mikko Lukka Ret 1^1 Ret 1^1 3^3 Ret 1^2 0 107 3 Marcelo Der Ohannesian 4^3 3^3 6^2 3^3 WD 3^2 2^2 5^3 10 105 4 Ola Fløene 1^1 2^1 5^1 WD Ret WD 1^1 0 98 5 Mikko Markkula 2^2 2^5 WD Ret WD 1^1 2^2 0 93 6 Konstantin Aleksandrov 3^4 Ret 4 Ret 2^2 3^5 6^4 NC NC 0 77 7 Janne Ferm 1^2 1^1 0 59 8 James Morgan 6 4^4 5 6^5 3^4 0 58 9 Renaud Jamoul 2^2 9^5 6^5 4^4 0 48 10 Alex Kihurani 5^5 7 Ret Ret 6 5 0 35 11 Michal Ernst 6 5 4^5 0 31 12 Elliott Edmondson 1^3 0 28 13 Maxime Vilmot 1^4 0 27 14 Phil Hall 2^1 0 23 15 Maurizio Barone 6 4^5 0 21 16 Jindřiška Žáková 3^3 0 18 17 François-Xavier Buresi 3^4 WD 0 17 18 Zdeněk Jůrka 4^4 Ret 0 14 19 Manuel Fenoli 4^5 0 13 20 David Arhusiander Ret 9 5^5 Ret Ret 0 13 21 Jonas Andersson 5^3 DNS WD 0 13 22 Veronica Engan 4 0 12 23 Aaron Johnston 5 Ret Ret Ret 0 10 24 Danilo Fappani 5 0 10 25 Benjamin Veillas 8^3 0 7 26 Viktor Chytka 7 0 6 27 Tom Woodburn 7 0 6 28 Volodymyr Korsia 8 WD 0 4 Co-Driver MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points Source:

Notes: ^1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

FIA WRC2 Championship for Teams

Team MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points 1 Movisport 2 1 3 1 NC Ret NC NC 1 1 1 15 227 4 3 Ret 3 4 3 3 2 Toksport WRT 1 2 2 NC 1 WD 1 1 NC 2 25 216 3 4 4 WD Ret WD 2 2 4 3 M-Sport Ford WRT NC 5 1 2 2 Ret 3 Ret NC 3 NC 0 146 6 Ret 5 3 WD 4 Ret WD Ret 4 Hyundai Motorsport N NC 4 NC Ret 1 Ret 2 2 0 73 Ret DNS WD Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Saintéloc Junior Team NC NC Ret Ret 3 NC 0 27 4 Team MON ARC CRO POR ITA KEN EST BEL GRC FIN ESP MNZ Drops Points Source:

