FIA tweaks start order for 2025 W2RC

The FIA has modified its start order for races during the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship. Most of it will remain the same for the leaders, though other changes are intended to decrease gamesmanship in the Prologue.

“The World Council approved updates to the W2RC sporting regulations, and the criteria defining the start order of Leg 1 have been amended to discourage tactics during the Prologue and increase interest in the start order selection process,” reads an FIA statement. “Adjustments have also been made to the start order of subsequent stages to better account for the Challenger and SSV competitions.”

After the Prologue, the top ten finishers get to select their start positions for Stage #1 like they already do, with tenth being the first up followed by ninth and so on until the winner picks tenth. This will continue for 2025, though the FIA will now account for all drivers who set times within 110 percent of the winner along with everyone with Platinum or Gold priority. Gold status is awarded to all Ultimate drivers as well as the champions of the Challenger and SSV classes.

Every driver who meets both caveats will then be grouped by the top ten fastest in the Prologue. The start order selection process from there remains the same.

Starting with Stage #2, the starting hierarchy has been upgraded. The first out remain the same, with the Ultimate drivers whose times in the previous stage are within 115% of the winner going out first behind the victor regardless of their priority. The rest of the Ultimate grid who exceeded 115% go out after by their priority, including those in Silver who requested to have a different start position.

Under the current repositioning rules (as stipulated in Article 32.3 of the FIA’s Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations), “With the exception of a Stage following a Marathon Stage, FIA Platinum and Gold priority drivers with Groups Stock, Challenger & SSV vehicles and who have set a time in the previous Stage’s Selective Section(s) that is more than 115% of the best time in their group must be repositioned after the last driver who has set a time that is less than 115% of the best time in the group. FIA Silver priority drivers may benefit from one repositioning per event, according to the rules set out in Art. 32.3.1. They must request their repositioning to the Clerk of the Course no later than 1 hour before the time of publication of the start order for the following Stage.”

The same pattern applies for Challenger and SSV, albeit with 107% of the winner’s times instead. Those regardless of category whose times are within 120% of the overall stage winner follow suit. At the end of the order, the Trucks head out ten minutes following the final UTV.

The FIA had been entertaining start order changes since summer 2023. FIA cross-country rally manager Jérôme Roussel explained around that time that the new rules are intended to “make them more universal on based on the mathematical calculation” to help those who “had a very bad day.”