2022 WRC3 Championship explained

The 2022 FIA WRC3 Championship was the ninth season of WRC3, a rallying championship organised and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the third-highest tier of international rallying, running in support of the 2022 World Rally Championship. It was open to privateers and teams using cars complying with Group Rally3 regulations.[1]

For the first time, WRC3 was split into Open and Junior championships with driver and co-driver titles awarded within each. The WRC3 Open Championship began in January 2022 with the Rallye Monte-Carlo and concluded in November 2022 with Rally Japan. The WRC3 Junior Championship started in February with Rally Sweden and the five-round championship concluded in September with Acropolis Rally. This was the FIA's new presentation of the previously existing Junior WRC Championship, which reverted back to an FIA title in 2023.

In the open championships, Lauri Joona won the drivers' title.[2] In the junior championships, Robert Virves won the drivers' title.[3]

Calendar

WRC3 Junior calendar

RoundDatesRally
124–27 February Rally Sweden
221–24 April Croatia Rally
319–22 May Rally de Portugal
414–17 July Rally Estonia
58–11 September Acropolis Rally

Entries

WRC3 Open

The following crews officially entered into the 2022 WRC3 Open Championship:

CarEntrantDriver nameCo-driver nameRounds
Ford Fiesta Rally3 Hamza Anwar Hamza Anwar Adnan Din6
Enrico Brazzoli Enrico Brazzoli Manuel Fenoli1, 3, 5, 9
Jan Černý Jan Černý Petr Černohorský1, 12
Petr Jindra3
Tomáš Střeska5
Jan Tománek8
Tom Woodburn9
Diego Dominguez Jr Diego Dominguez Jr Rogelio Peñate5–6, 10, 12
Tommi Heino Tommi Heino Patric Öhman8
Toni Herranen Toni Herranen Sebastian Virtanen8
Panagiotis Ismailos Panagiotis Ismailos Allan Harryman10
Lauri Joona Lauri Joona Mikael Korhonen2, 4, 7, 12
Tuukka Shemeikka8
Epameinondas Karanikolas Epameinondas Karanikolas Georgios Kakavas10
McRae Kimathi McRae Kimathi Mwangi Kioni2–3, 6–7
Stuart Loudon4
Roope Korhonen Roope Korhonen Anssi Viinikka7
Zoltán László Zoltán László Tamás Begala1
Tamás Kürti5, 9, 12
M-Sport Racing Kft Zoltán László Tamás Kürti3
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy William Creighton Liam Regan2–4, 7, 10
Sami Pajari Sami Pajari Enni Mälkönen1–4, 7
Ivica Siladić Ivica Siladić Jasna Durak3
Henri Timonen Henri Timonen Jussi Kärpijoki8
Jeremy Wahome Jeremy Wahome Victor Okundi6
Maxine Wahome Maxine Wahome Murage Waigwa6
Sources:[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

WRC3 Junior

The following crews officially entered into the 2022 WRC3 Junior Championship:

CarEntrantDriver nameCo-driver nameRounds
Ford Fiesta Rally3 Jon Armstrong Jon Armstrong Brian Hoy1–5
Jean-Baptiste Franceschi Jean-Baptiste Franceschi Anthony Gorguilo1–3
Lauri Joona Lauri Joona Mikael Korhonen1–5
McRae Kimathi McRae Kimathi Mwangi Kioni1–2, 4–5
Stuart Loudon3
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy William Creighton Liam Regan1–5
Sami Pajari Sami Pajari Enni Mälkönen1–5
Panagiotis Roustemis Panagiotis Roustemis Christos Bakloris1
Starter Energy Racing Robert Virves Aleks Lesk1–3
Julia Thulin4–5
Sources:

Regulation changes

Sporting Regulations

The following titles will be contested within WRC3 in 2022:[1]

In a change from the 2021 season, a teams championship will be contested but drivers will not be obliged to run in one. Points from the highest scoring 4 rounds of 5 entered will be considered for the championship.