Notes: ^1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

External links

• • FIA WRC2 2021 at eWRC-results.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021 WRC Sporting Regulations. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201220155007/https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/wrcsr_2021_16-12-20_published.pdf . 2020-12-20 .
2. Web site: Support Championships. 2021-04-26. WRC - World Rally Championship. en. 2021-04-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427120538/https://www.wrc.com/en/championship/support-championships/wrc-2/. dead.
3. News: Østberg triumphs to secure maiden world title. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 December 2020. 7 December 2020.
4. Web site: Mikkelsen Takes Title. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211017165027/https://www.wrc.com/en/news/2021/wrc2/wrc2-camilli-clinches-victory-as-mikkelsen-takes-title/ . 2021-10-17 .
5. News: 89e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo Entry List. acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. 20 January 2021. 24 January 2021.
6. Web site: Entry List Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox 2021. ewrc-results.com. 13 February 2021.
7. Web site: Entry List Croatia Rally 2021. ewrc-results.com. 8 April 2021.
8. Web site: Entry List Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2021. eWRC-results.com. 30 April 2021.
9. Web site: Entry List Rally Italia Sardegna 2021. eWRC-results.com. 14 May 2021.
10. Web site: Entry List Safari Rally Kenya 2021. eWRC-results.com. 29 May 2021.
11. Web site: Entry List Rally Estonia 2021. eWRC-results.com. 23 June 2021.
12. Web site: Entry List Ypres Rally Belgium 2021. eWRC-results.com. 30 July 2021.
13. Web site: Entry List EKO Acropolis Rally of Gods 2021. eWRC-results.com. 16 August 2021.
14. Web site: Entry List Secto Rally Finland 2021. eWRC-results.com. 3 September 2021.
15. Web site: Entry List RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2021. eWRC-results.com. 24 September 2021.
16. Web site: Entry List FORUM8 ACI Rally Monza 2021. eWRC-results.com. 10 November 2021.
17. Web site: Greensmith heads youthful M-Sport Ford line-up. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 January 2021. 6 January 2021.
18. Web site: Solberg joins Veiby in Hyundai WRC2 Squad. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 December 2020. 18 December 2020.
19. News: Veiby suspended for six months due to COVID-19 breach. dirtfish.com. Dirtfish. 23 May 2021. 7 September 2021.
20. Web site: WRC 3 Champion joins Hyundai WRC 2 Squad. Hyundai Motorsport. 12 February 2021. 12 February 2021.
21. News: Positive COVID test for Petter rules Oliver out of WRC Italy. dirtfish.com. Dirtfish. 26 May 2021. 7 September 2021.
22. News: New Hyundai i20 N Rally2 machine set for mid-2021 homologation. Jason. Craig. autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 21 October 2020. 27 December 2020.
23. Web site: Suninen secures WRC2 drive in Spain. WRC Promoter GmbH. 13 September 2021. 14 September 2021.
24. News: Mikkelsen sets double target for WRC2 campaign. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 7 January 2021. 7 September 2021.
25. News: Bulacia outlines full WRC2 season with Toksport. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 January 2021. 7 September 2021.
26. News: Top talents descend on Arctic Circle for WRC2 encounter. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 February 2021. 7 September 2021.
27. Web site: Ramírez. Bernabé. 31 December 2020. Movisport, en WRC2 con Nikolay Gryazin y Enrico Brazzoli. Revista Scratch.
28. Web site: Lappi gears up for Arctic comeback. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 8 February 2021. 8 February 2021.
29. News: Pirelli wins tyre tender to supply WRC top tier and R5s from 2021. David. Evans. autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 20 December 2019. 31 December 2019.
30. News: Power Stage points extended to manufacturers, WRC2 and WRC3. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 December 2020. 17 December 2020.
31. News: WRC2: Mikkelsen's dream start in Monte-Carlo. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 January 2021. 25 January 2021.
32. News: WRC2: Lappi lands victory on return. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 February 2021. 1 March 2021.
33. News: WRC2: Østberg makes dream return. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 April 2021. 26 April 2021.
34. News: WRC2: Lappi dominates again. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 May 2021. 24 May 2021.
35. News: WRC2: Huttunen holds on for win. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 June 2021. 7 June 2021.
36. News: Rai charges to early WRC3 lead in Kenya. There were no finishers in WRC2.. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 June 2021. 27 June 2021.
37. News: WRC2: Mikkelsen reclaims winning form. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 July 2021. 18 July 2021.
38. News: WRC2: Huttunen claims unexpected victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 15 August 2021. 16 August 2021.
39. News: WRC2: Mikkelsen pips team-mate on final day. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 12 September 2021. 13 September 2021.
40. News: WRC2: Super Suninen wins in Finland. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 3 October 2021. 3 October 2021.
41. News: WRC2: Camilli clinches victory as Mikkelsen takes title. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021. 19 October 2021.
42. News: WRC2: Huttunen takes WRC2 spoils on M-Sport Ford debut. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 November 2021. 21 November 2021.
43. Web site: About. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021.
44. Web site: WRC 2 standings 2021. live. 25 January 2021. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210419214316/https://www.wrc.com/en/results-standings/championship-standings/seasons/championship-standings/season-2021/wrc2/ . 2021-04-19 .