One World Rally Championship title will definitely be decided at this week’s Rally Chile; one is extremely likely to be and another is also within reach.
But which titles are they? Who is in contention, and how can each championship be won?
Manufacturers’
Given its dominant form in 2026, it was a surprise that Toyota didn’t claim its sixth consecutive manufacturers’ title at the previous round in Paraguay.
But what that means is the team’s in prime position to get the job done in Chile.
With a 174-point advantage over closest rival Hyundai and a maximum of 60 points available to a manufacturer on a WRC round, as long as Toyota is more than 120 points ahead on Sunday it will be manufacturers’ champion for a 10th time in the WRC – a tally that would match record holder Lancia.
Hyundai therefore needs to outscore Toyota by 55 points or more in Chile to deny Toyota’s coronation – an extremely unlikely scenario in any case, but especially when you consider Toyota has won 10 of the 11 events so far this year and had at least two cars on every single podium bar Paraguay.
Junior WRC
The Junior WRC contest is the only championship guaranteed to be settled in Chile, as the South American event is the fifth and final round of the year.
Calle Carlberg starts the event with a three-point advantage over Ali Türkkan, but five competitors are still in contention given the season finale is a double points affair.
With Junior WRC also awarding competitors one championship point per stage win, 66 points can be claimed in Chile.
The only driver starting the event in the category unable to become champion is Craig Rahill, as Gil Membrado (24 points down), Leevi Lassala (34 points down) and Karem Kazaz (63 points down) can’t mathematically be eliminated.
WRC2 Challengers
Robert Virves cannot become WRC2 champion in Chile, because if he wins and puts 125 points on the board, Teemu Suninen could still achieve 126.
However victory this week would earn the Estonian the WRC2 Challengers title.
Open to competitors who’ve never been WRC2 champion before, or never scored WRC manufacturer points, Virves leads Roope Korhonen by six points heading into Chile, with Léo Rossel 19 shy.
A win for Toksport Škoda’s Virves would earn him 125 points, with Korhonen’s season maximum standing at 119 if he wins in Sardinia.
Rossel can still theoretically reach 125 points, but if Virves is victorious in Chile he’ll have five Challenger victories and therefore an unbeatable tally if countback were considered.
