The 'jewel in the crown' of Pirelli's rally activities, the WRC is the very top level of rallying. As well as the main category for World Rally cars there are another two divisions in the championship, the Production World Rally Championship for more standard cars and the Junior World Rally Championship intended to promote younger drivers. All of the cars run Pirelli tyres of which there are five basic types, asphalt, gravel, snow plus studded and unstudded ice tyres.

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge has been developed by Eurosport TV, with its inaugural season taking place in 2007. Following the cancellation of the Safari Rally due to the unrest in Kenya, the 2008 season kicks off with the Portugal Rally in May and finishes in China in November, with a further seven European/Russian events in between. As in 2007 Pirelli will continue as a co-sponsor of the IRC and make available its tyres to IRC competitors.

Pirelli is participating in over 20 rally championships world-wide. Perhaps the most important will continue to be the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, won the last two years by Cody Crocker in his Pirelli-shod Subaru, but also the Middle East Rally Championship continues to grow in stature and competitiveness. More and more championship organisers are showing interest in the 'control tyre' concept as a means to equalize driver opportunities and Pirelli continues to support this idea.