The WRC3 Junior championship will be organised by M-Sport Ltd as an arrive-and-drive style competition as previously presented in Junior WRC Championship. Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars will be provided on 5 prescribed rounds for drivers born on or after 1 January 1993. Unlike the rules used in WRC2 Junior, drivers of Junior age who do not register and compete in this fashion will not be eligible for the WRC3 Junior championships.[1]

Results and standings

Season summary

WRC3 Open

RoundEventWinning driverWinning co-driverWinning entrantWinning timeReportRef.
1 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Sami Pajari Sami Pajari3:24:39.2Report[14]
2 Rally Sweden Lauri Joona Mikael Korhonen Lauri Joona2:24:33.8Report[15]
3 Croatia Rally Zoltán László Tamás Kürti Zoltán László3:32:47.0Report[16]
4 Rally de Portugal Sami Pajari Sami Pajari4:13:33.2Report[17]
5 Rally Italia Sardegna Jan Černý Tomáš Střeska Jan Černý3:44:23.5Report[18]
6 Safari Rally Kenya Maxine Wahome Murage Waigwa Maxine Wahome5:20:21.6Report[19]
7 Rally Estonia Sami Pajari Enni Mälkönen Sami Pajari3:13:58.6Report[20]
8 Rally Finland Lauri Joona Tuukka Shemeikka Lauri Joona2:42:52.5Report[21]
9 Ypres Rally Belgium Jan Černý Tom Woodburn Jan Černý2:53:14.2Report[22]
10 Acropolis Rally Greece Diego Dominguez Jr Rogelio Peñate Diego Dominguez Jr4:02:20.1Report[23]
11 Rally New ZealandNo WRC3 entriesReport[24]
12 RACC Rally Catalunya de España Lauri Joona Mikael Korhonen Lauri Joona3:04:36.1Report
13 Rally JapanNo WRC3 entriesReport[25]

WRC3 Junior

RoundEventWinning driverWinning co-driverWinning entrantWinning timeReportRef.
1 Rally Sweden Jon Armstrong Brian Hoy Jon Armstrong2:24:31.1Report[26]
2 Croatia Rally Lauri Joona Mikael Korhonen Lauri Joona3:07:24.9Report[27]
3 Rally de Portugal Sami Pajari Sami Pajari4:13:33.2Report[28]
4 Rally Estonia Sami Pajari Enni Mälkönen Sami Pajari3:13:58.6Report[29]
5 Acropolis Rally Greece Robert Virves Julia Thulin Starter Energy Racing3:55:38.4Report

Scoring system

Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
Points251815121086421

Open

Crews were only allowed to enter a maximum of 5 events with the 4 best results scoring points in the championship.

Junior

Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers. An additional point was given for every stage win. The best four results out of five counted towards the final drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings. However, all points gained from stage wins were retained. Double points were awarded at the season's finale to those with at least 3 previous 2022 JWRC round starts.

FIA WRC3 Open Championship for Drivers

DriverMON
SWE
CRO
POR
ITA
KEN
EST
FIN
BEL
GRC
NZL
ESP
JPN
Total
points
Best 4
1 Lauri Joona1221111193
2 Sami Pajari14Ret118787
3 Jan Černý2121210486
4 Zoltán LászlóRet12247373
5 William Creighton24Ret326363
6 McRae Kimathi3Ret3345757
7 Enrico Brazzoli32Ret34848
8 Diego Dominguez Jr134040
9 Maxine Wahome12525
10 Jeremy Wahome21818
11 Ivica Siladić31515
12 Henri Timonen31515
13 Epameinondas Karanikolas31515
14 Toni Herranen41212
15 Panagiotis Ismailos41212
16 Roope Korhonen51010
DriverMON
SWE
CRO
POR
ITA
KEN
EST
FIN
BEL
GRC
NZL
ESP
JPN
Total
points
Best 4
Source:[30] [31]

FIA WRC3 Open Championship for Co-Drivers

DriverMON
SWE
CRO
POR
ITA
KEN
EST
FIN
BEL
GRC
NZL
ESP
JPN
Total
points
Best 4
1 Enni Mälkönen14Ret118787
2 Mikael Korhonen12217676
3 Tamás Kürti12247373
4 Liam Regan24Ret326363
5 Manuel Fenoli32Ret34848
6 Mwangi Kioni3Ret344242
7 Rogelio Peñate134040
8 Petr Černohorský2WD23636
9 Tomáš Střeska12525
10 Murage Waigwa12525
11 Tuukka Shemeikka12525
12 Tom Woodburn12525
13 Victor Okundi21818
14 Jan Tománek21818
15 Jasna Durak31515
16 Stuart Loudon31515
17 Jussi Kärpijoki31515
18 Georgios Kakavas31515
19 Sebastian Virtanen41212
20 Allan Harryman41212
21 Anssi Viinikka51010
DriverMON
SWE
CRO
POR
ITA
KEN
EST
FIN
BEL
GRC
NZL
ESP
JPN
Total
points
Best 4
Source:

