World Rally Drivers Alliance

Last updated

World Rally Drivers Alliance
Formation2025
Chairman
Flag of France.svg Julien Ingrassia
Directors
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Scott Martin

The World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA) is the trade union of World Rally Championship drivers.

Though talks of a rally drivers' trade association in emulation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association had been around since the Group B era, particularly during the 1986 World Rally Championship when an accident involving Joaquim Santos's Ford RS200 during that year's Rally de Portugal killed four spectators, the WoRDA had only been formalised in 2025 by retired co-driver Julien Ingrassia and former Toyota teammate Scott Martin amidst calls by rally crews for an avenue to voice their concerns and complaints. [1]

The WoRDA gained prominence that same year amidst a controversy surrounding Mohammed Ben Sulayem's change in the International Sporting Code which imposed harsh penalties against the use of profanities by drivers and co-drivers during events sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), in particular an incident after the conclusion of Rally Sweden where Adrien Fourmaux incurred a €10,000 fine for swearing during an interview, [2] [3] as well as the lack of transparency over where the fines are spent. [4]

On April 21, 2025, the WoRDA and the FIA reached an agreement on the swearing ban by defining zones where crews are able to freely express their sentiments during FIA-sanctioned events. [5]

References

  1. Evans, David (25 February 2025). "What is WoRDA?". DirtFish. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  2. Spencer, Ed (25 February 2025). "FIA Crisis: The WRC Stars Unionise Against FIA's Swearing Ban". autoevolution. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  3. "WRC drivers call on FIA president for "urgent solution" to swearing sanctions". www.motorsport.com. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  4. Gray, Andy (24 February 2025). "World Rally Championship: 'Urgent solution' required for FIA-swearing fines, say drivers' body". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  5. Lindsay, Alasdair (21 April 2025). "FIA and WRC drivers reach solution to swearing fine dispute". DirtFish. Retrieved 24 April 2025.