What makes up a WRC rally?

Each rally in the WRC calendar consists of three days of punishing driving on closed roads (special stages) with some slightly less frenetic driving in between (transport stages).

The 15-25 special stages are timed of course, but so are the schedule service stops in between. If the car is damaged at all the mechanics have a fixed time in which to repair it (up to 45 minutes) or face a penalty. The transport stages are the road sections between the special stages, which also have to be driven in the rally cars. So they have to be roadworthy, taxed and insured. And no speeding.

Super special stages are spectator-targeted events, in which two drivers race each other on side-by-side tracks, usually in stadiums. At the end of the rally, only the top eight finishers score points, awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

What's the difference between a normal road car and a rally car?

The rules say a WRC car has to be based on a standard road car bodyshell, but from there things get much more exotic, not to mention expensive. The engine block and head must be the same, but again the rest is bespoke. No road-going Ford Focus or Citroen C4 makes 300bhp, even with a turbocharger.

The torque is immense and the acceleration brutal – just three seconds to reach 60mph. Four-wheel-drive is standard now, as are semi-automatic gearboxes that allow F1-quick gear changes. Half a million quid is about the going rate for a WRC car, and then you need a team of mechanics. All of whom have to work just a little bit quicker than your average dealer fitter. Ten minutes to change a gearbox? No problem, guv!

How many drivers can each team have?

The teams can field as many drivers as they like, but only two will score points that count toward the manufacturer championship. Teams nominate before the rally, or at the beginning of the season. For example Ford's B-team, the Stobart outfit, have nominated Italian Gigi Galli to score points for them every rally.

In Monte Carlo, the second point scorer will be the Belgian tarmac expert Francois Duval, signed up for that rally only. The rest the season it'll be between regulars Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg. Both will contest every rally, but the nominated points scorer will be whoever the boss feels is more likely to do better on that surface.

What's J-WRC?

Keep an eye on this series for glimpses of future rally champions. Watching is no hardship. The risks in this Junior series are on par with those in the WRC as two-wheel-drive Suzuki Swifts, Citroen C2s and Renault Clios battle it out over seven of the WRC's 15 rounds.

Drivers must be under 28 at the start of the year and those to watch include Martin Prokop, driving a Citroen C2. No Brits confirmed yet, but Ireland's Shaun Gallagher is kicking off a debut season after impressing last year. Teams nominate six of the seven rallies to score points in, so they can skip one. The first J-WRC event is in Mexico.

What's P-WRC?

The Production class is open to anyone with enough cash to run a car. Pay up and you get to compete alongside WRC cars on eight of the 15 rounds. Formed from the old Group N class, it was originally for cars bought off the shelf. Except that the shelf these days only has two suitable cars on it – the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza.

This year all 28 places have been filled, with teams such as Red Bull fielding two drivers each. Last year's champion, Japan's Toshi Arai (pictured left), returns in his Impreza, as does his arch-rival and 2006 champion Nasser Al Attiyah, also in a Subaru. Brit hopes are dominated by three-time British Rally Champion Mark Higgins in a Mitsubishi, while rookie youngster Stuart Jones in another Evo joins the field in his first full year. The first round kicks off in Sweden.