Petter Solberg
World Manufacturers' Champion:
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The 2003 World Rally Championship was the 31st season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 14 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Petter Solberg in a Subaru Impreza WRC, ahead of Sébastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz. The manufacturers' title was won by Citroën, ahead of Peugeot and Subaru.
Calendar
The 2003 championship was contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania.
Rd. | Start date | Finish date | Rally | Rally headquarters | Surface | Stages | Distance | Support class |
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1 | 23 January | 24 January | 71st Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo | Monte Carlo | Mixed | 14 | 415.02 km | JWRC |
2 | 7 February | 9 February | 52nd Uddeholm Swedish Rally | Karlstad, Värmland County | Snow | 17 | 386.91 km | PWRC |
3 | 27 February | 2 March | 4th Rally of Turkey | Kemer, Antalya Province | Gravel | 18 | 338.24 km | JWRC |
4 | 10 April | 13 April | 34th Propecia Rally New Zealand | Manukau, Auckland | Gravel | 22 | 403.34 km | PWRC |
5 | 8 May | 11 May | 23rd YPF Rally Argentina | Carlos Paz, Córdoba | Gravel | 25 | 402.35 km | PWRC |
6 | 5 June | 8 June | 50th Golden Acropolis Rally | Lamia, Central Greece | Gravel | 22 | 399.49 km | JWRC |
7 | 20 June | 23 June | 31st Cyprus Rally | Lemesos, Limassol District | Gravel | 18 | 341.05 km | PWRC |
8 | 25 July | 27 July | 22nd ADAC Rallye Deutschland | Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate | Tarmac | 22 | 388.23 km | PWRC |
9 | 7 August | 10 August | 53rd Neste Rally Finland | Jyväskylä, Central Finland | Gravel | 23 | 409.18 km | JWRC |
10 | 4 September | 7 September | 16th Telstra Rally Australia | Perth, Western Australia | Gravel | 24 | 386.31 km | PWRC |
11 | 3 October | 5 October | 45th Rallye Sanremo - Rallye d'Italia | Sanremo, Liguria | Tarmac | 14 | 387.36 km | JWRC |
12 | 17 October | 19 October | 47th Tour de Corse - Rallye de France | Ajaccio, Corsica | Tarmac | 16 | 397.40 km | PWRC |
13 | 24 October | 26 October | 39th Rally Catalunya - Costa Brava - Rally de España | Lloret de Mar, Catalonia | Tarmac | 22 | 381.18 km | JWRC |
14 | 6 November | 9 November | 59th Wales Rally GB | Cardiff, Wales | Gravel | 18 | 376.81 km | JWRC |
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Calendar changes
The Safari Rally Kenya was dropped from the calendar for 2003 due to missed fee payments from previous WRC seasons and was replace by the Rally of Turkey. After the 2002 Kenyan general election, the new government pushed for the Rally to return to the calendar and was looking at replacing Rally Australia after the event was called into question by FIA President Max Mosley due to organisational and safety issues. Eventually Rally Australia would go ahead and the Safari Rally Kenya would not return to the WRC calendar until 2021.
Teams and drivers
JWRC entries
PWRC entries
Results and standings
Rally results
The highest finishing competitor entered in each WRC class is listed below. Non-championship entries may have finished ahead of WRC competitors in individual rounds.
Drivers' championship
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- Petter Solberg secured the drivers' championship title in Wales.
Manufacturers' championship
Manufacturer Teams must enter at least two cars. This allowed Manufacturers to have three or four cars registered on a single event, but only their best two result would count to the championship.
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- Citroën secured the manufacturers' championship in Wales, its first such title.
- Results in "()" means the car finished the rally, but two others of the same Manufacturer Team reached a better result.
JWRC Drivers' championship
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PWRC Drivers' championship
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Events
Round | Rally Name | Start-End Date | Podium Drivers (Finishing Time) |
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1 | Monte Carlo Rally | 24 January–26 January |
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2 | Swedish Rally | 7 February–9 February |
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3 | Rally of Turkey | 27 February–2 March |
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4 | Rally New Zealand | 11 April–13 April |
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5 | Rally Argentina | 8 May–11 May |
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6 | Acropolis Rally | 6 June–8 June |
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7 | Cyprus Rally | 20 June–22 June |
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8 | Rallye Deutschland | 25 July–27 July |
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9 | Rally Finland | 7 August–10 August |
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10 | Rally Australia | 4 September–7 September |
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11 | Rallye Sanremo | 3 October–5 October |
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12 | Tour de Corse | 17 October–19 October |
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13 | Rally Catalunya | 24 October–26 October |
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14 | Wales Rally GB | 6 November–9 November |
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References
- "Dates confirmed for 2003 WRC". Autosport. 13 November 2002. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- "Mosley confirms Rally Australia threat". Autosport. 13 February 2003. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- "Safari Rally set for shock return to WRC". Autosport. 14 February 2003. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- "WRC season 2003". eWRC. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- Hart, Jeremy (9 November 2003). "Hard Charger:Petter Solberg Takes The 2003 World Rally Championship". Autoweek. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- "World Rally Championship - Fun Facts, Questions, Answers, Information". www.funtrivia.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- "Solberg pips Loeb for world title". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- Hope-Frost, Henry (9 November 2017). "On this day in... 2003". Goodwood Road & Racing. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
External links
- FIA World Rally Championship 2003 at ewrc-results.com
2003 World Rally Championship | |
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Rallies |