Every sport has its own jargon and the WRC is no exception. If you're baffled by rallyspeak, check out this glossary. If you come across a term that's not here, let us know and we will see if we can add it.

Active differential
The centre differential on a four wheel drive WRC car that uses computer input to send power to the wheels with the best grip, to maximise performance. From 2006 active front and rear differentials were banned and are now mechanically operated..

Aerodynamics
WRC cars have spoilers, splitters and other shaped panels on the bodywork to direct cool air past the engine, gearbox and brakes and help keep the car firmly on the road at high speeds.

Co-driver
The navigator in the front passenger seat who gives a running commentary to the driver about road conditions ahead.

Driver safety
WRC cars don't have airbags. Instead, the crew sit inside a protective roll cage and strap themselves in with six-point wide-strap safety belts. The car has an automatic fire extinguisher system plumbed-in and the crew wear flameproof overalls, safety helmets and a head and neck support system (see HANS device).

FIA
The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the Geneva-based governing body for world-wide motor sport which regulates and controls the World Rally Championship.

Flying finish
The end of a stage where the timing stops.

Gravel cars
Cars which are driven through stages ahead of the competitors to report back on weather and surface conditions.

Gravel settings
The choice of tyres and suspension adjustments to give a WRC car maximum performance on a loose surfaced stage.

HANS® device
HANS stands for head and neck support. Worn on the shoulders and around the back of the neck, in the event of an accident, the HANS® Device reduces the amount the head swings forward and can help protect a driver's head and neck from serious injury.

Intercom
The radio link that enables the driver to hear the co-driver's instructions above the noise of the engine and transmission. Intercom headphones and a microphone are built into the safety helmet.

J-WRC
Junior World Rally Championship. Like the P-WRC, a support championship for the World Rally Championship. The J-WRC has seven rounds and is for front-wheel drive 1600cc hot hatchbacks. J-WRC drivers must be born on or after 1st January 1979 - so they cannot be older than 28 at the start of the Championship year to compete.

Launch control
This helps the driver to make the fastest getaway from a standing start. The system has a device that prevents the engine stalling.

Leg
A day's rallying.

OTL
Over time limit. Competitors arriving more than 15 minutes late at a time control or service area or who are more than 30 minutes late in total during the rally are OTL and excluded from the results.

P-WRC
The FIA Production car World Rally Championship (P-WRC) is the showcase support championship to the WRC. Cars are built to the FIA's Group N or Super 2000 regulations and have less technical freedom than WRC cars. Eight rallies of the WRC calendar count towards the P-WRC. Participation in six of the eight events is mandatory, with P-WRC entrants nominating their six events before the start of the season.

Pace notes
The co-driver's notes which he uses on a stage to alert the driver over the intercom about the road ahead.

Parc fermé.
The secure area where all competing rally cars are kept overnight. With the exception of some safety procedures - like replacing a cracked windscreen - no work is allowed on cars in the parc fermé.

Race suit.
Rally crews wear racing overalls containing three layers of flameproof material, plus flameproof underwear and a flameproof balaclava under their helmet. They get quite hot when the temperature reaches 40 degrees in Greece!

Recce car
A largely standard road car (but with safety equipment installed) which the driver and co-driver use to reconnoitre the route before the rally starts and prepare pace notes.

Restrictor
To limit engine output to around 300 bhp, the FIA requires all engines to be fitted with a 34mm diameter restrictor which limits the flow of fuel/air mixture to the combustion chambers. Without a restrictor engines would produce more than 500 bhp.

Road book
A set of instructions and route maps issued to each crew by the rally organisers.

Road section
A public road which links the special stages, service points and the parc fermé. Drivers must obey all applicable traffic laws on road sections.

Roll cage
A structure of high carbon steel tubes welded inside the passenger compartment designed to keep the driver and co-driver safe in an impact or roll-over.

Rookie trophy
Drivers taking part in their first full season of the FIA J-WRC are eligible to score points towards a Rookie Trophy. A separate classification for the Rookies will be drawn on each event, with points awarded on the same scale as J-WRC points.

Safety car
A car driven through a stage 15 minutes before the start to warn spectators of the imminent arrival of WRC cars.

Scrutineers
Technical officials who check the legality of WRC cars before, during and after the event.

Seeding
The order in which drivers start each stage, determined by their success in past rallies and times after each leg.

Sequential gearbox
An arrangement in which the gear lever or paddle selects each gear in turn (1-2-3-4-5-6) when changing up and vice-versa when changing down. Most WRC gearboxes are semi-automatic and have an electro-hydraulic control mechanism which manages the throttle, clutch and gear change.

Service park
A designated area where checks, maintenance and running repairs can be made to WRC cars, subject to strict time limits.

Shakedown
The opportunity for crews to check their competition cars, on terrain similar to the rally, the day before the start.

Stages
The competitive sections of the rally, also called special stages, where drivers and co-drivers drive as fast as they can to achieve the shortest time

Stage time
The time recorded from the standing start of a stage to the flying finish.

Stop control
A point 200-500 metres past the flying finish where the car must stop to have its time recorded.

Studs
Metal spikes fitted to the treads of winter tyres to give grip on snow and ice

Super special stage
A stage - often set up in a stadium - with two parallel tracks that enable a pair of rally drivers to race each other.

Target time
The official time allowed by rally organisers for a WRC car to complete a non-competitive road section. There are time penalties for early or late arrival.

Time card
A card the crew must present at the start and finish of every stage or time control. There are penalties for arriving before or after the time written on the card.

Time control
The place where cars must stop to get an official passing time recorded by rally officials

Time penalty
Rally crews are penalised 10 seconds for every minute the car is late to a time control - whether that is a stage start, service-in control, service-out control. Checking in early to a time control carries a stiffer penalty of one minute for every minute early.

Turbocharger
An exhaust-driven turbine that pressurises the fuel/air mixture into the engine to enable it to develop more power. All WRC cars use turbochargers (turbos) which develop 4-5 times the pressure of the turbo on a road car and can produce maximum boost from idling speed.

WDC
World Drivers' Championship. There is also a manufacturers' championship for car makers and manufacturer teams.