The FIA World Rally Championship began in 1973.
The 1973 season was the inaugural World Rally Championship contested under the FIA’s new format. It was built from established international rallies, many of which had already competed in the earlier International Championship for Manufacturers, held from 1970 through 1972. The first WRC event was the Monte Carlo Rally, starting on 19 January 1973.
The inaugural calendar featured rallies in different countries and on varied surfaces, including tarmac, gravel, snow and ice. Alpine-Renault won the first manufacturers’ championship with the Alpine A110, while Fiat finished second and Ford third. At this stage, the WRC awarded a world title to manufacturers rather than individual drivers.
That distinction causes a frequent misunderstanding. Although the championship itself started in 1973, the first official WRC drivers’ championship was not awarded until 1979. The 1977 and 1978 seasons instead featured the FIA Cup for Rally Drivers, won by Sandro Munari and Markku Alén respectively. Thus 1973 is the correct start date for the WRC, even though its drivers’ title arrived six years later.