The 2016 FIA World Rally Championship-3 was the fourth season of the World Rally Championship-3, an auto racing championship recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, ran in support of the World Rally Championship. It was created when the Group R class of rally car was introduced in 2013. The Championship was composed of fourteen rallies, and drivers and teams had to nominate a maximum of six events. The best five results counted towards the championship.[1]
Quentin Gilbert was the defending champion, as he won the 2015 title.
The calendar was announced in November 2015 by the FIA.[2] The season was scheduled to expand with one rally in comparison to the 2015 championship, contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Asia,[3][4] but the Chinese round was ultimately cancelled.
^1 – Rally Sweden was shortened due to warm weather conditions turning frozen roads into soft, muddy gravel and making the studded tyres unsafe to use.[5]
^3 – The route of Rally Australia was shortened following concerns over dust reducing visibility in forest stages.
Calendar changes[]
Rally Australia was moved from its September date to November to become the final round of the championship.[4]
The calendar was to be expanded to fourteen rounds in 2016,[7] with the inclusion of the Rally of China, seventeen years after its only appearance as a round of the WRC.[8][9]
The Tour de Corse relocated its headquarters from Corte to Bastia, which features a brand-new route.[10]