China Rally Championship (CRC)

China Rally Championship (CRC)

Definition and History
The China Rally Championship, or CRC, is a national-level rallying championship organised by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China (CAMF), representing the country's highest-tier and largest-scale rally event. The CRC's origins date back to 1997, when Beijing's Huairou hosted the inaugural National Rally Championship, setting the stage for domestic rallying in China. The series was officially branded as the China Rally Championship in 2009. In 1999, Huairou played host to the World Rally Championship (WRC) Rally China—to date the only official points-scoring WRC round held in Mainland China—drawing six factory teams, including Mitsubishi, Ford, and Subaru, with worldwide broadcasts across dozens of countries. Since then, the CRC has expanded to iconic rounds in Zhangye and Longyou while linking up with the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), cementing its place as the backbone of rally motorsport in China.

2026 Season Huairou Round
The opening round of the 2026 CRC season took place from 28 to 30 August in Huairou, Beijing, marking the championship's return to the "spiritual home of Chinese rallying" after an eleven-year hiatus. Spanning a total distance of approximately 488.53 km, the round featured 157.24 km of competitive special stages, consisting of a super special stage and eight mountain stages. Action kicked off on 28 August with the super special stage at Ruisi Race Track before moving to the mountain stages around Baoshan Town on 29 and 30 August. The route traversed Tanghekou Town, Baoshan Town, Changshaoying Manchu Township, and Labagoumen Manchu Township, stretching into Fengning Manchu Autonomous County in Hebei Province via four dedicated stages: Dazhazi, Huangdianzi, Yangpo, and Shibapo. The surfaces featured a mix of tarmac and concrete with tight twisty sections, blind crests, and sharp elevation changes, combined with high-speed gravel trails, forest tracks, and demanding mountainous terrain.

Competitor Lineup and Race Action
The event drew 35 teams and 99 race machines from over 20 provinces and municipalities across China to the Yanshan Mountains, featuring top rally drivers such as Fan Gaoxiang and Lin Dewei, alongside machinery across the premier R5, S6, and S10 categories. Zhejiang Tonglian Rally Team's Xu Jun and co-driver Liu Sheng clinched the overall Drivers' Cup title, with TEAM PEGASUS Rally Team's Fan Gaoxiang and Chen Qingkai taking second place, while De'an KBT Racing Team's Yang Xidong and Tang Xiaoming rounded off the podium in third. The fight for the overall win went down to the wire; entering the final stage, the gap between Xu Jun and Fan Gaoxiang was whittled down to just around one second before Fan suffered a suspected tyre puncture some 3 km from the finish, handing Xu Jun the overall victory with the fastest aggregate time. On the strength of standout performances by Yang Xidong / Tang Xiaoming and Chen Jialong / Yang Junshan, De'an KBT Racing Team bagged their maiden CRC Federation Cup Team Championship.

Categories and Innovations
The 2026 CRC season features five core competition categories: Super 4WD, 4WD, Super 2WD, 2WD, and Hybrid. A key highlight this round was Lynk & Co's official rally debut, entering seven 07GT-based race machines developed by its Rally Academy to contest the S7 category and the one-make Lynk & Co Rally Challenge. The rally cars retain the factory-spec EM-P intelligent plug-in hybrid powertrain, comprising a 1.5T EVO engine, 3DHT Evo dedicated hybrid transmission, and an eAWD dual-motor setup delivering a total system output of 390 kW and 765 Nm of torque. Modifications were strictly limited to safety and competition essentials, including a full roll cage, bucket racing seats, and rally-spec dampers. Alongside the racing programme, Lynk & Co established its Rally Academy headed by APRC champion Lin Dewei, offering a four-step driver development pathway from track-day experiences and racing licence training to competing in the CRC and APRC, with an ultimate long-term eye on the WRC.

Rally Culture and Regional Impact
The return of the CRC to Huairou not only revives a classic event but also serves as a flagship pillar in the district's "335N" signature event portfolio. Running alongside the rally, the "Engine Roar Festival" offered live pop, rock, and EDM performances, a district-wide Harley-Davidson convoy parade, racing simulator setups, and a bustling night market, creating a seamless "daytime racing, nighttime leisure" experience for spectators. In an innovative move, the event organising committee also partnered with Tiangong Robot, naming it the "Silicon-Based Intelligent Co-driver" to explore new frontiers in blending motorsport with artificial intelligence. The 2026 CRC calendar features three rounds: Huairou, Beijing (August), Zhangye, Gansu (September), and Longyou, Zhejiang (October), with this three-stop schedule signalling the steady revitalisation of rally motorsport in China.