The 2018 WRC3 season was the final season of the championship for two-wheel drive cars and it was cancelled by the FIA after the 2018 season, however it was revived in 2020 with a new set of regulations for four-wheel drive Group Rally2 cars.[3][4]
Calendar
The championship was contested over thirteen rounds in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Oceania.[5]
The Rally of Poland was removed from the calendar after the FIA repeatedly raised concerns about the event's safety.[15] The FIA had previously ordered a review of the event's safety standards ahead of the 2017 event, threatening to rescind the rally's World Championship status if conditions were not improved.[16]
The Rally of Poland was replaced by the Rally of Turkey, which returned to the calendar for the first time since 2010.[5] The event, which was previously based in Istanbul, return to south-western Turkey. It was based in the coastal resort town of Marmaris in Muğla Province,[17] with the route running along the Mediterranean coastline.[18]
The rallies of Great Britain and Catalunya swapped places on the schedule, with Rally Catalunya becoming the penultimate round of the championship.[5]Rallye Deutschland relocated to a new headquarters with the service park located at the Bostalsee reservoir in Saarland state.[9]
Route changes
Rallye Monte Carlo featured a heavily revised route from the 2017 event, with half the route being brand new.[8] After starting in Mexico City in 2017, Rally Mexico returned to its traditional start in Guanajuato. The route featured minor changes and included a new Power Stage.[19]
The route for the Tour de Corse was heavily revised, with only two of the seven stages being run as they were in 2017. The headquarters of the event was relocated to Bastia, which hosted the event for the first time since 1978.[20]
Organisers of the Wales Rally GB announced plans for a heavily revised route. The changes were made possible by the passage of legislation by the British government allowing public roads to be used for motorsport.[21][22]