The way has been made clear for Abarth to compete on rallying's world stage as the FIA choose to adopt Super2000 regulations as the basis for the upcoming new generation of World Rally Cars.

The way has been made clear for Abarth to compete on rallying's world stage as the FIA choose to adopt Super2000 regulations as the basis for the upcoming new generation of World Rally Cars.

The showpiece FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has gone into rapid decline in recent years as costs escalated and the upstart Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) has captured the imagination with its Super2000 regulations inspiring a string of leading carmakers to turn out machines, including Fiat (Abarth) and Peugeot. The most prestigious event of them all, the Monte Carlo Rally, has recently announced that it is to switch to the IRC, and another famous rally, the Tour de Corse, is also considering making the jump.

Against this backdrop the FIA has been looking at ways to salvage the WRC, and dispense with the current breed of machines. In a bulletin issued this week the FIA announced that Super2000 would form the basis other the new regulations, supplemented by turbochargers, along with the turbocharged GpN cars which will also be eligible.

"The new technical regulations for the future World Rally Car will become effective from 2011," read the statement issued by the FIA in Paris. "The WRC Car will be based on the current Super 2000 and Group N cars, fitted with a supplementary kit, which includes turbo and rear-wing additions. The kit must be able to be fitted or removed within a defined time limit, to be determined.

"The current World Rally Car regulations will be extended to include the 2010 World Rally Championship, subject to technical controls. The new World Rally Car will be permitted to compete from 2009 and score points in the Championship from 2010," concluded the FIA bulletin.

Abarth will be contesting the 2008 IRC series with a two car factory effort, piloted by a top driver line up comprising of reigning Italian champion Giandomenico Basso and rapid young Finn Anton Alén. The 10-round championship, with six events taking place on asphalt surfaces and four on gravel, gets underway with the Istanbul Rally on 4-6 April.