The 1997 World Rally Championship season was the 25th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season saw many changes in the championship. Most notably, Group A was replaced by World Rally Car, events became shorter and more compact, event rotation system used in previous three seasons was dropped and registered manufacturers were required to contest all 14 events for the first time. In due course the World Rally Car rules would bring new manufactures into the sport, but at the start of 1997 it was still Subaru versus Mitsubishi versus Ford as before, although, by mid season Toyota Team Europe were back with a Corolla World Rally Car. Drivers championship was very tightly contested and in the end Tommi Mäkinen won his second drivers' world championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV, ahead of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. The manufacturers' title was won by Subaru.
Read more about 1997 World Rally Championship Season: Calendar, Teams and Drivers, Events
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