Rally racing involves driving road-legal cars on closed dirt roads against the clock rather than other cars. The highest level is the World Rally Championship (WRC), which consists of 13 international events held on various surfaces like dirt, gravel, snow, and ice. The first WRC rally was held in 1973 and grew out of smaller national rallies, such as the iconic Monte Carlo Rally. While early rally cars were similar to production models, the 1980s Group B era saw extreme lightweight cars with few regulations, leading to dangerous crashes until stricter Group A rules in the 1990s improved safety. Modern WRC continues at nearly Group B speeds but with greater safety measures in place.
