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The FIA has updated the start order for races in the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship. While the leaders will remain mostly the same, there are changes to reduce gamesmanship in the Prologue.
“The World Council has approved changes to the W2RC sporting regulations, specifically the criteria for determining the start order of Leg 1 to discourage tactics during the Prologue and make the start order selection process more interesting,” a statement from the FIA reads. “Changes have also been made to the start order for later stages to better accommodate the Challenger and SSV competitions.”
After the Prologue, the top ten finishers will choose their start positions for Stage #1 as usual, with the tenth-place finisher choosing first, followed by ninth, and so on until the winner selects tenth. For 2025, the FIA will now consider all drivers who finish within 110 percent of the winner, as well as those with Platinum or Gold priority status. Gold status is given to Ultimate drivers and the champions of the Challenger and SSV classes.
All drivers meeting the above criteria will be ranked by the top ten fastest in the Prologue, and the start order selection process will proceed from there.
For Stage #2, the start order hierarchy has been adjusted. The winner still goes out first, followed by Ultimate drivers with times within 115% of the winner from the previous stage, regardless of their priority. The remaining Ultimate drivers who exceeded 115% will follow based on their priority, including those in the Silver category who requested a different start position.
According to Article 32.3 of the FIA’s Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations, drivers who do not meet the specified time requirements will be repositioned after those who do. Silver priority drivers may request repositioning once per event.
The same concept applies to Challenger and SSV drivers, with a 107% time threshold for the winner. Those within 120% of the overall winner’s time will also follow suit, with Trucks heading out ten minutes after the final UTV.
The FIA has been considering start order changes since the summer of 2023. FIA cross-country rally manager Jérôme Roussel stated that the new rules aim to make the system more consistent and fair for all competitors.
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