What is Rally3? Rallying’s newest category explained

DirtFish's David Evans unpacks the latest name on the rallying totem pole

I know what you’re thinking. I was thinking the same. Rally3.

Rally3? What is that? Is that the Junior car? It’s not an R5. Maybe it’s the R2?

This video will help. Welcome to the world of a €100,000 ($117,000) four-wheel drive car. This, my friends, is the future for national champions and a significant rung in the ladder to WRC success. This is the modern day Group N WRX. Today’s Evo. The wait is over.

Every now and then a car comes along that’s fairly important.

Arguably, Rally3 is more important than whatever’s coming to the top table in 2022. The all-new hybrid-boosted Rally1, thunder-stealing hardware which will dominate the world championship headlines is all well and good for the pinnacle of the sport’s pyramid.

This Rally3 car will provide the much needed middle bit of the pyramid: total traction from an engine ranging anywhere from 1.0 to 1.6 with a restrictor to balance power output.

Without Rally3, the pyramid wouldn’t fall over, but it wouldn’t reach nearly as high as it might.

What’s before you here is M-Sport Poland’s all-new Rally3; it comes with one turbo, one-and-a-half liters, three cylinders and four driveshafts.

And it goes like stink.

And, and, according to those who’s driven it, it’s an huge amount of fun.

What’s more, with solid Sadev transmission and a bulletproof 210bhp and 290Nm torque, it’s a car that’s going to spend its time on the stages. Not in rebuild.

Have another look. This is what a sensible four-wheel drive car looks like.

Excited? You should be. And remember, Rally3’s the name.

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