FIA WRC3 Junior Championship for Drivers

DriverSWE
CRO
POR
EST
GRC
TotalPointsBest 4
1 Robert Virves6233521714138130
2 Jon Armstrong1545483326127115
3 Sami Pajari57Ret8161456111111
4 Lauri Joona2311214169583
5 William Creighton3151Ret1536868
6 McRae Kimathi4Ret5645454
7 Jean-Baptiste Franceschi3WD1515
DriverSWE
CRO
POR
EST
GRC
Total
points
Best 4
Source:[32]

FIA WRC3 Junior Championship for Co-Drivers

DriverSWE
CRO
POR
EST
GRC
Total
points
Best 4
1 Brian Hoy1545483326127115
2 Enni Mälkönen57Ret8161456111111
3 Mikael Korhonen2311214169583
4 Liam Regan3151Ret1536868
5 Julia Thulin217146464
6 Aleks Lesk623354949
7 Mwangi Kioni4Ret644444
8 Anthony Gorguilo3WD1515
9 Stuart Loudon51010
DriverSWE
CRO
POR
EST
GRC
Total
points
Best 4
Source:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WRC Sporting Regulations 2022 .
  2. News: Joona soars to WRC3 glory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 October 2022. 23 October 2022.
  3. News: Virves crowned FIA Junior WRC champion. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 11 September 2022. 11 September 2022.
  4. Web site: Entry List Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2022. eWRC-results.com. 10 January 2022.
  5. Web site: Entry List Rally Sweden 2022. eWRC-results.com. 28 January 2022.
  6. Web site: Entry List Croatia Rally 2022. eWRC-results.com. 29 March 2022.
  7. Web site: Entry list Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2022. eWRC-results.com. 29 April 2022.
  8. Web site: Entry list Rally Italia Sardegna 2022. eWRC-results.com. 11 May 2022.
  9. Web site: Entry list Safari Rally Kenya 2022. eWRC-results.com. 28 May 2022.
  10. Web site: Entry list Rally Estonia 2022. eWRC-results.com. 17 June 2022.
  11. Web site: Entry List Secto Rally Finland 2022. eWRC-results.com. 8 July 2022.
  12. Web site: Entry List Ardeca Ypres Rally Belgium 2022. eWRC-results.com. 15 August 2022.
  13. Web site: Entry List EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2022. eWRC-results.com. 15 August 2022.
  14. News: Pajari secures victory on WRC3 debut. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 January 2022. 24 January 2022.
  15. News: Joona seals WRC3 glory in Sweden. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 February 2022. 28 February 2022.
  16. News: László inherits WRC3 honours. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 April 2022. 26 April 2022.
  17. News: Pajari rounds off dream weekend in WRC3. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 22 May 2022. 22 May 2022.
  18. News: Černý handed WRC3 lifeline for claim victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 June 2022 . 5 June 2022.
  19. News: Wahome creates WRC3 history in Kenya. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 June 2022. 22 July 2022.
  20. News: Pajari holds on for WRC3 glory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 July 2022. 23 July 2022.
  21. News: Relentless Joona storms to WRC3 victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 7 August 2022. 15 August 2022.
  22. News: Černý unrivalled on storming run to WRC3 victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 August 2022. 21 August 2022.
  23. News: Victory at last for WRC3 star Dominguez. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 11 September 2022. 11 September 2022.
  24. Web site: Entry List Repco Rally New Zealand 2022. eWRC-results.com. 5 September 2022.
  25. Web site: Entry List FORUM8 Rally Japan 2022. eWRC-results.com. 20 October 2022.
  26. News: Armstrong holds on for hard-fought junior win. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 February 2022. 22 May 2022.
  27. News: Joona claims shock Junior WRC victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 April 2022. 22 May 2022.
  28. News: Pajari kick-starts junior bid with Portugal win. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 22 May 2022. 22 May 2022.
  29. News: Pajari's junior WRC win sets up final round thriller. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 July 2022. 23 July 2022.
  30. Web site: WRC-3 standings 2022. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 22 January 2022.
  31. Web site: Standings. fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 22 January 2022.
  32. Web site: Junior WRC standings 2022. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 22 January 2022.